by David Virtue on substack
Global antisemitism is on the rise. Is it because Israel is holding the line in Lebanon, slowly destroying Hamas, and is prepared to face down Iran, while building one of the most advanced technological and economic countries in the world capable of defending itself against its worst enemies?
The madness against the Jews exponentially increases as Israel grows daily stronger and advocates for freedom, even providing for the two million Israeli Arab citizens who live within its borders.
It is baffling that in the wake of the massacre of Israelis on October 7, 2023 and the Gaza war that followed, Israel has been maligned by the UN, South Africa, with calls to arrest Bibi Netanyahu, and antisemitic elements in the West bent on keeping Jew hatred alive.
I am bewildered by charges of genocide, baby-killing, starvation and more, when there is barely a peep about what Vladimir Putin is doing to Ukraine, where it is estimated that over a million men, women and children have died on both sides in a war he started.
Zionism, properly understood, is a nationalist movement that advocated for the establishment of a Jewish homeland, the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people. It emerged in the late 19th century, primarily in response to antisemitism and the desire for self-determination among Jews. The movement was formally established by Theodor Herzl, who wrote “Der Judenstaat” in 1896, outlining the vision of a Jewish state in Palestine.
Today it has become a slur word. The word Zionist, as well as derivations including the abbreviation Zio or compounded terms such as Zionist pig or Zionazi, have been used as pejorative terms used to disparage Jews, Israelis, or supporters of Israel.
It’s now become clear, however, that we’re looking at an even more sinister pattern of behavior. Appallingly, the slaughter of Jews excites a large number of people so much that it galvanizes them to howl for the blood of more, bemoans British columnist Melanie Phillips.
There’s nothing remotely normal or explicable about this. It’s a form of madness that’s taken widespread hold, writes Phillips.