Session One
Please join us for our public reading discussion group! Everyone is welcome. Fill out this form, and we will send you a link and an agenda to the Jitsi video meeting.
When: Sunday, March 16, 1:30PM ET
Materials:
“Israel’s Worldwide Role in Repression” by IJAN (pamphlet)
Discussion Questions:
Why does the text describe Israel as a “junior partner” in the U.S.-allied strategy for control of the SWANA region’s resources? What evidence does the text provide to back up this argument?
How does the Israeli occupation serve as a “laboratory” for the imperialist U.S. and other oppressive states around the world?
What do you think of IJAN’s definition of Zionism (found on page 5)? Is there anything you would add or change to the definition?
Why do you think it is important for social movements to consider the ways Israel contributes to violence and repression around the world?
Besides profit, what motivates Israel to sell technologies of repression to states and political actors around the world?
According to the text, what was/is the role of the Histadrut (the state of Israel’s “labor federation”) in maintaining the interests of the Israeli state globally?
What images from the text stood out to you as being particularly powerful?
How do the facts presented in the text serve to push back against conspiracy theories of “Jewish control of the world” by showing the actual role of the state of Israel in the imperialist order? How could understanding and sharing these facts help to combat actual antisemitic sentiment?
The text states that “Israel’s racism is rooted in centuries of European colonialism.” What are some ways that centuries of European colonialism and racism manifest in the Zionist project today?
What can people in the imperial core combat Israel’s role in repression and to support organizing to end it?