It’s important not to shut down legitimate conversation or protest around Israel-Palestine at a crucial time, but it is also essential that discourse does not stray into xenophobia or racism against Palestinians or Israelis.
Israelis and Palestinians suffer their own unique forms of prejudice that are often related to Islamophobia and antisemitism, but are not the same thing (please refer to our other guide on these forms of racism). This guide is an attempt to provide some information on anti-Palestinian and anti-Israeli racism (not to create a conclusive definition or to compare them).
1. Palestinians are Muslim, Christian, Samaritan, and others. The majority are Muslim.
Israelis are Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Samaritan, Druze and others. The majority are Jewish. Around 20% of Israeli citizens are of Palestinian/Arab background.
2. Anti-Palestinian racism involves suppression or denial of Palestinian culture and national heritage, and conspiracy theories about Palestinians including:
- People being targeted for wearing Palestinian national symbols such as the keffiyeh (Palestinian scarf)
- Banning display of the Palestinian flag
- Denying the right to use the term 'Palestine' or banning expressing support for Palestinian nationalism
- Denying Palestinian national history, culture and identity
- Nakba denial
3. Anti-Palestinian racism also includes:
- Claiming that Palestine is the puppet state of another country/international organisation
- Claiming that Palestine is part of a conspiracy for global domination
- Homogenising Palestinians as being all from the same faith background or political/religious viewpoint
- Claiming Palestinians have larger families to gain a demographic advantage
- Claiming that all Palestinians are 'terrorists/uncivilised', or that Palestine had a backward society before Israel was established
4. Anti-Israeli racism involves suppression or denial of Israeli culture and national heritage, and conspiracy theories about Israel including:
- People being targeted for wearing Israeli national symbols such as the Star of David
- Banning display of the Israeli flag
- Denying the right to use the term 'Israel' or banning expressing support for Israeli nationalism (Zionism - for an explanation of Zionism, refer to page 14-15 of bit.ly/SNSVocab)
- Claiming that Israel is the puppet state of another country/international organisation
5. Anti-Israeli racism also includes:
- Claiming that Israel is part of a conspiracy for global domination
- Homogenising Israelis as being all from the same faith background or political/religious viewpoint
- Denying Jewish national history in Israel
- Oct 7th attack/minimisation
- Claiming Israel is responsible for global disasters such as Coronavirus
- Claiming that all Israelis are 'racists, White European colonialists, settlers or genocide supporters'
6. Anti-Palestinian and anti-Israeli prejudice is:
- Expressed by suppressing and silencing legal freedoms of speech and protest, and treating all pro-Palestinian activism as antisemitic/extremist, or alienating/excluding all Israeli citizens indiscriminately
- Borrows and utilises Islamophobic and anti-Arab tropes, or antisemitic tropes
- Claims that all Palestinians or all Israelis and their supporters aren't interested in pursuing peace
7. Prejudice towards Israeli and Palestinian people is more associated with the political right or left. Many of our leaders and grassroots groups from the right wing are partisan in favour of Israel and some have shown anti-Palestinian racism, and many of our political leaders and grassroots organisations from the left wing are partisan in favour of Palestine and some have shown anti-Israeli racism. The further to the right or left the main parties in our democracy are, the more these forms of racism tend to become institutionalised.
Remember, Israelis and Palestinians are human beings just like the rest of us, with many living under unbelievably painful and difficult circumstances. Let's avoid hateful and prejudiced behaviour towards them just because of their identity and beliefs.
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If you want any advice, contact us. If you're a teacher or school leader and want to know more about discussing this issue with your students, you can find out more here.