Antisemitism and Israel's right to exist | Letter
Antisemitism manifests itself, in part, by denying Jews their collective right to self-determination, writes Jeremy Havardi in defence of the IHRA's definitionThe 122 Palestinian and Arab intellectuals (Letters, 29 November) have taken it upon themselves to define antisemitism and the struggle for Jewish rights. This is a mistaken approach which also fails to understand the IHRA definition of antisemitism. Antisemitism manifests itself, in part, by denying to Jews their collective right to self-determination under international law. That is why the view of Israel as a “racist endeavour†is an example within the IHRA definition. A Jewish majority state is no more racist than a Muslim or Christian one.The current plight of Palestinians, far from being an intrinsic feature of Zionism, is the outcome of a tragic conflict between two peoples. In recent decades, Israel has made at least four offers to partition the land and create a Palestinian state, with every offer rebuffed, often violently. Palestinian rejectionism is thus the main cause of their statelessness.
