Garaudy details how, unlike the Jews, the Zionists were in collaboration with Hitler until 1941-42. As we mentioned in the previous column, starting from France, countries like Germany, the US, and the UK followed the path paved by the Zionists and attempted to suppress pro-Palestinian student movements using force. These countries, along with the Zionists, accused the students of being anti-Semitic. However, Garaudy had clearly distinguished between Judaism and Zionism. Today, student activists follow the same approach, drawing a clear line between Zionism and Judaism. In this context, associating the existence of Israel with Zionism as a colonialist ideology is extremely important.
To emphasize his points, Garaudy referred to famous Jewish writers like Martin Buber, who also viewed Zionists as representatives of colonialism and imperialism. Therefore, it is not surprising that Zionist terrorist organizations collaborated with Hitler until 1942. According to Garaudy, the Zionists were not concerned with saving Jews but rather with establishing the state of Israel as a colonialist and imperialist project. This was the main reason why a significant number of Jews opposed this project. Although the number of Jews objecting to Zionism decreased after the 1950s, the "colonialist and imperialist nature of Israel" never changed.
Those closely following Israel's atrocities and war crimes in Gaza and Palestine after October 7th highlight a crucial aspect of the global pro-Palestinian actions. Indeed, pro-Palestinian students state that they participate in anti-Zionist actions as part of their opposition to a colonial ideology. As a result of this distinction, Israel could not accuse the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and the UN Security Council of anti-Semitism. They tried to label the pro-Palestinian student movements in US universities as anti-Semitic, but when it came to international institutions, they resorted to directly threatening court members. In this context, the emphasis on "Israel's right to self-defense" is no coincidence. Realizing that it was impossible to label student movements and international institutions with the same terms, they developed two different approaches.
Therefore, those who argue against drawing parallels between today's protests and the events of '68 may be correct, but the Nuremberg Trials were also brought into focus. Those who say the events mark a turning point are justified. "The colonial nature of the stance that international justice applies only to others has never been so evident before." This fundamentally brings to light a significant change. Both the Nuremberg Trials and the '68 events were foundational pillars of the bipolar world. These events are etched in memory and represented the success of US-European imperialism for nearly seventy years. The sentence we quoted from David Hearst's article "The ICC has suspended Israel's license to kill" in the Middle East Eye is quite significant. The events expose "the colonial nature of the stance that international justice applies only to others."
The fact that the pro-Palestinian student protests, which started at Columbia University, essentially reveal the colonial nature of these universities is also very important. This proves that the students' actions cannot be seen as a reflection of a hopeless effort. Despite all provocations to the contrary, pro-Palestinian students did not deviate from the ideas they represent. This is the clearest indication that they are not engaged in a hopeless effort. By exposing the mentioned colonial and imperial nature, they send a message to the whole world.
When viewed as a whole, it is clear that we are going through a historic period. As resistance continues in Gaza, Israel is losing. Those who support Israel are also losing. The statement by Israel's president that Western civilization is on the brink of collapse is also significant. As is well known, the "civilizing mission" was an integral part of the colonial nature of the nineteenth century.
