Vienna, MINA – Vienna, Austria, made history as it became the site of the First Anti-Zionist Jewish Congress, where participants firmly declared, “the actions of the Israeli government do not represent us.”
The congress, with the participation of hundreds of Jewish activists, intellectuals, and solidarity advocates from around the globe championed the slogan “Rejecting Zionism as a political ideology.” Quds Press reported on Saturday.
Congress participants also unequivocally called for the establishment of a fully sovereign and rightful Palestinian state.
The three-day congress, which concluded on Saturday, provided a platform to reassert a position rejecting Israeli policies towards Palestinians. Attendees unanimously agreed that “Israel does not represent all Jewish people,” emphasizing that criticizing its policies is not a form of anti-Semitism, but rather a principled stance against occupation, discrimination, and ethnic cleansing.
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Prominent Israeli historian, Ilan Pappe stated that the congress was attended by Jews from around the world who “believe that the problem lies with the Zionist ideology underlying the Israeli occupation state.”
All congress participants supported the formation of a Palestinian state encompassing all its inhabitants Jewish, Muslim, and Christian and rejected Israel’s claim to speak on their behalf as Jews.
Pappe affirmed that the congress’s message was primarily directed at the West, declaring that “criticism of Israeli policies cannot be considered anti-Semitism, especially given the large number of Jews who reject the oppressive, ethnically cleansing, and genocidal policies carried out by Israel in the Gaza Strip.”
Meanwhile, American Jewish activist Katie Halper described the congress as a “historic moment,” emphasizing that “Jews who oppose Zionism are voicing their rejection of Israel’s occupation and crimes, based on their conviction in the values of justice and human rights.”
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She added, “As Jews, we have a responsibility to show the world the truth: that the Israeli entity does not represent us or speak for us, and that we reject the genocide being perpetrated against the Palestinian people.”
Halper pointed to the ironic fact that “the Israeli entity and its supporters claim to speak on behalf of Jews, when in reality the opposite is true. They accuse us of self-hatred or being anti-Semitic, but in fact, they perpetuate anti-Semitism by claiming that all Jews support an entity founded on occupation.”
She emphasized that “the crimes committed by the Israeli government in our name as Jews only fuel hatred and violence.”
She concluded by saying, “The issue is not about us as Jews, but about our moral position in supporting and standing alongside the Palestinians. The louder the voices of Jews who reject what is happening, the harder it will be for the occupying government to claim to represent all of us.”
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The First Anti-Zionist Jewish Congress marked a historical milestone, bringing together Jews from various backgrounds and nationalities, as well as humanitarian activists from around the world, to affirm their rejection of Zionism and their support for a solution based on the establishment of a fully sovereign Palestinian state in its own homeland.
The congress also reaffirmed that criticism is not directed at Judaism as a religion, but rather at the occupation and genocidal practices carried out in its name. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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