‘The paradigm is shifting’: Anti-Zionist Jewish Congress calls for a new political future
Opening press conference of the Second Jewish Anti-Zionist (JAZIC) Congress in Dublin. 25 June 2026
Romana Rubeo reports in The Palestine Chronicle on 26 June 2026:
As Israel’s genocide in Gaza entered yet another devastating phase, the opening press conference of the Second Jewish Anti-Zionist (JAZIC) Congress in Dublin on Thursday focused not only on ending the ongoing assault, but also on what speakers described as a profound political, legal, and moral transformation already reshaping global attitudes toward Palestine.
The Congress will take place in Dublin, Ireland, from Friday, June 25, to Sunday, June 28.
Bringing together anti-Zionist Jewish activists, Irish lawmakers and Palestinian intellectuals, the event examined the changing international landscape, the responsibilities of European governments, the future of anti-Zionist Jewish organizing, and the growing momentum behind Palestinian solidarity movements worldwide.
Opening the conference, trade unionist Patricia McKeown, Chair of Trade Union Friends of Palestine, said the Congress itself reflected the growing visibility of anti-Zionist Jewish voices around the world. Recalling the first congress in Vienna, McKeown noted that organizers had expected around 400 participants but more than 1,000 ultimately attended.
“That speaks volumes,” she said, arguing that anti-Zionist Jewish voices had long been marginalized but are now increasingly challenging dominant political narratives. “They are speaking truth to power, and they are beginning to change that narrative in a very serious way,” she said.
McKeown also suggested that accusations equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism are beginning to lose their effectiveness, particularly within parts of Ireland’s labour movement. “There were far fewer attempts this year to dismiss people by saying, ‘You’re antisemitic because you’re promoting an anti-Zionist agenda,’” she stated.
Ireland’s Occupied Territories Bill
Much of the discussion focused on Ireland’s long-delayed ‘Occupied Territories Bill’, legislation first introduced by Senator Francis Black in 2018 to prohibit trade with Israel’s illegal settlements.
Reflecting on the eight-year effort to advance the legislation, Black contrasted the government’s repeated delays with the worsening situation in Palestine. “In those eight years, we have watched an illegal occupation become a horrific genocide,” she said. “We have watched settlements continue to expand across stolen Palestinian land. We have watched children killed in their homes, in their schools and in hospitals.”
Although the government has now introduced its own version of the legislation, Black argued that it falls well short of Ireland’s obligations under international law because it excludes services while covering only goods.
Describing the omission as a political decision rather than a legal necessity, she pointed to online platforms such as Airbnb as an example of how businesses continue profiting from illegal settlements.
“Tonight, I could go onto the Airbnb website, book accommodation located inside an illegal Israeli settlement built on stolen Palestinian land, and under this bill that transaction would remain perfectly legal,” she said.
“That is precisely what excluding services means,” the senator concluded. She argued that Ireland should move beyond limited measures and adopt broader sanctions against Israel. “Half a ban is not a ban,” Black said, adding that what is ultimately needed is “comprehensive sanctions” and “a full implementation of BDS.”
Finance, Investment and International Law
Expanding the discussion beyond settlement goods, Irish Senator Alice-Mary Higgins argued that Ireland also bears responsibility through its financial system.
See also: ‘The Veil Has Been Torn to Shreds’: Baroud Calls for a New Global Front for Palestine