Representing Jews Against the Occupation ’48 (JAO48), I would like to share our response to Jillian Segal’s “antisemitism action plan”. In short: we reject it.
Segal does not represent our views and experience in any way. We see her as a special envoy to protect Israel’s interests, rather than to combat antisemitism.
Segal’s statement, that “Israel is the homeland for the Jewish people”, reflects her conflation of Judaism and Zionism, implying that all Jews, wherever they live and whatever nationality they have, agree with Israel’s supremacist expansionism.
There have always been anti-Zionist Jews. In fact, while Israel is fast tracking its commitment to the extreme acts of apartheid, genocide and erasure of the original inhabitants of Palestine, the number of Jews who are highly critical of Israel’s brutality and Zionist expansion project has never been greater.
Segal did not consult any of the anti-Zionist Jewish organisations in Australia when she compiled her action plan. Her plan is based on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s highly contested definition of antisemitism – so contested, because it suggests that criticism of Israel can be interpreted as antisemitic.
Segal seeks to silence the millions of Australians, Jews and non-Jews who expose and criticise Israel’s unlawful occupation and the IDF’s barbarity, on the ground that this criticism is antisemitic.
While Israel builds a concentration camp in Rafah, euphemistically called a “Humanitarian City”, to imprison 600.000 starving and traumatised Palestinians marked like cattle for slaughter or deportation, Segal wants to curtail our freedom of press and debate, and to withdraw funds from public institutions found to be critical of Israel.
This is straight out of the US/Israel (currently Trump/Netanyahu) playbook and goes directly against all decency, humanity and democracy.
When Anthony Albanese says he will “work constructively” with Segal, we warn him to beware of the dark pit of fascism.
The views expressed in this article may or may not reflect those of Pearls and Irritations.
Jepke Goudsmit
Jepke Goudsmit is a theatre maker. Since 1985 she has been co-director of Kinetic Energy Theatre Company. Since 2004 the company has focused on social justice and human rights issues through theatre-in-education.