European colonialism continues in Holy Land

An anti-Zionist is someone who is opposed to that sector of the Jewish population who see it as their God-given right to establish a Jewish state in the Holy Land at the expense of the Palestinian people who have lived there for thousands of years.

The creation of a Jewish state in the middle of the Arab world not only represents the continuation of European colonialism in Palestine, it has also consisted of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and the establishment of an apartheid system by a state that has repeatedly violated international law.

Given this reality, and the fact that Palestine is the Holy Land of three religions, the only just solution to the Zionist project of the Israeli state and its Western backers is the establishment of a single country, a democratic secular state of Palestine in which Jews, Muslims and Christians all have equal rights.

By all rights, Palestine like its neighbours should have become an independent nation following World War II, but the Western-backed Zionist project prevented this from happening. Britain and the US sought to ensure the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine putting pressure on the fledgling United Nations to adopt the partition plan for Palestine without any consultation with the Palestinian people.

Under British rule, the Jewish population in Palestine increased from 11% in 1922 to 32% in 1948. Jewish groups supported the partitiion plan but Palestinians and the surrounding Arab states opposed it on the grounds that it violated the principles of national self determination in the UN charter under which Palestinians should have the right to decide their own destiny.

The partition plan was not implemented. Nevertheless,the Jewish population in Palestine unilateraly announced the creation of the state of Israel on May 14, 1948.

Daniel Teegan

Union Hall

Co Cork