Allegation: To gain justice for the Palestinians, we must “dismantle Zionism.”

Zionism is the national liberation movement of the Jewish people, which advocates for the right of Jews to self-determine in their ancestral homeland, Israel. For 4,000 years, Israel has been embedded in Jewish identity, and has been a feature of Jewish prayer, learning, ritual and customs. Despite being repeatedly exiled from the land, Jews have always sought to return to Israel, and were finally able to do so in large numbers in the second-half of the 19th century.  Zionism is not inherently hostile to the rights of Palestinians, and many Zionists embrace the right of Palestinians to self-determination and statehood alongside the state of Israel. 

Palestinians have a long connection to and presence in the land.  However, advocacy for the self-determination of Palestinians should not require the denigration and denial of the Jewish connection to the land, and the Jewish right to self-determination, or calling for the “dismantling” of Israel or its founding ideology.