In her speech at the conference, Sarsour said that when she speaks on college campuses, she tells students to ask progressive Zionists: “How can you be against white supremacy in America and the idea of being in a state based on race and class, but then you support a state like Israel that is based on supremacy, that is built on the idea that Jews are supreme to everyone else?”
The Progressive Zionists of California said in a statement to the Jewish Journal that “as progressive Zionists, it is imperative to support the self-determination of both the Jewish and Palestinian people, not one at the expense of the other. It is unfortunate that Ms. Sarsour is choosing to perpetuate a narrative rejected by most scholars and other experts on the matter. We will continue to speak out for the human rights and self-determination of all marginalized peoples, and invite fellow progressive activists to join us.”
Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action Agenda Rabbi Abraham Cooper said in a statement to the Journal that “Linda has a problem—her hate is based on denying that the Jewish people’s love affair for their land is 3,500 years old. Palestinians are the supremacists; they insist no Jews can live as neighbors.”
Democratic Majority for Israel tweeted on Dec. 2 that Sarsour’s statement was “a vicious, anti-Semitic lie. Israel’s built on idea that every people is entitled to self-determination.”
They added in a subsequent tweet: “That’s why Israel favored [the] UN partition plan creating Jewish & Palestinian states. Arab leaders rejected it, launching a war of destruction against Israel. We [and] many Israelis still favor Palestinian state, but after decades of war [and] terrorism Israel’s security must be protected.”
Sarsour endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for president on Sept. 6, saying at the time that she wanted to help “elect the first Jewish-American president this country has ever seen.” She has since been a surrogate for his presidential campaign.
This article first appeared in the Jewish Journal.