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Pledge to Defend those who Reject Zionism

Pledge to defend the Right to Reject Zionism and combat attempts to silence and repress those who speak out for Palestinian rights, safety, and liberation.

There is a long history in the United States of repression and violence deployed to silence those who advocate for Palestinian liberation. The situation has significantly worsened since the events of October 7, 2023.  In response to the mass uprising against genocide and Zionism,

and in solidarity with Palestine, Zionist individuals and institutions have used false accusations of antisemitism to stifle dissent and sow

fear and division. But Zionism is a political ideology, not a people.


Opposing or critiquing Zionism is not anti-Jewish, it is anti-racist. It is time to unite in defense of people’s right to question, criticize, or reject

Zionism.


We are building a network to confront the many efforts to repress dissent that have escalated over the past 10 months. Just a few of the patterns of repression we want to disrupt and prevent:

  • Activists, student organizations, leaders, and elected officials are being defamed, doxxed, surveilled, attacked, and falsely accused of antisemitism.
  • Students and academics who participate in protest or study Zionism in the classroom are being threatened, punished, and criminalized.
  • People across the country are facing repercussions for expressing solidarity with Palestine through clothing and other cultural symbols
  • Employees are being terminated for expressing their points of view on their personal social media, for wearing ceasefire, anti-genocide, or Palestine solidarity buttons and T-shirts
  • Mainstream media outlets firing or demoting journalists and pulling segments they view as too sympathetic to Palestinians
  • Right-wing movements are seizing on antisemitism claims to carry out their long-standing projects, like attacking antiracist education, undoing anti-discrimination policies, and ramping up repressive policing + criminalizing dissent - all the while espousing antisemitism themselves
  • All of these patterns are intensely chilling speech, political engagement, and resistance to genocide

We need to disarm the persecutors of this political repression. To that end, this campaign aims to:

  • Expand legal protections for people of all backgrounds to question or reject Zionism, and prevent the passage of laws that attempt to conflate  anti-Zionism and antisemitism
  • Amplify the visibility of anti-Zionism and solidarity with Palestine, especially amongst Jews, to make clear that it is not anti-Jewish to criticize Israel or oppose  Zionism
  • Prevent the adoption of laws and policies that define Anti-Zionism as antisemitic or that otherwise lead to the suppression of people critiquing Israel or Zionism or advocating for a free Palestine.
  • Defend those being targeted for acting on conscience
  • Develop clear operating definitions and descriptions of antisemitism within an anti-racist, anti-Zionist framework that honor its history and distinguish it from the ways it is misused and conflated with anti-Zionism

In signing this pledge, I commit to protect and amplify the rights of individuals, organizations, and movements that work towards the liberation of Palestine and the confrontation of Zionism, including…

  • Use my platform (as a celebrity, influencer, community member, etc) to amplify calls for justice for those targeted, share resources developed through the campaign, and put pressure on institutions enacting this injustice
  • Use my training (as a lawyer, organizer, educator, etc) to contribute resources and time to developing the many tactics of this diverse campaign
  • Leverage within my role (as a politician, union member, religious leader, activist, etc) to bring an end to this repression through advocacy within my institution
  • Become a personal proponent in social, professional, familial, and other places available to me by advocating for the aims of the campaign

The need is urgent and your voice matters!

Signed, 

The Coalition to End Zionist Repression:

US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN)

Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM)

Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC)

National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP)

National Faculty for Justice in Palestine (NFJP)

International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN)

Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP)

Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism (ICSZ)

PalLegal