The issue of Anti-Zionism and its connection to the latest resurgence in Antisemitism, particularly among the political Left, is a complicated one. Unlike Antisemitism, which was conceived from the beginning to distinguish Jews as an inferior race rather than just followers of a heretical faith, Anti-Zionism, in its legitimate form, is critical of Israel's policies (especially towards the Palestinians) and it's validity as a state, usually on humanitarian and/or religious grounds. There are significant numbers of Jews and Israelis who vocally identify themselves as Anti-Zionist. This is totally understandable.

What is not understandable is how the mainstream public is burying it's collective head in the sand when it is plain as day that Anti-Zionism is being hijacked by Jew-haters who seek to restir an ancient animosity for a new generation. If awareness to this fucked up phenomenon is not brought to the foreground, the current political landscape is going to descend further down the slippery slope towards a repeat of history and genocide. Hence, I shall make a list of traits that can be reliably observed on repeated instances and should help distinguish Anti-"Zionists" (note the use of quotes), from the genuine article on an individual basis. This list shall be refined and expanded in the future as I explore this phenomenon deeper. Outside input is appreciated.

A bad attitude
This should be the first thing you should notice whenever you encounter an Anti-"Zionist". He or she tends to have a demeanor that is exceptionally combative, defensive, condescending, or otherwise totally unsuitable for an honest debate on any subject (or a normal social life for that matter) let alone the Mid-East conflict. This typically manifests itself in an initial statement loaded with hate and vitriol against "Zionists" that is heavily one-sided and misrepresentative. Anyone who expresses disagreement or calls for moderation is immediately insulted in one way or another (as opposed to being countered with an articulate and/or lucid rebuttal).

Weasely arguments
The arguments of the Anti-"Zionist" display a significant dearth of critical thinking. He or she regularly resorts to emotional appeals, alarmist rhetoric, shame tactics, and logical fallacies. Moral relativism/equivalency of the most extreme and ludicrous kind is often invoked (ie. "Fighting back against terrorism makes you no better then they are. You should
all turn the other cheek. No! I don't care that I also bash Christians!") as well as glorification of the alleged Muslim "victims". An astute observer might get a sense that these yahoos are fully conscious of advocating a highly negative position and are overcompensating to obfuscate this obvious negativity. Other Anti-"Zionists" are really just bored losers who get their kicks by agitating and/or offending others.

False compassion
If the audience of an Anti-"Zionist" possesses a shred of sanity (not much of a guarantee in these troubled times), they might wonder how a person of such toxic temperament would have any capacity for selfless compassion. The answer is that the Anti-"Zionist's" compassion for the innocent Muslim victims of the Mid-East conflict is equal to that of the Islamofascists who liberally use them as expendable pawns and human shields; he or she could give a rat's ass about them (or anyone else for that matter) as the lion's share of any emotion is devoted to ripping up "Zionists" and their "manipulated" allies. Energy that would be better invested to actually aid survivors and refugees is wasted. Another aspect of this is the downplaying of atrocities committed in the name of the Palestinians' plight (all attacks by Al Qaeda count) or even justifying them regardless of the circumstances and context. Have I mentioned that the Anti-"Zionists" are fucking insane?

Old cliches with a new twist
This is another part when the Anti-"Zionist's", "Mask of Sanity" slips and the true colors are shown. He or she resorts to invoking classic antisemitic memes while taking great care (unless he or she has totally taken leave of all senses at this point) to substitute "Zionist" for "Israeli" or "Jew". The most common of these is the globe-spanning conspiracy theory (which is quite popular and enduring despite the Islamofascists being vocal to having similar ambitions that involve much more brutal methods). Another meme is the blood libel which dates back to the Middle-Ages only with Palestinian babies alledgely being ritually exsanguinated. This by itself is undisputable evidence that Anti-Zionism is well into the process of perversion at the hands of old-school Jew-haters just like other idealogies in the past.

"I can't be antisemitic! I've got Jews in my family!"
I really hate this one. The anti-"zionist" attempts to brush off observations of his or her blatant bigotry by claiming to have positive relations with Jews and/or Israelis among his or her family and/or friends. Others may claim to have resided in Israel at some point or even be living there now if the anti-"zionist" is online and his or her physical location cannot be confirmed. This tactic has been observed within the context of other forms of bigotry (ie. "I've got an uncle who has darker skin than you!" or "I'm married to a black woman."). Pathetic.

A lean, mean, copy n' pasting machine
If one encounters an Anti-"Zionist" online, be sure to expect many pasted articles from sources of dubious objectivity (that includes the BBC). Often, they will pick crap from blogs, conspiracy theory archives, and other hosts of fringe material that may be passed off as "alternative news sources". This tactic is meant to compensate for the Anti-"Zionist's" poor ability at articulating a critical assessment of his or her own. Any addendums to pasted crap will almost invariably be echos of itself.

Childish mimicry
The Anti-"Zionist" will often display his or her dearth of imaginative thinking and wit by mimicking his or her critics. This practice does not take the form of clever wordplay but rather verbatim mimicry such as that observed among grade school bullies. This is most likely a byproduct of the next item on the list.

Signs of psychological instability
Quite often, the Anti-"Zionist" displays other traits and stereotypical behavior that closely match the DSM-IV criteria for the worst personality disorders (namely Antisocial and Borderline) and/or other pathologies that are just as alarming if not more so (like Schizophrenia and Bipolar). A few telltale signs are: An absence of any sense of humor except for crude and defensive sarcasm. Extreme sensitivity to perceived slights (yet it is somehow okay for him or her to throw insults left and right). A childish disposition that is incongruous with physical age. You get the picture.

These rules of thumb that, after some superficial revisions, can actually be applied to extremists from both the Left and the Right. This is actually part of the problem: the Anti-"Zionist" yahoos are actually just one part of a multi-headed hydra that encompasses both sides of the political spectrum and is fully intent on destroying all that is good in the civilized world. Regardless of the issue at hand, be it women's rights, gay rights, abortion, the War on Terror, the War on Drugs, racism, etc. you can be sure that the "agents" (I'd like to think they're just loosely organized coteries of like-minded asshats. God forbid they are anything more than that.) of this hydra will advocate the most extreme and destructive position without any regard for practicality. Who are these pukes? A few google searches and an examination of politicians' voting records should yield answers. Why are they doing this? Good question. My theory: They are too psycho to function in a progressive, civilized society that rewards merit so the only alternative they see is to destroy or at least pervert all that is progressive and civilized.