The House’s passage of the “Antisemitism Awareness Act” is an astoundingly anti-democratic development. The bill mandates that the federal government uses the “International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s” definition of anti-Semitism, which The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh correctly noted could potentially criminalize criticism of Israel. His boss Ben Shapiro is one of America’s top Zionists so he’s literally risking his livelihood by condemning this audacious attack against the First Amendment.
There’s nothing “anti-Semitic” about describing Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians as racist nor in drawing attention to how that state’s formation led to the ethnic cleansing of many Muslim Arabs. Likewise, accusing it of exploiting the Holocaust for socio-political gain isn’t anti-Semitic either. The same goes for pointing out the disproportionate number of Jews in the Biden Administration and wondering whether this influences his team’s policy towards the region.
Jews aren’t the only targets of bigotry in the world, and their genocide during World War II doesn’t place them atop an imaginary hierarchy of victimhood with all the special privileges that entails in society. The State of Israel that was founded in their name as a sanctuary for them isn’t above legitimate criticism. Deifying it and its people is a personal choice that should never become a legal obligation in America. The very fact that it very well might, however, inadvertently fuels anti-Semitism.
After all, potentially criminalizing criticism of Israel and denying Jews the special privileges that some of them believe that society must forever afford them as a result of the Holocaust lends false credence to conspiracy theories that they control the US Government. The aforesaid speculation is easily discredited though by noting that Israel itself hasn’t sanctioned Russia nor armed Ukraine, among other examples such as Biden’s endorsement of Schumer’s call for regime change against Bibi, yet many still believe it.
It’ll be very difficult for genuine anti-bigotry activists to argue against that conspiracy theory if the “Antisemitism Awareness Act” enters into law. Those who defy it could also become free speech martyrs if they’re punished, including actual anti-Semites who spew indisputable hate speech against Jews, thus leading to unholy alliances between the disparate groups opposed to this legislation. That coalition might also stage nationwide protests that could descend into riots along the lines of summer 2020’s.
Furthermore, America’s foreign adversaries could point to the “Antisemitism Awareness Act” as proof of the country’s double standards towards free speech, which would harm its objective national interests even more than its existing double standards towards a slew of other issues have already done. The pretext for passing this bill into law is the campus protests for Palestine, but the problem that many have with them is their aggressive tactics, not them flexing their freedom of speech to shout various slogans.
No matter how angry some might be about what those students are saying, they mustn’t let their emotions be manipulated into supporting Congress’ audacious attack against the First Amendment. Deifying Israel and all Jews by potentially criminalizing any criticism of them, no matter how legitimate such as the first’s policies towards the Palestinians and wondering whether the second’s disproportionate membership in the Biden Administration influences its policies, is anti-American.
