Judith Butler: Parting Ways from Zionism

In her work, Judith Butler explores the complexities of political cohabitation and the dangers of arbitrary state violence. She examines the rights of the dispossessed and the necessity of plural cohabitation, extending these concepts to critique Zionism, even when it is not their explicit aim. Butler's engagement with Edward Said and Mahmoud Darwish serves as a key point of departure and conclusion for her discussion on Jewish thinkers who have offered criticisms of Zionism or whose work can be used to challenge the colonial legacy of Zionism.

Butler's political ethic is founded upon a vision of cohabitation that rethinks binationalism and exposes the limitations of a communitarian framework in overcoming the colonial legacy of Zionism. She disputes the charge of anti-Semitic self-hatred often leveled against Jewish critiques of Israel, arguing that obligations of cohabitation do not derive from cultural sameness but from the unchosen character of social plurality.

In her view, it is crucial to dispute Israel's claim to represent the Jewish people and to demonstrate that a narrowly Jewish framework cannot suffice as a basis for an ultimate critique of Zionism. Butler engages thinkers such as Edward Said, Emmanuel Levinas, Hannah Arendt, Primo Levi, Martin Buber, Walter Benjamin, and Mahmoud Darwish as she articulates a new political ethic.

Moreover, she moves beyond communitarian frameworks, including Jewish ones, that fail to arrive at a radical democratic notion of political cohabitation. Butler engages Jewish philosophical positions to articulate a critique of political Zionism and its practices of illegitimate state violence, nationalism, and state-sponsored racism. She follows Edward Said's suggestion that through a consideration of Palestinian dispossession in relation to Jewish diasporic traditions, a new ethos can be forged for a one-state solution.

In conclusion, Judith Butler's work offers a nuanced critique of Zionism, highlighting the importance of plural cohabitation, binationalism, and radical democracy. By engaging with Jewish thinkers and philosophical positions, she challenges the colonial legacy of Zionism and promotes an ethical position that prioritizes social plurality over cultural sameness.

Judith butler parting ways