Anti-Zionism has existed since Zionism began to exist. The two go hand-in-hand, but they are not opposite sides of the same coin as many would have you believe.
The concept is simple: Zionism claims that the Jewish people have a right to live in the State of Israel in the Land of Israel. Anti-Zionism – that being pushed forward in the West – despite claiming to be the opposite of Zionism, is not merely opposed to a Jewish state due to the categoric fact of it being a Jewish state, rather it claims to be opposed to the existence of the State of Israel out of concern for the welfare of the Palestinian people.
That is where the disconnect between the two camps lies: Zionists see anti-Zionists as being proponents of an anti-Jewish state approach – and therefore, opposed to Jews themselves – while anti-Zionists see their cause as a humanitarian one. The two are not speaking the same language, so to speak.
This, of course, relates to the vast majority of those belonging to the anti-Zionist camp. There are plenty of extremists who simply use the cause as an excuse to express their antisemitism loudly in the streets.
Meanwhile, there are those who are naive enough to believe that their cause is a noble one looking out for the underdog. They do not see how they are slowly but surely being lured into a self-righteous attitude claiming mutual exclusivity between Zionism and being pro-Palestine.
And while some are completely intolerant, I like to be positive and believe there’s some room for conversation when it comes to the right of Israel to exist. So, with that, I’ve racked up some methods to convince anti-Zionists, at the very least, that we are not evil, genocidal occupiers.
1. Don’t
This is going to be an exhausting endeavor. It is never easy to talk to someone so unilaterally opposed, not only to an opinion of yours but to something inherent to your identity. Before engaging in any conversation of this sort, ask yourself, “Do I really want to do this?”
2. Present the historical Jewish presence in the Land of Israel
So you have decided to talk to an anti-Zionist. Good luck!
A basic step you can take is to oppose their claim that Palestine has been in this land for thousands of years – something that we know to be untrue. Whether they tell you that “Jesus was Palestinian” or that “Old currency from the region says Palestine,” know that they are low balling you because there is no such thing as an alternate history.
Tell them – or, even better, show them – all of the evidence of the State of Israel existing here thousands of years ago. Explain to them that the coins that said “Palestine” said so in English and Arabic, yes, but in Hebrew, too. Tell them what Mandatory Palestine was. Hell, show them parts of the New Testament to all-too-easily prove that Jesus was, in fact, not Palestinian.
3. Tell the truth about the October 7 massacre
Anti-Zionists have been presented with a very one-sided issue of the Hamas Chronicle on what happened on October 7. This supposed naivety is not to be excused or forgiven, but if you wish to combat it, you need to bring forth the truth, and the truth lies in the time-sensitive data.Yes, many Palestinians have died since the onset of the war, but it was Israelis who were killed in a massacre that specifically targeted civilians. Palestinian lives have worth and value, but they were killed in acts of war, not targeting civilians but rather those hiding behind the civilians.
4. Get personal
There is nothing that brings a broader issue down to the human level more practically than showing the personal aspect of it, so if you are at this point still engaged in a debate with an anti-Zionist person, tell them of your personal connection to the State of Israel.
Tell them of your loved ones whose families have lived here for hundreds of years. Tell them of the party-goer at Nova who went to college with you that was murdered. Tell them of the father of the hostage that you met who wept for his daughter.
The truth carries a lot of weight, but to see that pain firsthand is something else entirely.
5. Introduce the mutual enemy: Hamas
You cannot deny the pain that many Palestinians have endured. Many, yes, have been brainwashed by the evil that is the terrorist organization Hamas, but many more still are just as much hostages as those Israelis held in Gaza.
They are human shields, preserved only for the utility that this heartless organization set on the death of Jews it abducted.
Instead of denying these people’s victimhood, introduce the common enemy victimizing both “us” and “them”: Hamas. Show them how Hamas has created this monster that is the war and show them how Hamas has forced Israel to act on the principle of Doctrine of Double Effect in which the morally good act is accompanied by an unintended effect, far more than it would actually care to, and how, in these attacks, Israel has prevented a far larger death toll.
6. Know when it’s a lost cause
While it is a good and noble cause to attempt to bring people to a more moderate and empathic approach to the war and to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a whole, it is equally important to recognize and know when it is a lost cause.
When the rhetoric is against Jews and not Israelis, when they excuse attacks on synagogues and Jewish institutions, when they express disgust towards aspects of Jewish existence outside of Israel and Zionism, that is when you know that this is someone who does not make this false differentiation, but rather it is someone who knows that anti-Zionism indicates antisemitism, and engages in the former as a cover for the latter.
While it is important to protect Israel, perhaps it is best to save your energy for someone worth spending it on.
And to those willing to show understanding, to speak on the human level, I commend and applaud you because the fight you are doing far more important and long-lasting: You are showing the anti-Zionists around the world that Israel is true, Israel is legitimate, and Israelis are human.
The writer is managing editor of The Jerusalem Post’s website, JPost.com.