Not unlike European fascists of the 20th century, modern fascist demagogues & their libertarian & Stalinist affinity groups rail against capitalism but in every instance support state power against popular democratic movements. Assadist support for the Syrian dictatorship is of a piece with their support for Putin, Duterte, Suu Kyi, Mohammed Ben Salman, Ortega, Maduro, & even Trump. To disguise their support for state & corporate power they scapegoat–then Jews & Roma; now Muslims & Jews. Zionism & Israel serve to justify that scapegoating without rendering hatred of Jews one whit less malignant. Hatred of Jews & of Muslims are the twin pillars of Assadism & permeate everything they write.

The prominence of Jews in media, arts, politics does not reflect intellectual superiority or control over the world as posited by anti-Semites but primarily their historic urban character & culture. In the same way as Israel serves the purposes of US hegemony in the Middle East, so does the demagogic vitriol of Islamophobia which justifies wars, occupations, & the genocide against Palestinians (as well as Rohingyas, Kashmiris, Uyghurs, & others). The fact that fascists & their Assadist affinity groups support the Palestinian struggle is only an expedience, a maneuver to corner Jews & eliminate them before they turn on Palestinians, who are also Semites. The point is to strengthen Palestinian political power that it may transform Zionists into anti-Zionists in the same way the US civil rights movement transformed racist relations in the US. That there were setbacks in that struggle does not mean it was not worth fighting but only that we must learn how to solidify & prevent reversals in the historic gains we make in creating just & democratic societies.

Fascist scapegoating of Jews & others led to the holocaust; Zionism led to the genocide of Palestinians. The way out of this stinking morass of social hatred is to understand the power relations between the state & suffering masses, to elaborate the character of fascist & Assadist demagoguery, & to reject & scorn anti-Semitism & Islamophobia in every form. That makes no concessions whatsoever to Zionism but completely undermines its power. We all have a right to live in this world with peace, justice, & dignity. There is no place for supremacist delusions that put us at war with one another.