Letter

In response to The special envoy’s plan is the latest push to weaponise antisemitism in Australia, as a relentless campaign pays off

Criticism of the policies of the Israeli state

Can a movement that conflates Jewish identity with the policies of the Israeli state — and that brands all criticism of that state as antisemitism — end up becoming antisemitic itself?

I strongly concur with this concern. Zionism, in its modern political form, has become entangled with the systemic displacement and disenfranchisement of the Palestinian people.

The very idea of a Jewish homeland — which arose from centuries of persecution culminating in the horrors of 1933–1945 — is rooted in a need for safety and dignity. That need is real. But what are we to make of the fact that, in practice, this homeland now appears to depend on the ongoing humiliation, confinement and annihilation of another people?

As we confront the actions of the Israeli Government today, I am deeply troubled by the increasing use of the term “antisemitism” as a shield against legitimate political criticism. In Australia and elsewhere, politicians are now asserting that criticism of Israel — or of the IDF — is tantamount to antisemitism. That is a serious and dangerous distortion.

Ivan Hamilton from Münster, Germany — I am Australian temporarily resident in Germany