Having suffered throughout history, Jewish peace activists told Euronews that Jews should identify with the oppressed and defend their rights, “whoever the oppressor may be.”
“Only when Palestinians live in freedom and dignity will Israel know security”.
This is Marco’s “big message”. He is the spokesperson for “Na’amod“a movement of British Jews who oppose what they see as Israel’s policies of occupation and apartheid in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
But Na’amod is not alone.
Across Europe, a number of Jewish groups are campaigning for Palestinian rights and, more recently, for an end to the war between Israel and Hamas.
Wieland Hoban, president of “Jüdische Stimme“ (Jewish voice) in Germany, explains to Euronews that these Jews who describe themselves as “progressive” are often marginalized from all sides.
They can be isolated in left-wing circles, where support for Palestine sometimes veers into contempt for Jewish voices or anti-Semitism.
“Unfortunately, the conflation between the Jewish people and the State of Israel is very strong,” he confides, and many people find it difficult to understand why Jews oppose the actions of the Israeli government.
“But there is no inherent contradiction between being Jewish and supporting Palestinian rights.”adds Wieland Hoban.
Traitors
However, it is perhaps from the Jewish community itself that they face the most virulent rejection.
Accused of “side with the enemy”Wieland Hoban notes that members of the “Jüdische Stimme” have been separated from their families since the fighting began in October.
“We are called helpless pawns, useful idiots or self-hating Jews”he explains, while suggesting that people mostly ignore their group because it “does not correspond to easy stories”.
THE “Jewish peace activists” may also be accused of dishonoring their ancestors who survived the Holocaust. However, Marco asserts that this historical tragedy is the very reason why Jews should protect Palestinians.
“Because of our experience of oppression and suffering, we should identify with the oppressed and defend their rights, regardless of the oppressor“, he declares.
In December, South Africa filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court, alleging that Israel had engaged in “genocidal acts” in Gaza. Israel denies this allegation.
This is not a holy war
For some, including responsible Israelis, Palestinians and Westernthe violence in Gaza is presented as a religious war between Jews and Muslims.
Marco, however, was quick to challenge the notion that the conflict was sectarian, as groups like his have distorted that view.
“The Palestinians rose up against their oppressors”he explains. “If their oppressor had been a Japanese, they would have risen up against the Japanese. The fact that they are oppressed by the Israelis means that they have risen up against the Israelis,” he specifies.
This does not mean, however, that the war between Israel and Hamas does not fuel religious hatred.
The president of “Jüdische Stimme”Wieland Hoban, claims that the actions of the Israeli state in Gaza fuel anti-Semitism.
“Every time there is an escalation of violence from Israel, there are more anti-Semitic incidents because, unfortunately, a lot of people on the Palestinian side don’t really separate Israel from Jewishness.” , he says.
Anti-Semitism in Europe has reached new levels unmatched for decades during the latest wave of violence, while Islamophobia has also seen a spike.
Knowing people who were killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas assault and having lived on a kibbutz near villages attacked by Palestinian militants, Macro said he could “compassion deeply” to the trauma felt by Israelis and Jews around the world.
However, he said it was important to put the violence in context.
“Palestinians have suffered occupation and apartheid for several decades. While it is true that October 7 was a significant loss of Jewish life and a very tragic event, it did not occur in a vacuum,” he emphasizes.
“Continuing to oppress the (Palestinian) population will not bring security (to Israel) because it will fuel the desire for revenge and violence”he continues.
Over the past year, under the leadership of the most right-wing government in Israel’s history, the country’s army and settlers have waged an intensive campaign of displacement, dispossession and violent repression. against the population, note “Jewish Voice for Peace”a group based in the United States.
Even before Israel began its military offensive against Hamas, 2023 was one of the deadliest years on record for Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
The West is complicit in everything Israel has done
“Na’amod” And “Jüdische Stimme” are both politically active, organizing demonstrations and protest actions in the United Kingdom and Germany respectively.
Affirming that “The West is complicit in everything Israel has done” over the past decades, Marco states that “Na’amod” wants London to end its support for Israel’s war.
A “important role” What his organization plays in this process is to change the attitude of the British Jewish community, which is putting considerable pressure on the government to support Israel.
And it works, in part.
Over the decade, Marco says more space has opened up within the mainstream Jewish community for views like his.
Since Israel launched its offensive in Gaza in response to the Hamas attack, which killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel, the number of members of “Na’amod” and people following the movement online has increased.
“It is obviously sad that there has to be such a tragedy, but we have seen in previous attacks on Gaza that this issue is becoming much more present in people’s minds.”explains Marco.
“For many Jews, their views begin to change when they see the heartbreaking destruction in Gaza”.
But both groups said one of their most important activities was creating spaces for Palestinian and Jewish voices to come together.
“We should not be fooled into thinking that it is in the interests of European Jews to defend the ethnonationalism of the Israeli state,” he says.
“Because if we agree with the idea that one ethnic group must dominate others, who have no rights, this endangers the Jews and Muslims of Europe as minorities”.