Durban Antizionism: Its Sources, Its Impact, and Its Relation to Older Anti-Jewish Ideologies

Abstract The antizionism that dominated the 2001 UN “World Conference against Racism” was neither a completely “new antisemitism” nor it simply latest manifestation of an ahistorical and eternal phenomenon. During peace process in late 80s 90s, intensifying focus on Israel as key symbol all bad world had been remission, but at Durban, 1970s “Zionism=Racism” culture returned. Many participants internalized embraced reconfigured antizionism. Others failed to speak out, even when they witnessed recognizable older antisemitic tropes with which came intertwined. proposal agree Zionism symbolic form racism after fall apartheid offered unity across different movements milieus: post-colonialism, human rights humanitarian law; women’s movement, anti-racism, much global left NGOs; oppressive governments if positioned themselves antiimperialist or “Islamic.” Activists, diplomats, personnel Durban were not passively infected by this antizionist ideology, chose actively embrace tolerate it. Based elements truth, exaggeration, invention, made plausible half-visible fragments antisemitisms, attractive because emotionally potent way imagining communicating “good people” oppose have difficulty facing rationally. It portrayed racism, end oppression itself, Israeli face. Delegates brought worldview home where lived spheres operated intellectually politically. They worked make into radical common sense twenty-first century. There people conference anti-hegemonic spaces around who understood dangers built opposition universal Jewish threat, found defensive self-confident, formidable, ostensibly coherent ideology worldview.