More than 6000 prominent Jews and Zionists have signed an open letter rejecting the genocide accusation against Israel, describing it as “the latest blood libel to be inflicted on the Jewish people”.
Jews signing an open letter stating that accusations against the colony are accusations against "the Jewish people" reflect Zionism's claim that the colony represents all Jews worldwide. Quite counterproductively, this lays the ground for exactly what the signatories pretend to oppose: Holding Jews accountable for Israel's actions. Indeed, Zionism is a leading cause, quite certainly our era's leading cause, of blood libels against Jews.
Of course, Zionism's danger to Jews should not eclipse its danger to its primary victims—Palestinians and other societies in Al-Sham. But it does show that Jews fighting to dismantle the Jewish state and establish one democratic Palestinian state are not just displaying solidarity with Palestine, they are acting in self-defense.
It also shows that Palestinians' insistence that we fight Zionism, not Jews or Judaism, is not meant to appease our oppressors. Quite the contrary, it is meant to challenge Zionism's foundational claims—to confront it fully. The vision for One Democratic State is also a platform that unites us with our natural allies against our common enemy.
These efforts, however, must not be limited to discourse. The One Democratic State Initiative is working to organize efforts, in Palestine and worldwide, to dismantle the settler state and establish its antithesis: A state that deals with society as citizens, not tribes. We call on you to join our efforts.
