as shooters, i think there's no reason for them. i really would love to get rid of all of them deliver ation guns and just raises the energy has fallen on hard times. in recent years, it's lost a 1000000 of what was 5000000 members in 2018, and it's being sued by the new york state attorney general for violating state laws with lavish spending on its leaders. after successfully pushing as a senator for a ban on assault weapons that expired in 2004, president biden, his called for that band to be renewed band or saul weapons, now. val. wonderful. but that's not likely to happen in a divided congress with the inner res influence remain strong enough to block any major changes in us. gun laws on the state level legislatures are actually easing gun laws. last year, indiana joined $21.00 other states in eliminating permits, allowing gun owners to carry their weapons in public without certification or a background check, leaving more guns on the street in

a nation that already has more of them than any other. john henderson, al jazeera indianapolis. ah, this is our desert. these are the top stories heavy fighting between the army and a powerful part of military unit. the rapid support forces is still going on and sedan now, army says is defending itself from attacks. the rapid support forces, say their bases were attacked by the army. all flights have been cancelled cartoon international airport with some airliners on fire and armed men on the tarmac. passengers have been seen in panic as the fighting, intensified and fighting is also taking place in the northern city of metal. where on thursday, the army warned the rapid support forces were mobilizing in the area, but the group said its deployment was part of its duties. and morgan has more from cotton, was seen a statement from the head of the army to al jazeera,

saying that unless the rapid support forces withdraw from the positions that they have placed their forces at over the past 2 days, then there will be no talks. and there will be no negotiations. and then we've heard from the commander of the rapid support force of describing the, the head of the army as a criminal. so it doesn't look like just based on those words that are coming out from both sides. it doesn't look like they're ready to de escalate the situation. it looks like both sides are either side, wants to gain control of as much facilities as they can as much areas as they can before they try to figure out the next step. and if it will be negotiation, both sides once a thought talks, having the upper hand over the other. the warriors sides of the conference in yemen, have released more detainees on the 2nd day of a major prisoner exchange. this is the latest group of healthy prisoners to arrive in center. dr. cross says more than $800.00 detainees both sides of the conflict due to be released by monday. giovanni prime minister formula kisha has escaped

unharmed off so use blows at a campaign event in the western city of water yama. the boss went off as he was about to give a speech. a 24 year old man has been arrested and those are headlines is always a website, all 0 dot coms. got the latest and all the stories. stay tuned up front up next years from al jazeera on the go. and me tonight out is there is only a mobile app, is that this is where we dissects, analyze, to find what's going on. i guess from out there is a mobile app available in your favorite apps to just set for it and tapped made a new app from out a 0 me at you think it it the past 5 years have seen an increase in anti semitic violence around the world we've seen mass shooting that synagogue violent attacks on jewish people in the street,

in jewish cemetery desecrate. and while anti semitism isn't new, the current social and political landscape has given rise to conspiracy theories and populace leaders. we're aiming to exploit anti semitic tropes for political gain. what's more, there are defending views within the jewish community, what, how to actually define anti semitism. so one of the best ways to identify and combat anti semitic. and how do we separate anti jewish rhetoric from criticism of the state of israel and its policy? that's our discussion. and this week upfront special the joining us to discuss this is rabbi brett rosen, reconstructionist rabbi and founding member of jewish boys for pieces, rabbinical council, and. 1 friedman, president of the foundation for middle east peace and contributing writer to jewish currents and the american prospect. i wanna thank you both for joining me on upfront. in february to jewish worshippers were shot while leaving their respective

synagogues in los angeles. in recent years, violent anti semitic attacks have increased all across the world. in the past 5 years, we've seen mass shootings and synagogues in pennsylvania, california, and hollow germany years cemetery. some from then bull to illinois, have been desecrated, and faced swastika, painted on jewish homes. rabbi rosen, you're a jewish community leader. are we thing in enfolding of antisemitism? oh, i think there's no question. i think there's no question. i think we can date it back to the rise of alternation with regimes around the world that started to use anti semitism for their own political purposes. and that really kind of unlocked it. you know, gradually since then, i think 2018 with the synagogue shooting and pittsburgh was a huge rubicon and, and wake up call for the jewish community and for the world at large. and i think it's just been progressing since then to your point. many in the jewish community

saying that the past few years have have felt different. according to the american jewish committee's annual survey, a little over 80 percent of americans use, say anti semitism has worsened in the country. in the past 5 years and in 2018 european survey, 90 percent of european jews said anti semitism is getting worse, getting reliable, they don't hate crimes is often difficult and there are large gaps when it comes to actually tracking incidence. so. so what do we know is anti semitism getting worse right now? so i don't think there's any question. i mean, rob rosena is right. i mean, you can tie this the rise of, of alter nationalism to white supremacy. we've seen it in united states with the rise of, of the trump era and mag politics. something has been unleashed and arguably it's something that was always there. there was a reason why for most certainly jewish americans are our parents, our grandparents have always warmed. you have to keep watching because anti semitism is real. it exists below the surface and now it's really,

it's really coming out and it seems like it's very much unleashed. and i think the personal experiences of most of us, you know, if you're on social media and you have a jewish name, it doesn't matter what you're talking about. you're probably getting heat that you really mean for me. it really started being on least with the trump era. you know, my last name is friedman. i'm very clearly and unapologetically jewish, and the hate is out there. whether i'm, i'm tweeting about re things related to israel or things related to, you know, local politics or whatever it's ever present. there is no question the classical sense of what is anti semitism, hatred of jews threatening of jews targeting of jews because they are jewish. is surging in the united states and searching around the world. in 2017, there were white supremacists who shouted. jews will not replace us while marching with torches in the unite the right rally in charlottesville, virginia. that's the kind of over answer services and i think you're talking about many, however lean on more coded forms of anti semitism, more coded rhetoric,

including leaders like former us president donald trump, who repeatedly refuses to disavow the nazis and insist that there were very fine people on both sides, after that rally in charlottesville, he also ran a political ad that feature number of prominent american jews, including short sorrows philanthropist, including janet y'all in the federal reserve chair. while warning of global special interests that have robbed our working class and stripped our country of its welcome, the troops abound their sorrows. was also targeted by the hungarian prime minister victor, or by whose government has repeatedly sought to minimize hungry role in a holocaust. what's the impact of this kind of anti semitism, the coated anti semitism on the political and cultural cultural mainstream? yeah. and those kinds of dog whistles, you know, those kinds of coated references. they've been around for a long time. they fired predicted trauma, particularly in europe. i think the difference is when, when the president,

the united states is doing it and tweeting it incessantly when he brings people into ministration. you know, people like steve ban and my palm pale. that that raises it up to a whole new level. but he's been very trump has always been very expert at sort of treading that line, that we all know what he's saying, but he always will, you know, take a step back when he needs to. but what it ends up doing is making it legitimizes it, it mainstreams it and emboldened people who have no compunction about taking things out to the next level. whether it's the violence or whether it's through, you know, popular figures icon in west last year. and these one of the most popular entertainers in the world, so that has, i think, definitely raised to in terms of acceptability to a whole new level. many anti semitic theories are tied up with broader white supremacist beliefs by great replacement theory. the white supremacist who merges

11 jews of the tree of life synagogue in pittsburgh in 2018. he chose that synagogue specifically because it posted a branch of a refugee support network. helped me understand in lot, much gonna start with you. oh, what is the relationship or the interplay between xena phobia and anti semitism? look, i mean, i think if you go back to throughout history in liberal forces ultra nationalists forces ethnic not, ethnic superiority has always focused on judaism jews have always been a convenient foil. a convenient weapon to be used in culture wars, political wars in countries. i think what we're seeing today isn't, isn't new in any way. i think it is the modern version of this and it's on steroids because of social media because of the way that the media today deals with truth and not truth. i think what we're seeing today is, is the, you know, the,

the current version of what you saw in europe and our grandparents era. if you want someone to blame, who do you blame? we're losing our privilege. who do we blame? we blame the jews. who do we blame? we blame the jews because they are powerful. we blame the jews because they're taking over. we blame the jews because they have a different set of values from us. which by the way, does get into this question of conflation, because then you've got the, you know, the fetishes ation of israel and judaism by folks who are also anti semitic, which is the other trump loving people and saying they can't be submitted because they like israel i think lars point is really well taken. i think you know, prejudices prejudice and they're all interlocked and they all have their unique aspects. and i think anti semitism has its own unique kind of tropes that have always been around. and in particular, replacement theory is something, it's nothing new as she said, it dates back to the protocols of the elders of zion. it's rooted in this conspiratorial trope about jews who are seeking world domination and using other

minorities and other peoples to as, as kind of ponds in, in their, in their plans. so, you know, we, i think we need to be clear that yes, you know, these oppressions, whether it's racism, whether it's lima phobia transfer the l g b t q, phobia, they're, they're all interconnected. they all have their unique aspects to them. but ultimately they're under the same umbrella of oppression. it's systemic oppression of people from political purposes learn were at a moment where were jewish communities around the world seemed to be grappling with zionism as a concept. this isn't a new conversation and yet it's feels particularly urgent at this moment. you've written about the contrast between the definition of anti semitism that focuses on hatred of jews because they are jews, as you've talked about earlier in this conversation. and another definition that encompasses some criticisms and condemnation of the state of israel and its policies. now this newer definition, as antony learn and put,

it posits anti zionism as quote, the same bigotry that motivated pogroms and the holocaust. what are your thoughts on making anti zionism and anti semitism synonymous? look, i mean, there are you, it's understandable why we're seeing this effort to conflate anti semitism with criticism israel and anti zionism. or in a moment in history, when successive israeli governments have walked away from even a pretense of wanting peace, of the palestinians, of recognizing policy rights and self determination. all of the things that that gave israel a lot of cover and gave us some protection for criticism of its actual current day in this moment, policies of repression against palestinians. it doesn't have that cover anymore. and by conflating, criticism of israel or criticism is really policies with anti semitism. it's a way of avoiding that discussion altogether. there are legitimate reasons to

criticize israel. there are legitimate reasons to criticize or reject violence. them that aren't having anything to do with how you feel about the jewish people in this framing absolutely says irrelevant. we don't care. it's also going back to what we've been talking about so far today. it is morally indefensible, where in a period of actual rising real anti semitism and to shift the focus and shift the energies that should be focused on fighting anti semitism to defending israel into making it about question. criticism of israel is again it's, it's utterly indefensible. and we saw a trump era, it's not merely that it's indefensible. and it waste energy from things that you should be fighting it actually gives cover to anti semite with president trump. you had president from publicly basically saying, you know, the jewish american jews are insufficiently supportive of their country. they mean he means israel. it's, it is clearly anti semitic to to equate jews with israel. and that's part of the definition that i actually agree with the definition that that being promoted

called the international holocaust. remember the lines definition include saying you're holding all jews responsible for the actions of the state of israel is anti semitism. i agree with that, but under the framework that is being adopted by the ultra nationalists who are very clearly focused on zionism and fetishes ation of judaism as part of maybe a political and largely evangelical christian viewpoint. and so viewpoint in which jews are basically bit player rabbi really makes it. yeah, i mean, i think jewish organizations like american jewish committee, anti defamation league, they spend an inordinate amount of time on conflating anti zionism and criticism of israel with anti semitism. and it, as laura said, it muddies it, muddy the waters, the point we're not able to really focus on where the real danger is coming from. but i also think from an ideological point of view, i agree with laura that it's, it's, it, it is illogical. it's and it's morally indefensible,

but i think also from strategic point of view, if we're really trying to address the issues of the rise of antisemitism that we've been talking about. it is a diversion. it's diverting attention and resources away from where we need to be focusing. laurie, you're talking about the h r a, the international holocaust. remember it's alliance and their definition of anti semitism. in recent years, countries like germany and the u. s. have adopted that working definition which says that it is anti semitic to quote, deny the jewish people their right to self determination. for example, by claiming that the existence of a state of israel is a racist endeavor. you've called this definition, explicitly politicized and caution. as you mentioned earlier that it can be easily used to weaponized the fight against anti semitism. in 2020, the us state department considered labeling 3 global human rights groups, amnesty international human rights watch an oxfam as anti semitic because of their

stances on israel and israeli actions in the occupied territories of one of the potential repercussions of this. so the, the idea of this, of having this definition, i mean, and, and i encourage people to read about this because the lead drafter on the ira definition is a guy named kenneth stern. and he is publicly basically said, this isn't what it was meant to be used for. it was meant to be used for research. it was never meant to be used as an enforced and enforceable definition. what we're seeing though is obviously this effort to weaponized enforced that and you know, again setting aside the question of whether people's people have bad intense, i think with a lot of people who say we need a definition anti semitism rising, you have to define it to fight it, we have hate crimes laws across this country. hate crimes laws that bar actions of bar discrimination that that, that punish violence that is motivated by religious hatred by ethnic hatred. all of

that really does cover anti semitism. the effort here and if you take people at their word, if you listen to the people who are, who are most instrumental in, in pushing this definition and trying to get it into law in the us. there are explicit. the reason we need this legislation in law is to quash criticism of israel. we already have laws that prevent people from attacking you because you are a jewish, that's a hate crime. that only exists a lot, the value added here is the israel piece of it. and the value added is the, the clause that you read, right? which is the self determination. there's another clause in there that talks about not holding his role to double standard, which i refer to as the all lives matter version of this month. which means you're only allowed to criticize israel if you're criticizing every other country in the world that is doing similar things. and if you're not criticizing every other country in the world, that proves that you are so factor anti submitted, because you're focusing on israel bad behavior. last month,

some $400.00 jewish settlers marched to the west bank town of hawaii to burning cars and homes killing one palestinian injuring hundreds more. a senior israeli army military commander refer to this as a program. a term that historically has referred to the 19th and 20th century anti semitic rampages on jewish towns in eastern europe. talk me about the weight bit, a term i program carries in the jewish cultural imagination. and what does it mean to hear it applied in the palestinian context? sure. and it's also interesting that israeli military official was using absolutely . but you know the word program. absolutely. i mean, it, it, it is a, it is a word that has deep emotional and historical resonance for, for jews. but it's also, it's also a technical term, you know, and it's not owned by jewish people. it's not, historically, it is not historically only applied to jews, you know,

a pogrom. really technically when we're talking about a program, it is, it is a massacre that occurs. that is in some way instrumental lives by a government, but is carried out by local populations. but as in many ways enabled for government for political purposes by governments, that's what happened in russia when, when we saw the peasantry and local locals throughout eastern europe, attacking attacking and killing and maiming jewish populations. but it was very much because they were carrying out the desires of the leaders of russia. you know, the, the reports that we're hearing out of who had otta was that the military, in many ways, look the other way and allowed these settlers to, to run a mark about the village. there's numerous reports of this. that's why a military leader could use a word like program because he understood that. and that he knew that there were

real real problems in the israeli military. and that there is deep relationships between the israeli military and the settler community. so i mean, i think when it comes to what we're like program, you know, i think there are many in the jewish community that want to exception lies jewish oppression that they want to see. somehow, these words only a pipeline is that we can't compare anything throughout history to the oppression of the jewish people, whether it's in israel or anywhere else in the world. the ira definition also includes by the way, comparing israel to nazi germany, which is, you know, a very slippery kind of argument. you know, it all, but it also exception lies. is that that there is nothing that we can compare to use that using nazi isn't to compared to, to the jewish people. we can't that some are off limits even though naziism was state oppression. there was an extreme form of state violence against this specific minority, which is not exceptional. it's something that we've seen throughout history,

and we need to be able to make these connections if we're going to fight them. i mean, for years we were told you can't use the word apartheid that shuts down the conversation . people can't hear it. and you know, for years policing the discourse to try to keep it within the comfort zone of jewish americans didn't make jewish americans any more amenable to taking seriously the concerns of palestinians and violations of palestinian right. i will say the language has, has wheat. it matters, having the word program used here does for certainly for jewish people everywhere. it evokes something very specific and it's exactly what i rose and said evokes, you know, state backed violence, the marauding, the lack of accountability. it's all of that which you saw. i think people use it in the context for with, with, with purpose as an agency, it means something rosen and in 1933, 15 years before the founding of the state of israel, germany began revoking citizenship for jews back then, almost every nation refused to take in jewish refugees, even as

a holocaust was escalating. now let's fast forward to 2015 after shooter killed, 4 jews in paris. kosher market is really prime minister. benjamin netanyahu said to all the jews of france and to all the jews of europe. the state of israel is your home. these payments are widely criticized as being politically motivated and simply aimed at boosting european migration to israel up. but thinking about all these recent attacks, oh, what do you say to people who say there is a need for a jewish state in majority jewish control as a place precisely for this reason. so the jews can be protected from the kind of violence that we've been witnessing over the past few years. it's interesting when netanyahu made that statement in response to what happened in france, he went to france and spoken in a french synagogue and the french jews in the senate. i was having none other, in fact, they stood up and started singing the french national anthem. he was urging them to

flee to israel. so you know, i think in the, in the diaspora, jewish community, obviously there is not, has not been a rush to, to immigrate to, to the state of israel among jews when these kinds of things happen. i think look the, the notion of israel as a safe haven has been at the core zionist ideology, ideology from the very beginning that the world is in cordial be anti semitic that jews are essentially endangered by living in the diaspora. and they need them in our as a minority, and they need a state of their own that will guard their physical safety and their well being. well, let's look at what's happened. i mean, is israel is israel a safe place for jews? i'm, if you look at violence against jewish people, is israel, as you know, it's become, in many ways a kind of a, its own in battle state that's,

that's been focusing its energies almost exclusively on, on trying to protect jewish lives and jews throughout the diaspora have have not made that exodus to israel as, as early zionists were anticipating so, but they wouldn't negate the argument that the formation of a jewish state with you with jewish majority control does provide safety. it depends on what you mean by safety, you know, do, does everybody need this, this every group of people need a military that of their own to be able to safeguard their, their well being. there are other ways to, to achieve security. fighting for equal rights in the communities in which you live, making common cause with other peoples who are endangered as well. safety insecurity to solidarity. i think historically you could make a strong, a strong argument that over militarism only endangers everybody in the end. and israel is one of the most military countries in the, in the world. you know, i mean, make no mistake about that. does that make jews or anyone else safe in the long run?

and i would say no, but i think it's definitely something we should be talking about and arguing about judaism has always been a diaspora focused religion. jews have always lived throughout the diaspora. and it dias for has been historically in many instances unsafe, are jews. there's no question about that. i'm not trying to deny that the question then becomes, how do we ensure jewish safety? is it through nationalism? is it your ethnic nationalism? in other words, basing state primarily on the identity of one particular people. and even though there are many people from other groups who happen to historically live in that place, is that, is that a recipe for safety for jews or anyone else? i think that's a question we should be openly talking about. and i don't think it's anti symmetric to to challenge that, that pieces can. if i just add, i think it's also important to take a step back. there is rising anti semitism in the world. it needs to be contended with. it needs to be recognized that needs to be thought jews are not facing

a nazi genocide everywhere in the world right now. right. taking seriously, the rising anti semitism is relevant. semitism is not synonymous with jews. everywhere they live on the verge of losing their citizenship and finding themselves state listen homeless without protection. that is, that is a false frame, even as, as a framing that may be said deep in the core for a lot of jewish people who think of the history that isn't where we are today in the united states. jews are very safe where we are, we are in good position. we, we have strong security organizations. we live in states that of we live in a country that has rule of law. we states that have hate crime laws. we're not, we're not by any means the most vulnerable and the most insecure population. we are among the populations that is most on top of this and in a position to defend ourselves. i just think that this framing of which is which is grounded in like an existential fear for jews. everyone in the world is out of stuff with where we are today. it is possible to take seriously and prioritize

fighting anti semitism and the end of the trends that are that underlying without making this about. we actually have to make sure that no matter what there is a place, because some day we're all going to have to pack up our bags and flee. so so i just have to say it. jewish safety at the expense of safety of other people is not safety at all. and that's, i think a fundamental issue was zionism itself by rosen. and thank you so much, john. i'm in a press. everyone that is our show upfront. we'll be back the ah

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