American Psychological Association Rewrites Antisemitism Guidelines to Protect Speech on Palestine

"Multiple contemporary definitions of antisemitism all share the recognition that antisemitism involves hostility, prejudice, discrimination, harassment, hatred, or violence against Jews as Jews, citing multiple organizations, including the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)."

"The weaponization of antisemitism - the manipulative or bad faith invocation of accusations to silence legitimate criticism, scholarship, or activism - creates significant adverse consequences for Jews and non-Jews who oppose the state of Israel's actions and support Palestinian rights."

"The APA removed that idea from their resolution this year, and updated it to include the belief that using claims of antisemitism to silence criticism of Israel is itself detrimental."

The American Psychological Association updated its Resolution on Antisemitism at its recent meeting, removing guidance that equated all criticism of Israel with antisemitism. The revised resolution maintains core definitions of antisemitism as hostility, prejudice, or violence directed at Jews as Jews, including holding Jews collectively responsible for Israel's actions or assuming greater loyalty to Israel than home countries. Significantly, the update removes the problematic conflation of Israel criticism with antisemitism that was present in previous versions and other definitions like the IHRA's. The updated resolution now explicitly recognizes that weaponizing antisemitism accusations—using them in bad faith to silence legitimate criticism, scholarship, or activism regarding Israel's actions and Palestinian rights—creates harmful consequences for both Jews and non-Jews engaged in such discourse.

Read at Truthout