The Z-word

This morning's Sunday on Radio 4 discussed the concept of Zionism in the light of the Labour Party anti-Semitism row (though, oddly, the feature failed to mention the Labour Party). 

I'm still rubbing my eyes in disbelief at what I heard. 

Ed Stourton interviewed Jonathan Freedland of the Guardian. 

Startlingly, Jonathan said that he himself "almost never" uses the word 'Zionism' these days.

Why? "Because it's so misunderstood that it's become almost functionally useless as a word". 

Why? Because some people will think it means he supports "what the Israeli government did yesterday". 

Isn't that a total kowtow to despair, and Israel's enemies?

Jonathan and Ed Stourton then discussed how religious Zionism - which Ed said he took to mean "settlers" - ran contrary to the original, secular Zionism of Israel. 

And then the feature ended with this frankly jaw-dropping exchange:

Ed Stourton (laughing): And if you want to avoid getting embroiled in the sort of conversation we've just had don't use the word I suppose! 

Jonathan Freeland: Unless they're speaking about it this historical or philosophical argument I think it's not a useful word and it sometimes can have a rather ugly connotation, and that's because Zionism has become, in part, a kind of bridging codeword that enables people to get from attacking or criticising Israel to hinting at a wider global Jewish force that sometimes is a bit shadowy and sinister, and that is the traditional anti-Semitic idea of a global, Jewish conspiracy. And, therefore, it's just a word that carries so much baggage it's almost collapsing under the strain.

So there you go. 

While anti-Semites in the UK (and the UK Labour Party) are using Zionist and Jew interchangeably and the term 'Zio' is becoming a term of vicious anti-Semitic abuse, here's Jonathan Freedland saying 'stop using the word "Zionism"' because the anti-Semites are misusing it, and here's laughing Ed Stourton backing him up.

Unbelievable.