ABSTRACT
The current Israeli or pro-Zionist explanation of this extraordinary phenomenon is that anti-Zionism is just another metamorphosis of antisemitism and should be treated and fought against as such. This explanation is certainly valid for the Christian world—which of course includes most of the Communist world—because of the love/hate relationship of the churches with the Jews. Commenting on the role of the Soviets in the promotion of the official denunciation of Zionism by the UN General Assembly in November 1975, Bernard Lewis noted the small ideological interest shown by the Arabs in their fight against Zionism compared with the enormous ideological efforts of anti-Zionism made by the USSR since the beginning of the Soviet regime. The historical, emotional connection of Zionism with antisemitism and the involvement of the Jews in the long and much publicized Middle East crisis serve as a propellant of anti-Zionism, but they do not wholly explain its nature.
