Britain & Zionism: The Taboo Is Breaking | Soumaya Ghannoushi | MEE opinion
Middle East Eye
8,174 views
Soumaya Ghannoushi, writer and expert in Middle East politics, writes that the Green Party’s decision to declare itself anti-Zionist marks a challenge to the foundations of the Israeli state, rather than simply opposition to its current government.
She traces that argument back to Britain’s 1917 Balfour Declaration and the creation of Israel in 1948, which Palestinians remember as the Nakba. Around 750,000 Palestinians were driven from their homes, leaving behind keys that became symbols of displacement and an enduring hope of return.
Ghannoushi says that western support for Israel crossed political divides, with the right viewing it as a strategic ally and much of the left embracing the image of kibbutzim, trade unions and socialist pioneers while Palestinians were “cut out of the frame”.
She says Gaza has helped transform British public opinion and argues that blaming Netanyahu, Ben Gvir or Smotrich alone avoids a deeper question. Citing Israel’s 2018 Nation-State Law, she says unequal national rights are embedded in the state itself. Against this, she presents the Green motion’s support for one democratic state with equal rights as an alternative to political hierarchy.
Ghannoushi also rejects the equation of anti-Zionism with antisemitism, stressing that Judaism, Jewish identity, Zionism and the Israeli state are not the same. She concludes that the Green vote has challenged a long-standing taboo.
20 Comments
It was a systemic failure...
**>> Israeli leadership believed Hamas was deterred, ignored serious warning signs, and put too much faith in a $1.1 billion high-tech border system. Hamas used cheap drones to disable key surveillance and defenses, while too few troops were positioned on the ground to respond.
**>>Technology is a tool, not a replacement for people, intelligence, and preparedness. October 7 exposed what happens when complacency meets overconfidence.
- The underlying issue is that Israel initiated terroristic attacks against Palestinian people in the first place, giving them reason to defend themselves. the unfortunate formation of what amount to self-defense groups is inevitable
Britain & Zionism: The Taboo Is Breaking | Soumaya Ghannoushi | MEE opinion
Middle East Eye
8,174 views
Soumaya Ghannoushi, writer and expert in Middle East politics, writes that the Green Party’s decision to declare itself anti-Zionist marks a challenge to the foundations of the Israeli state, rather than simply opposition to its current government.
She traces that argument back to Britain’s 1917 Balfour Declaration and the creation of Israel in 1948, which Palestinians remember as the Nakba. Around 750,000 Palestinians were driven from their homes, leaving behind keys that became symbols of displacement and an enduring hope of return.
Ghannoushi says that western support for Israel crossed political divides, with the right viewing it as a strategic ally and much of the left embracing the image of kibbutzim, trade unions and socialist pioneers while Palestinians were “cut out of the frame”.
She says Gaza has helped transform British public opinion and argues that blaming Netanyahu, Ben Gvir or Smotrich alone avoids a deeper question. Citing Israel’s 2018 Nation-State Law, she says unequal national rights are embedded in the state itself. Against this, she presents the Green motion’s support for one democratic state with equal rights as an alternative to political hierarchy.
Ghannoushi also rejects the equation of anti-Zionism with antisemitism, stressing that Judaism, Jewish identity, Zionism and the Israeli state are not the same. She concludes that the Green vote has challenged a long-standing taboo.