I’m not sure why you’d assume I would disagree with you here. From the Palestinian perspective of course there is no significant difference. For them Zionism = settler-colonialism, subjugation, dispossession, running now for almost 150 years. I would never dare to try to convince them they’re wrong on this, that their experiences are invalid because they got some facts wrong in the telling of it. That’s not at all what I was trying to do in my post.
However, if things are to come to a civilized conclusion in this, Palestinians will, I believe, have to acknowledge that for their opponents, Zionism = national liberation/self-determination, control of destiny. For many if not most the creation of Israel stands as the greatest moment in Jewish history for over two thousand years. Acknowledging this does not mean Palestinians accepting Zionism’s legitimacy, or equivalence of guilt or victimhood in the conflict, it simply means accepting that in order to live together genuine empathy is required (and obviously the reverse is true). I don’t think the process of encouraging this shared sense of history is served by cheap manipulation.
There is a one-state reality on the ground right now, whatever other complications exist. There is no path open to the creation of a Palestinian state. Accepting that reality can seem depressing, or else we can look for opportunities in the disintegration of the so-called “status quo.” I’ve suggested on here that a mass Palestinian campaign for citizenship might help shift the terms of the debate. Not too dissimilar to BDS, but a simpler, clearer message without the baggage that BDS carries. I don’t see how any reasonable person could oppose such a movement. There are obvious massive obstacles, and no clear outcome. But at the very least it would sharpen the focus on the current unequal one-state reality and get people thinking outside the box.
