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PaperclipPerfector  3d ago (text post)   13671 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of April 20, 2026

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Sort of related: I recently read an article called "On Collective Jewish Guilt".

I understand that anti-Zionism is not intrinsically reducible to antisemitism, and that, in theory, one could oppose the existence of Israel while harbouring no ill will towards Jews and wanting them to be safe. But it's hard to avoid the conclusion that, in many cases, anti-Zionism is the motte and antisemitism is the bailey. This article argues that you can tell a lot of anti-Zionists don't really mean what they say based on how they react to antisemitic terror attacks and hate crimes that take place outside of Israel (e.g. the recent Hanukkah mass shooting on Bondi Beach). After all, if anti-Zionists were really only opposed to the state of Israel, you would logically expect them to be the first to condemn attacks on the Jewish diaspora, and in the loudest possible terms: after all, if they believe that a dedicated Jewish state is not necessary to ensure the safety of Jews, they should be the ones most opposed to attacks on Jews outside of Israel. That is, to put it charitably, not what would we see. Every time there has been an antisemitic terror attack or hate crime in the last two and a half years, I have seen one or more of the following:

  • sympathetic framing of the perpetrator ("his family were killed in an airstrike in Lebanon")
  • claims that such attacks are bound to be expected as a consequence of the war in Gaza i.e. victim-blaming (as if a handful of Australian Jews, many of whom had presumably never set foot in Israel, have the slightest say in Israeli politics or IDF tactics)
  • outright suggestions that the attack was staged by Mossad as a false flag attack

I am sure there is someone out there who is opposed to the existence of Israel on philosophical grounds but legitimately harbours no animosity towards Jews on an interpersonal level and sincerely wishes them no harm. (This is the person Freddie deBoer claims to be; I don't believe him.) But in my experience, nine times out of ten a Gentile who calls himself anti-Zionist will eventually be revealed to be antisemitic, and I'm sick of trying to pretend otherwise.

"So I know the group our people are targeting for harassment and abuse now is the same group our people have been targeting for harassment and abuse for centuries. And I know that our justifications for harassing and abusing them (they murder children, they control the banks, they control the media, they're sexual degenerates) are literally word-for-word the same as the justifications we used for centuries before now. But our harassment and abuse is totally justified now because of anti-colonialism, guys."

in many cases, anti-Zionism is the motte and antisemitism is the bailey.

This strikes me as very likely in some cases

After all, if anti-Zionists were really only opposed to the state of Israel, you would logically expect them to be the first to condemn attacks on the Jewish diaspora, and in the loudest possible terms: after all, if they believe that a dedicated Jewish state is not necessary to ensure the safety of Jews, they should be the ones most opposed to attacks on Jews outside of Israel.

I don't see how any of this is logical at all actually.

I have no problem with Jews, I admire their culture. Frankly, any culture that prizes educational attainment and hard work is desperately needed given how hard the West is abandoning these values.

I think the state of Israel, while in a very shitty neighborhood, is going absolutely ham to a degree that is impossible to support ethically. There are many examples of the various attrocities they have recently inflicted on Palestinians (rape, violence, blah blah blah). Also fun stuff like death penalty laws that only apply to Palestinians. Or the entire concept of West Bank settlements and the Swiss cheesing of that area. Or how gaza is levelled and the ~2mil ppl there are now pressed into less than 50% of the pre 2023 land area. It goes on...

Of course, the Palestinians, and the Arab Muslim world at large, are terrible neighbors and have inflicted lots of attrocities back on Isreal. I dislike them as well.

So in sum, I dislike everyone in that area, and I hope they resolve their problems (they never will). If I meet a Jew in real life, I'll shake their hand and hope I can get invited to Shabbat because I'm a slut for Challah.

But I also think the state of Israel is being run by essentially cartoon villains and I absolutely do not support them.

I don't understand why I have to yell loudly about not liking violence against Jews forever to demonstrate that I'm "one of the good ones". I don't like violence against Jews, people shouldn't be violent ahainst them. I dislike violence against most people.

There are many examples of the various attrocities they have recently inflicted on Palestinians (rape, violence, blah blah blah).

Apart and beyond the usual level of such atrocities in any military?

Or how gaza is levelled and the ~2mil ppl there are now pressed into less than 50% of the pre 2023 land area.

What would be a more effective way to clear out Hamas bases and tunnels that are deeply embedded within civilian infrastructure, without putting your own soldiers at risk? I'm genuinely curious -- I have not been able to get a single good answer to this that isn't simply "Well, don't."

What would be a more effective way to clear out Hamas bases and tunnels that are deeply embedded within civilian infrastructure, without putting your own soldiers at risk?

Good faith Marshall plan Gaza or actually genocide it fr.

You can't "Marshall plan Gaza" when the aid money is just going to get funneled into Hamas.

As for "actually genocide it fr",

I think the state of Israel, while in a very shitty neighborhood, is going absolutely ham to a degree that is impossible to support ethically.

You would start ethically supporting Israel if they went even further than doing things that you find impossible to ethically support?

I don't support them genociding Gaza, I just think it's basically one of ~two "effective" (as in, actually stops the two groups from doing everything they can to fuck with each other) options for actually ending this conflict.

Ok, so then what realistic and fair option do you actually support for ending this conflict?

I provided the two viable options I see before us.

To be clear, I do not think it is possible to achieve a "realistic and fair" solution that both parties will agree to. There's so much hostility and bad blood and history that I genuinely do not think this will ever end.

The Palestinians will suffer and occasionally lash out, the Israelis will crush them and keep them contained/mow the grass.

I anticipate, barring some black swan event, that when I die the status quo will be similar to now

The first one I've addressed as unviable.

The second one you don't support.

Unless there is a viable alternative option that you support, how is it at all fair to say

Israel... is going absolutely ham to a degree that is impossible to support ethically

Either provide a workable alternative you'd actually support, or do not complain when the only reasonable course of action is taken.

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