On the State of Israel, Palestinian liberation, antisemitism, and international working-class solidarity

The State of Israel, governed under Zionist ideology, has, since its founding in 1948, continuously enacted untold violence unto its neighbors and especially Palestinian Arabs, who continue to be systematically excluded and ethnically cleansed by the Israeli government under a brutal system of apartheid. 

Zionism emerged in late-19th-century Europe in response to antisemitic violence and exclusion. A bourgeois nationalist ideology, it sought to emulate European nationalist and colonial experiments by establishing a Jewish homeland in the region of Palestine, simultaneously diverting from the struggle of the Jewish working class. At its core, Zionism is an ethnonationalist ideology, viewing Zionists' claim to Palestine as superior to that of Palestinian Arabs. As such, it relies on the forced displacement (see: Nakba) and institutional subordination of Palestinian Arabs to maintain a Jewish state. 

From its inception, Zionism was fiercely critical of Jewish socialist movements such as the Jewish Labor Bund, which emphasized the liberation of the Jewish working class where they resided. Bundist thinkers viewed Zionism as a form of escapism, a capitulation to antisemitic exclusionary logic. Bundist thinkers recognized that Zionism would not provide a safe homeland for Jews, but instead a hostile environment for Jews and Arabs alike, brought on by the forced subjugation of Palestinians under a Zionist government. They were additionally highly critical of Zionists' collaboration with European imperialists, including, at times, with genocidal antisemitic governments. Their concerns could not ring truer today: Israel has become a tool of American imperialism in the Middle East, as it continues to oppress and ethnically cleanse Palestinian populations under the most reactionary, far-right government in Israel's modern history. Jewish safety has been severely compromised by continued occupation, as demonstrated in the horrific attacks on Israeli civilians on October 7th. The establishment of the State of Israel did not provide a safe home for Jews after the Holocaust—rather, it sacrificed Jewish safety for Palestinian repression, enacted genocidal policies reminiscent of the Europe of early Zionist thinkers, and contributed to a growth of antisemitism in the modern day. 

The American imperial establishment continues to deliberately conflate criticism of the State of Israel and/or Zionism with antisemitism to delegitimize such criticism in order to support the US's interest in Israel as a proxy of American imperialism. In doing so, it associates Jewish Americans with the State of Israel, flattening centuries of Jewish history, reducing Jews to a monolith, and emboldening malicious actors seeking to sow confusion and division by promoting antisemitism. American leaders continue to frame Palestinian liberation as the greatest threat to Jewish people, all while turning a blind eye to far-right antisemitic movements. Throughout history, the ruling class has benefited from this antisemitism to divide the working class and divert attention away from the oppressive systems of capitalism and American imperialism. As such, it is important to identify centuries-old antisemitic tropes masquerading as criticism of Israel, in reality merely distractions from US imperialism, including (but not limited to): 

• identifying "Zionists" as the primary threat to America;

• presenting the United States as subordinate to the State of Israel, and not the other way around;

• claiming organizations such as AIPAC to be chief determiners of US policy, or secret controllers of the government. 

As socialists, it is imperative to resist these false narratives and resolutely stand in opposition to all forms of overt and covert antisemitism. 

Since 2024, YDSA has formally committed to anti-Zionism, as the Israeli state continues to endanger Israelis and Palestinians alike. DSA stands with left-wing and anti-Zionist Jewish organizations in recognizing that Jewish safety cannot and will not exist without Palestinian liberation. It affirms the importance of transnational, multiethnic working-class solidarity. Finally, it recognizes both the Jewish and Palestinian struggle as parts of a global fight against oppression, imperialism, and the capitalist system.