Orientation to Forces

We began the process today of mapping the politics and power of the forces we will find ourselves in partnership and relationship with and/or in opposition to. A question for this weekend is: How will we (or will we) relate to and engage with the following forces as they exist in different regions?

Major forces we have begun the mapping process of:

Please note that we recognize this is an oversimplification, we use the catagories to the extent that they are helpful as a basic strategy development tool.

• Existing AZ J efforts/formations
• Jewish “grassroots” – politically unaffiliated or undecided
• Liberal Zionist organization or collaborations
• Arab and Palestinian anti-Zionist organizations
• Palestine solidarity organizations
• Domestic grassroots/mass based groups
• Anti-imperialist/anti-war/peace orgs
• labor and churches/temples/mosques
• General public

Jewish Locations to Zionism

Today we worked on how to articulate the diversity of Jewish locations in relationship to the contradictions and mechanisms upon which Zionism is based. The following is an in-progress lens that will inform our points of unity, charter, principles, etc., and help build our political unity in relationship first and foremost to the Palestinian liberation struggle, but also to anti-zionist and anti-colonialist Mizrahi organizing.

Our opposition to Zionism is first and foremost its impact on the people of Palestine.

We recognize and repudiate our positions of power in relation to the Palestinian people and other Arab/Muslim people.

Therefore, our commitment is to reject and dismantle these relations of power to struggle collectively against Zionism.

Because we recognize and oppose the exploitation and oppression of Mizrahim and Sephardim by the Israeli state and white supremacy, we see the necessity of supporting joint struggle between Mizrahi and Palestinian people within Palestine.

This requires a decolonization process for Mizrahim and a related but different process for Ashkenazim.

Questions about this lens:

• How/where to recognize and repudiate the hierarchies of power and our positions with them [via Jewish white supremacy] in relation to the Palestinian people and other Arab/Muslim people?
• Is it a “decolonization” process or “deZionization” process?
• How are we articulating the Mizrahi-Ashkenazi binary and/or complicating it?
• How do we speak to the locations of and positions of power held by Jews of other racial and ethnic backgrounds?
• Do we want to explicate more what our accountability to the Palestinian struggle, and the broader process of decolonization, will look like?
• How do we speak this lens in short and accessible language?

Additions and Revisions to the Organizing Principles

Today, after further exploring the outstanding questions posted with the organizing principles yesterday, we revised the below two organizing principles and added two others that follow.

Revised Principles:

Leadership selections
Assignment of formal roles in IJSN will be transparent. The power to select or remove leaders will rest with the members. IJSN will encourage and develop the leadership capabilities of its members.

Orient toward the Strategic Goals of the Network
This is a network of activists committed to strategic action for the purpose of affecting change. It is in this context that we pursue the important work of challenging the grip of Zionism on Jewish identity.

First new principle
IJSN supports the struggle for liberation of the Palestinian people. It certainly does not presume to lead or determine the course of that struggle but will work with Palestinian forces seeking to end the colonial system in their homeland.

Second new principle
IJSN will welcome new members who support its goals and principles and will welcome their contributions and provide opportunities for them to deepen and develop their political understanding and activist capacity.

Further development of our Strategic Role

Today we further developed our understanding of the three core strategic roles we will play as anti-imperialists organizing as Jews. These evolved roles are to:

1. Be an Anti-Zionist point of reference in the following contexts:

• Anti-imperialist, anti-racist movements
• Palestine Solidarity Movement organizing
• Jewish communities

2. Broaden support for Palestinian Liberation:

• Cross-movement building
• Popular education
• Mobilizing our base and key allies

3. Advance Palestine solidarity work and broader anti-colonial work:

• Participate in BDS campaigns
• Support joint Mizrahi-Palestinian struggle