Feminism to me is a range of movements that seek to advance rights and create equal opportunities for women. I have identified as a feminist since I learned what the movement was. I believe as women we need to lift each other up and support one another. I have never had a problem with the direction of the feminist movement until now.

Something else I am very passionate about is my love for Zionism and Israel. Zionism has countless definitions depending on who you ask, but ultimately it is the belief that Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish nation. I have never felt there would be a problem with being both a zionist and a feminist, but the feminist movement is becoming increasingly political and with that it is becoming more exclusive.

The International Women’s Strike (IWS) that took place on March 8 was ‘the beginning of a new international feminist movement,’ according to their platform. However, their platform also calls for the decolonization of Palestine and to ‘dismantle all walls, from prison walls, to border walls, from Mexico to Palestine.’

In a movement that is supposed to unite women ‘in the spirit of solidarity and internationalism,’ my question is why the denunciation of Israel is one of their main principles? Feminism cannot bring feminists together when the platform of the IWS clearly singles out those who support Israel.

Although Israel is in no way perfect, it should not be held to different standards than other countries. Why is there no mention of Yemen, where according to the Human Rights Watch (HRW), women cannot marry without the permission of their male guardian and do not have equal rights to divorce, inheritance, or child custody?

According to the HRW, the lack of coordination in the Lebanese government’s response to sex trafficking continues to put women and girls at risk, yet there is no mention of Lebanon in the the IWS platform either. India is also not mentioned, where, according to HRW, there were reports of gang rapes, domestic violence, acid attacks and murders of women.

Another concern lies in Rasmea Odeh, one of the organizers of the IWS who is the associate director of the Arab American Action Network (AAAN) and creator of the AAAN’s Arab Women’s Committee. Though, the work she has done for Arab Americans is not what concerns me. What troubles me is her 1970 conviction for a 1969 bombing in a Jerusalem supermarket, in which two Hebrew University students were killed, in addition to an attempted bombing of the British consulate.

Odeh was sentenced to life in prison, but only served 10 years before she was released with 78 other prisoners in a swap for one captured Israeli soldier in Lebanon. While there is controversy over whether her conviction was extracted under torture, there are numerous documents backing up the conviction. There is also no debate whether Odeh was active in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States State Department since 1997.

Unfortunately, the IWS is not the first time Israel has been targeted in seemingly feminist causes. The National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) aims to promote and support the production and dissemination of knowledge about women through teaching, learning, research, and service.

However, in 2015 they voted to support the boycott, divestment, sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. Although only 35 percent of members voted, 88.4 percent of those members voted in favor of the recommendation. It is interesting that an academic association whose primary objective is to disperse knowledge would support a movement that academically boycotts Israeli universities and educations they provide.   

Restricting women from feminism for their beliefs regarding separate issues is detrimental to the movement because it hinders women from working together and furthering the cause. By ostracizing those who do not adhere to certain beliefs women are being divided instead of being brought together.