In an exceptional event of historical significance, the Austrian capital Vienna hosted the first international anti-zionist Jewish conference from June 13-15, in the same city that witnessed the first zionist conference attended by Theodor Herzl in 1897. The conference was called the "Jewish Anti-Zionist Conference" and hosted prominent Jewish and Palestinian figures. This article reviews the conference and its significance at this critical moment in the history of the Palestinian struggle against zionism.
Organizers
The Jewish conference was organized by "For Democracy and Human Rights in Palestine," an Austrian organization known for its anti-zionist and anti-imperialist positions. It considers itself part of the global liberation movements and is led by Jewish and Austrian activists in coordination with independent Palestinian figures.
Alongside the main organization, Jewish networks supporting Palestine, such as Jews of Europe for Palestine and Jews for Justice for Palestinians, participated. It was also supported by other Jewish organizations, such as Jewish Voice for Peace, European Jews for Peace, and the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network.
Objectives
The conference's objectives were clear and radical, emphasizing a fundamental rejection of zionism as a racist and colonialist movement. It also considered resistance to laws and legislation linking criticism of Israel to anti-Semitism to be a Jewish goal.
It also sought to build a global Jewish front to resist colonialism and apartheid, recognize the Palestinian Nakba, and work to end it by supporting the right of return and dismantling the zionist regime.
Final statement
The final statement was drafted in strong revolutionary language, summarizing the conference's vision, goals, and political discourse. It stated a categorical rejection of zionism, saying: "zionism is not only a colonial ideology, but a racist system that must be completely dismantled."
It also rejected the distinction between "good zionism" and "bad zionism," affirming that the entire project is based on racism and discrimination and must therefore be dismantled. It sharply criticized organizations that call for peace without justice, and called for alignment with justice and moving beyond ambiguous rhetoric to one of liberation and dismantling.
In its final statement, the conference also called on all anti-racist and anti-colonial movements around the world to join this new current and called for the establishment of an international Jewish network against zionism and in support of the Palestinian people.
The importance of the conference
The importance of the anti-zionist Jewish conference in Vienna goes beyond being a mere political event or intellectual gathering. It can be considered a historic turning point in the Palestinian people's struggle against zionism.
The most important aspect of the conference is that it challenges zionism's monopoly on representing Jews and declares from the heart of Europe, and with a Jewish voice, that zionism does not represent them. It also offers a radical and uncompromising language at a time dominated by the rhetoric of "peace" and "two states for two peoples," and legitimizes the Palestinian struggle before Europeans with a Jewish voice, which may put an end to zionist blackmail of the so-called West.
Furthermore, the conference establishes a Palestinian-Jewish alliance against zionism, transcending the discourse of a "conflict between two peoples" and presenting the Palestinian struggle as a liberation movement against settler colonialism. This alliance therefore carries strategic weight in the political battle against zionism.
The conference represented a direct challenge to the zionist narrative, which has long monopolized the discourse on behalf of the Jews, and presented a radical alternative linking anti-colonialism and anti-racism. It also rebuilt alliances on the basis of justice and liberation, rather than compromise and normalization. Through its frank discourse and the network of relationships it has begun to weave, it is not content with breaking the silence, but seeks to produce a resistant and organized political action in which the struggles of peoples intersect and Western projects to whitewash zionism are exposed.
