In the battle against antisemitism we must accept that Zionism means different things to different people | David Slucki

"The 14 December Bondi Beach attack targeting Jews at a Hanukah celebration has brought the issue of antisemitism into sharp national focus. In response, the New South Wales government announced measures to further curb hate speech and symbols, and, more controversially, new protest powers. This event and the government's response have once again raised questions about the relationship between Jews, Israel, Zionism and anti-Zionism."

"Zionism is a Jewish national movement that sought to create a Jewish state, then to secure and sustain it. But Zionism is also a contested label: for many Jews it signifies safety, continuity and belonging; for Palestinians and for many others it denotes dispossession and ongoing domination. It's clear that for different people, the word Zionism means very different things, which leads to people talking past one another with real-world consequences."

"Originating in the late 19th century as a movement for Jewish national self-determination, Zionism was founded in response to the increase of a modern form of Jew-hatred grounded in pseudo-science and conspiracy theories, and the rise of European national movements seeking their independence. Early Zionists argued that the only solution for the precarious status of Jews as a perennially persecuted minority in Europe was through the establishment of a Jewish state."

After the 14 December Bondi Beach attack on Jews at a Hanukah celebration, New South Wales announced measures to curb hate speech and symbols and new protest powers. The event intensified debates about Jews, Israel, Zionism and anti-Zionism. Zionism began in the late 19th century as a Jewish national movement for self-determination and the creation of a Jewish state in response to modern antisemitism and rising European nationalisms. Mass Jewish migration to Ottoman and Mandate Palestine encountered a majority Palestinian Arab population and an emerging Palestinian national movement. Zionism included diverse political strands and debates about the state's nature and the place of Arabs and Palestinians. Over nearly 130 years its meaning has evolved.

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