Antisemitism and Zionism

The Internal Operations of the Ihra Definition

Bibliographic Data

ID12980486
AuthorsNeve Gordon (0000-0002-9502-3998, Queen Mary University of London, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume33
Issue3
Pages345-360
Publication date2024-03-22
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMiddle East Critique (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1943-6149 • E-ISSN: 1943-6157
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/19436149.2024.2330821
OpenAlexW4393077516
LanguageEN
Citations received20
References cited20

In this paper, I focus on the cultural and political work the IHRA definition of antisemitism carries out to explain why it has been adopted by hundreds of actors.I offer three key reasons to explain its effectiveness: First, it operates on an affective level, interpolating people who identify as Jews to also identify with Israel and Zionism; Second, it ties the right to Jewish difference with a Jewish State and Jewish sovereignty; Third, the definition provides a defence of a regime I call 'democratic apartheid'.The analysis reveals that the IHRA definition of antisemitism serves as a counterinsurgency tool aimed at shielding Israel from resistance to its oppressive form of racial governance and, following its recent war on Gaza, from accusations of genocidal violence

Antisemitism · Judaism · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Theology · Zionism · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Jewish Identity and Society · Law · Philosophy · Religion, Theology, History, Judaism, Christianity

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access