(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
It is Gideon Levy, central columnist in the renowned Israeli newspaper Haaretz, such as 7. March formulates this heading. Levy supports US Congress Representative Ilhan Omar, who is charged with a statement on the state of Israel being interpreted as anti-Semitic. In the UK, Labor leader Jeremy Corbin continues to hear from right-wing representatives in his party that he is anti-Semitic and that it is "the Labor anti-Semitism crisis". It is no use in his annual meeting addressing frontal attacks against anti-Semitism and other racism.
In Norway, journalist Inger Lise Hammerstrøm discusses in Evening post 9 March Omar's "anti-Semitism". She is based on Large Norwegian encyclopedias definition of anti-Semitism as negative "attitudes and actions directed against Jews because they are Jews." She quotes the head of the Center for Extremism Research Cathrine Thorleifsson, who by far supports the criticism of Omar because the latter "criticizes Israel through the use of 'anti-Semitic notions'" away from what she wants to say ”.
Thorleifsson thus uses a different definition than the Great Norwegian, for it is not characteristic of Jews that is Omar's crime.
And then we are at the core of the dirty anti-Semitism debate that has crossed national borders in the media for a long time: Republican Cornyn rejoices over the charges weakening a political counterpart. Under the guise of fighting against Judaism, the stamp of anti-Semitism has become a tool for promoting political interests.
In the United States, murky groups have reason to cheer on the "gift" as Cornyn understands. The United Kingdom avoids talking about inequality politics and socialist alternatives. A small Jewish minority is once again used as ammunition for the interests of others.
One is operationalizing Jewish hatred as criticism of Israel and also calling it anti-Semitic.
But the elephant in the room during the Omar debate – something Hammerstrøm and Thorleifsson fail to address in the Aftenposten article – is the controversial new definition of anti-Semitism that the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) has launched. Jew-hatred is operationalized as a critique of Israel and is also called anti-Semitic. If, for example, one were to state that the existence of the state of Israel is a racist project after the Jewish Nation-State Law was introduced last year, or one compares Israel's policies and laws with those of the Nazis, then the IHRA believes that one is anti-Semitic. The Jewish Nation-State Law makes non-Jewish citizens of Israel second-class citizens and was passed by 62 to 55 votes in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, last year, and is very controversial – also in Israel. It is the IHRA's insidious definition of anti-Semitism that underlies this. Both Omar and Corbin criticize Israel for racist laws and abuses against Palestinians. They get burned for it.
"That pro-Israel activists demand allegiance to a foreign power, that US politicians support Israel because they receive money from the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC, and that Israel has hypnotized the world. What's wrong with these statements? ” asks Gideon Levy. And continues: "When did the description of reality become anti-Semitic?"
When will the world dare to distinguish between legitimate criticism of an illegitimate reality and anti-Semitism?
And Levy speaks to us: "When will Americans and Europeans stop running in fear every time someone shouts 'anti-Semitism'? How long will Israel and the Jewish establishment be allowed to exploit today's anti-Semitism as a shield against criticism? When will the world dare to distinguish between legitimate criticism of an illegitimate reality and anti-Semitism? "
And we can add the most serious: If we allow the anti-Semitic stamp to be used to demonize opponents and promote narrow political interests, prevent debate, criticism and freedom of speech, well then we still accept gross abuse of the Jews' unimaginable suffering in the Holocaust and pogroms throughout history .
Levy assures us that there are people, including in Israel, who are holding their thumbs up for the brave Omar.
Jones is a freelance journalist and cand philol with Jewish American literature.
