The term ‘antisemitism’ has been weaponised and stripped of meaning – and that’s incredibly dangerous | Rachel Shabi
www.theguardian.com
Israel uses it to silence critics of its Gaza war while the right uses it to attack opponents. Meanwhile, the issue itself goes unaddressed, says author Rachel Shabi

When the international criminal court issued arrest warrants for Israeli officials in November, the response from the country’s government was all too familiar. The prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, rejected outright the warrants for alleged war crimes in Gaza against him and the former defence minister Yoav Gallant, calling them “an antisemitic decision”. The ultranationalist national security adviser, Itamar Ben-Gvir, declared that the court had shown “once again that it is antisemitic through and through”. And the transport minister, Miri Regev, chimed in, claiming: “This is modern antisemitism in the guise of justice.”

  • Lvxferre
    17·
    5 days ago

    Meanwhile, the far right is taking advantage of the political crisis brought about by Israel’s world-changing war, alternately using actual antisemitism and a pretence of caring about antisemitism to advance its bigoted ideology. […] several people I spoke to told me they were afraid to even ask about antisemitism, for fear that this might itself be construed as antisemitism.

    Yes, antisemitism has become a tool for witch hunting. And just like the boy who cried wolf protected the wolves, the State of Israel crying “antisemite” is protecting bigots with an antisemitic discourse.

    But of course the State of Israel gives no fucks. It is not really on the side of the global Jewish population. Or even on the side of the Israelis. All States have this thing, where they stop being a tool for their populations and treat their populations as a tool, in a sickening inversion of morals.