By: Yildiz Subuk, Staff Writer

In a recent speech, ex-prime minister Justin Trudeau firmly declared he is a Zionist. There was no hesitation, just offensive, misinformed statements spewing from his mouth. He began his atrocious speech with a completely botched definition of Zionism — he said it is the belief that enables Jewish people to “determine their own future, like all people.” He followed this with the claim, “No one in Canada should ever be afraid to call themselves a Zionist.” There is a haunting irony in the leader of a settler-colonial state like Canada, which claims to be reconciling with Indigenous Peoples, supporting another state doing the exact thing they condemn.

Contrary to Trudeau’s definition, Zionism is the belief of creating a Jewish nationalist state specifically through the occupation of Palestine. It is an ideology rooted in settler colonialism, dating back to 1897. Theodor Herzl, the man often championed as the founder of Zionism, had plans to colonize Palestine in 1895 as he theorized a Jewish state was the only way to fully get rid of anti-semitism. It’s important to note, however, that many Orthodox Jews oppose Zionism, viewing it in its earliest form as an opposition to “God’s will.” Many Jews believe God was to unite Jewish people in a promised land, but this cannot be accomplished through a forced establishment of a Jewish state where Palestinians reside. A passage from Herzl’s diary explicitly states the intent to displace Palestinians by securing employment for them “in the transit countries,” and “denying [them] employment in our own country.” This process was to be carried out in a “discreet” manner. 

Palestinian historian Rashid Khalidi outlines in his book The Hundred Years War on Palestine that Herzl’s approach to Zionism parallels colonial talking points of using settler colonialism to increase a country’s economic value. The specific terminology of “discreetly” transporting the poor population across the border is described by Khalidi as grasping the need for the Palestinian population to disappear “in order for Zionism to succeed.” Similar tactics have been used in Canada’s settler-colonial project leading to the overwhelming number of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and the continued violence against them — erasure of history is a crucial narrative device of colonialism. From its conception, Zionism has been about the displacement of Palestinians to establish Israeli superiority, clearly differing from Trudeau’s deliberately uneducated definition. 

From its conception Zionism has been about the displacement of Palestinians to establish Israeli superiority, clearly differing from Trudeau’s deliberately uneducated statement.

Trudeau continued the speech by implying that anti-semitism is on the rise due to anti-Zionist sentiment. While he does not clearly state it, he immediately follows his endorsement of Zionism with the importance of combatting anti-semitism. Being anti-Zionist and anti-semitic are two different things. Anti-semitism is a set of prejudiced beliefs towards Jewish people as a religious or ethnic group which aim to persecute and scapegoat them. This definition notably differs from critique of Israel and its political-military actions. 

Since October 7, the Israeli Offensive Forces have killed 46,000 Palestinians and displaced millions. Trudeau issued a half-hearted statement about a ceasefire in Gaza (which Israel has since violated), barely mustering up two sentences about the situation. He has failed to recognize the decades of suffering Palestinians have faced or condemn Israel for its war crimes. Trudeau recently celebrated recognizing the Haida Aboriginal Title agreement, which allows the Haida Nation in BC to have ownership over their land. He claimed this “marks a move away from an era of denial,” making his hypocrisy crystal clear as he continues to ignore the rights of another Indigenous community.

In his book, Khalidi goes on to illustrate the fact Israel is not only founded on the settler-colonialist belief of Zionism, but the ideology has played a crucial part in reinforcing the need for ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. For a prime minister who has previously established a National Day of Truth and Reconciliation to acknowledge the dispossession of Indigenous lands by Canada, to say he is a Zionist with such assurance feels not only hypocritical, but like a blatant disregard for those facing the harsh realities of colonialism.