To the editor:

Last week the group “East Bay Citizens for Peace” did a forum at Rogers Free Library called “The Weaponization of Antisemitism.” Fearing the forum would be merely a defense of antisemitism, I attended to find out. That is exactly what I encountered. There was also a painful lack of knowledge of the very conflict that those present had such aggressive and confident opinions about. The things that were said towards the end were unhinged.

I was surprised when the forum started with about forty minutes of “Democracy Now!” videos featuring commentary from alternative media pundits. To be fair, there was an interview with a UN reporter. Unfortunately, it was a reporter that had been condemned as antisemitic for comparing this most recent war in Gaza to the Holocaust, Francesca Albanese.

I was baffled by how quickly those present moved from complaining about “false accusations of antisemitism” to baselessly speculating that dark AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) money was forcing universities like Columbia to fire teachers who opposed Israel (that’s not how AIPAC works). They even recommended watching “The Occupation of the American Mind.” For a forum meant to combat what they see as “false” accusations of antisemitism, a lot of time was spent peddling classic tropes about Jewish money controlling others.

It was irritating that this group’s views on the implication behind the phrase “from the River to the Sea” changed drastically depending on which side was using it. When Israel supporters use this phrase, it is perceived as a violent threat to push the opposing side out of not just Israel proper, but out of Gaza and the West Bank as well.

However, when anti-Israel protesters use this phrase, all the excuses come out about how it isn’t about destroying the state of Israel or pushing the Jews out, but rather freeing the occupied people.
One attendee dropped the mask completely. She had started the discussion by tearfully announcing that she was a very compassionate person who didn’t know much about the conflict but could tell Israel was committing genocide. Now, however, she proudly asserted that Israel should be dismantled “from the River to the Sea.” When pressed, she claimed “I’m not saying the people should be gone!”

To be clear, the people would be gone. Many Arabs and Palestinians live in Israel proper as citizens, more than the number of Jews living in all Arab-majority countries combined. Over the past century the Jews who previously lived in those countries were pogromed and subjugated repeatedly until they fled to the one place they felt they could be safe.
If you’re confused about the intention behind the phrase “from the River to the Sea,” just find the antisemitic poster distributed by “Providence Progressive” for an “All Out for Palestine” march that happened in Providence weeks after the October 7th massacre. The poster implied “Israel” was a fake country and portrayed all the land in Israel proper as being Palestine.

Jonathan Carney
Bristol