# The Anti-Zionist Idea: History, Theory, & Politics II (Ammiel Alcalay and Saree Makdisi) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brpBFTWalBs Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/brpBFTWalBs Generated: 2025-07-21T23:33:47.662+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview The violence in Gaza is not exceptional but paradigmatic, revealing Zionism's meaning as a settler-colonial project that necessitates the destruction of Palestinian homes and lives, a process supported by the overwhelming majority of Jewish Israeli society and enabled by an unprecedented US government crackdown on free speech to protect a foreign country from criticism. **Key Points:** - The violence in Gaza is not exceptional but "paradigmatic," revealing the true meaning of Zionism as a project that necessitates the destruction of Palestinian homes and lives. - Israeli occupation operates through "quotidian routine slow violence," with thousands of Palestinian homes demolished in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Nakab Desert, while new settlements are simultaneously built for Jewish residents. - The International Court of Justice (ICJ) found Israel's entire settlement program illegal and its presence in occupied Palestinian territory unlawful due to "sustained abuse" and frustration of Palestinian self-determination. - Prominent Zionist figures, including historian Benny Morris and government adviser Arnon Sofur, have openly stated that ethnic cleansing and continuous killing are necessary for the maintenance of an exclusive Jewish state. - The US government's crackdown on college campuses is an "entirely unprecedented" act of repressing citizens' free speech and academic freedom to protect a foreign country (Israel) from criticism, not to protect the US itself. - This repression involves forcing universities to adopt a redefinition of antisemitism that conflates Judaism with Zionism, aiming to classify criticism of Zionism and Israeli policies as anti-Jewish hate speech and banish it from academic discourse. **Context:** This panel discussion, titled "The Anti-Zionist Idea: History, Theory, & Politics II," features Professor Ammiel Alcalay of CUNY Grad Center and Professor Saree Makdisi of UCLA. The speakers delve into the historical, theoretical, and political dimensions of anti-Zionism, particularly in the context of the ongoing situation in Gaza and Palestine. They aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the conflict's roots, the nature of Zionism, and the broader geopolitical forces at play, including US foreign policy and domestic suppression of dissent. ## Detailed Analysis Ammiel Alcalay and Saree Makdisi discuss the anti-Zionist idea, framing the current situation in Gaza as a continuation of a long-standing settler-colonial project. Alcalay opens with poems reflecting on the suffering in Gaza and critiques the inadequacy of current terminology like "settler colonialism" or "genocide" to fully describe the situation. He traces the US-Israel relationship, viewing Israel as an extension of US imperial power, and delves into the history of psychological operations and propaganda, from Bernays to MK Ultra, highlighting how these techniques target public perception. Alcalay points out historical shifts in US policy, including JFK's opposition to Israeli nuclear proliferation and support for Palestinian right of return, contrasting it with later pro-Israel stances and COINTELPRO's efforts to sow dissent. Makdisi argues that the violence in Gaza is not an anomaly but a core expression of Zionism, which operates through "quotidian routine slow violence" like home demolitions across the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Nakab Desert, citing specific demolition statistics and the International Court of Justice's ruling against Israeli settlements. He quotes prominent Zionists like Benny Morris and Arnon Sofur, who openly acknowledge and justify the necessity of ethnic cleansing and continuous killing for the maintenance of an exclusive Jewish state. Makdisi concludes that supporting Zionism inherently means supporting endless violence against Palestinians and characterizes Israeli society as an anachronistic colonial culture. He then shifts to analyze the US government's unprecedented repression of free speech on college campuses, asserting it is not McCarthyism but a direct effort to protect Israel from criticism by conflating anti-Zionism with antisemitism, thereby suppressing advocacy for Palestinian rights. ### Opening Reflections and Poetic Context - Ammiel Alcalay begins by reading two poems, "The Bullet" by Sahar Rabbah and "Gaza Gaza" by Nasar Rabah, both from Gaza, to ground the discussion in the immediate human impact of the conflict - Alcalay also reads his own poem, "My Apologies," which addresses the "hostages of our policies" and the pervasive lies of "crooked rulers" in a fading empire - He emphasizes that current conditions are entirely new, stating, "there's no going back to anything." ### Historical and Political Analysis of US-Israel Relations - Alcalay posits that Israel functions as "the tip of the imperial spear of the US," suggesting a deep, intertwined relationship - He introduces Peter Dale Scott's concept of "deep politics," which involves examining covert operations, drug and arms deals, and psychological warfare to understand geopolitical realities - Alcalay critiques existing terminologies like "settler colonialism" and "genocide" as potentially subjugating and not sufficiently descriptive of the lived experience. ### Propaganda, Mind Control, and US Policy Shifts - The discussion traces the evolution of propaganda technologies throughout the 20th century, from Bernays and Lipman to MK Ultra and AI-driven surveillance, highlighting their role in controlling public perception - Alcalay cites Allen Dulles's 1953 speech at Princeton on "brain warfare" and the subsequent authorization of MK Ultra, aimed at mind control - He contrasts John F. Kennedy's administration, which opposed Israeli nuclear proliferation and supported Palestinian right of return, with later policies, noting the 1967 Liberty incident and COINTELPRO's efforts to create internal dissent. ### Zionism as a Paradigmatic Settler-Colonial Project - Saree Makdisi asserts that the violence in Gaza is "paradigmatic rather than exceptional," revealing the true nature of Zionism - He details how Israeli occupation operates through "quotidian routine slow violence," including the demolition of thousands of Palestinian homes in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Nakab Desert, while simultaneously building settlements for Jewish residents - Makdisi cites the International Court of Justice's finding that Israel's settlement program is illegal and its presence in occupied territories unlawful. ### Justification of Violence by Zionist Figures - Makdisi quotes Israeli historian Benny Morris, who stated that "ethnic cleansing" was necessary for the creation of a Jewish state, and Vladimir Jabotinsky, who recognized Zionists as colonizers - He also quotes Professor Arnon Sofur, an architect of Gaza's isolation, who predicted a "human catastrophe" and the need to "kill and kill and kill all day, every day" to maintain a Jewish majority state - Makdisi concludes that supporting Zionism inherently means supporting "endless violence against Palestinian communities." ### Unprecedented US Crackdown on Free Speech - Makdisi argues that the current US government crackdown on college campuses is not McCarthyism but an "entirely unprecedented" effort to protect Israel from criticism - He highlights that students are targeted for criticizing Israel's genocide and advocating for Palestinian rights, not for criticizing the US government - The speaker points to the demand for universities to adopt a redefinition of antisemitism that conflates Judaism with Zionism, aiming to ban criticism of Zionist policies as hate speech.