It is not widely appreciated that the term “antisemitism” is a relatively modern one, originating in 1879 when the German agitator Wilhelm Marr used it to describe the anti-Jewish campaigns underway in central Europe at that time. The term is a misnomer since “Semitic peoples” include members of any group that speaks or historically spoke a Semitic language, including Jews and Arabs. According to Oxford Reference, the term “Semitic” derives from the biblical figure Shem, son of Noah, from whom these groups were traditionally thought to descend. Therefore, antisemitism, in a literal sense, would imply hostility toward both Jews and Arabs. Of course, following the logic of that label, it can equally be said that Zionists are antisemitic as they demonstrate hatred towards and commit criminal acts against the Semitic Arabs of Palestine. However, its common usage today, which has been adopted and promoted for political purposes by the practitioners of the far-right Zionist ideology, refers specifically to prejudice or hostility against Jewish people.
The question of whether Jews and Arabs are genetically distinct is a crucial one. Scientific research, such as a study cited by Ann Gibbons, indicates that some Muslim Arabs in the Middle East are descended from Christians and Jews who lived in the region — known as the southern Levant — thousands of years ago. Geneticist Michael Hammer’s study of 1371 men worldwide found that the Y chromosomes of Middle Eastern Arabs and Jews are nearly indistinguishable. These findings highlight the shared ancestry of Jews and Arabs, who both descend from ancient populations that inhabited the Levant long before the emergence of the religions of Judaism or Islam.
Given this shared ancestry, the current conflict in Palestine cannot be attributed to racial differences. Instead, it is deeply rooted in political and religious ideologies. The belief that Jews are a distinct, “chosen” people arise purely from religious teachings, which have been used historically to justify exclusive claims to land and discriminatory practices. Such beliefs, however, lack any foundation in genetic fact.
Throughout history, genocidal conflicts have often been justified through religious narratives and power struggles. In the context of modern Israel, Zionism has played a pivotal role in shaping the state’s policies and territorial ambitions. Zionism, a political ideology founded by Theodor Herzl in the late 19th century, seeks to establish and maintain a Jewish homeland in the historic region of Palestine. This political ideology has appropriated religion to legitimise territorial theft from indigenous peoples.
One example is the invocation of biblical passages such as Psalm 72:8, which reads: “He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.” Zionist leaders, such as David Ben-Gurion, have interpreted such texts as a divine mandate for the establishment of a Jewish state encompassing all the land “from the river to the sea.” While similar territorial claims can also be found in Islamic and Christian traditions, Zionist ideology has appropriated these religious texts to justify their current policies of genocide and ethnic cleansing.
The instrumentalisation of a particular idea of antisemitism as being solely related to hatred of Hebrew speakers by the Zionist Israeli government has been a powerful tool for deflecting criticism of its policies. By framing opposition to its actions as inherently antisemitic, Israel’s leadership has effectively shielded itself from international scrutiny. This strategy has found resonance in the West, where historical guilt over the Holocaust has led to widespread reluctance to criticise Israel.
Western societies, particularly in Europe and the United States, have a long history of persecuting Jewish populations, culminating in the Holocaust. This history has created a climate in which accusations of antisemitism carry significant weight, frequently stifling legitimate critiques of Israeli policies even those made by the UN and the international courts of law. However, this narrative holds less sway in the Global South which represents the vast bulk of humanity, where nations do not share the same historical guilt and are more likely to view Israel’s actions accurately as instruments of Western colonialism and imperialism and violations of international law and human rights.
The global response to Israel’s actions in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon has been increasingly critical. The United Nations General Assembly has repeatedly condemned these actions, and claims have been filed with the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court leading to arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant and judgements that Israel is an apartheid state and plausibly guilty of genocide. These efforts, led largely by countries in the Global South, reflect a growing consensus that the situation in Palestine constitutes a crime against humanity.
Within Israel, there is also growing discontent. Many well-educated, dual-citizen Israelis are emigrating permanently, expressing disillusionment with the policies of the current government. This brain drain, combined with Israel’s increasing international isolation, poses existential challenges to the state’s future. Economically, Israel remains heavily dependent on financial and military aid from Western nations, particularly the United States. However, the US itself faces mounting economic pressures, driven by the costs of supporting Ukraine in its conflict with Russia and ongoing aid to Israel, as well as the approaching economic crash of the US economy due to its vast and unsustainable levels of debt to the rest of the world.
The use of antisemitism as a justification for Israel’s policies in Palestine is a morally unsustainable strategy. It conflates legitimate criticism of state actions with prejudice against Jewish people, silencing voices that advocate for justice and human rights. The shared ancestry of Jews and Arabs, coupled with the universal principles of human dignity and equality, emphasises the vital need for a resolution based on co-existence and mutual respect rather than extreme far-right ideologies. As the global community continues to comprehensively reject Israel’s actions, the urgency of addressing these issues through diplomacy and international law becomes ever more urgent if the world is to avoid this criminally inspired conflict from resulting in generalised world war.
Les MacDonald
Les MacDonald has been a CEO for more than 40 years. Prior to this, he held executive positions in both the Commonwealth and NSW governments. He was previously Executive Director Uniting Care Ageing. Les has an extensive leadership history including board positions in public hospitals, health insurance, the maritime industry, public transport, cancer medicine and the Council for the Arts amongst others.