Is Anti-Zionism a Form of Antisemitism?

Two observations are pertinent before I respond to the question. First, the Zionist movement only really started in the late 19th century, so it is difficult to make a plausible argument that Zionism is an integral part of the Jewish religious identity. Second, it is inherent in the idea of a Jewish state that Christians and Muslims are second class citizens. That makes Zionism a sort of inverted form of antisemitism, which has created a problem for the leaders of Israel from the country’s inception.

That aside, based on my definition of antisemitism, the answer to the question depends, not on what the anti-Zionist is against, but on what he is for. Here are the possibilities:

1. If you think all Jews should be driven out of Israel, you are an antisemite. Period. That is the ultimate form of discrimination.
2. If you think that Jews should be allowed to remain in the new Palestinian state, but would be subject to Muslim theocratic rule, you are either an antisemite or a complete fool. There is nothing in the history of Hamas or the surrounding Arab states which suggests that the Jews would be treated with fairness and compassion in a Muslim theocratic nation.
3. If you think the solution is a secular, liberal democratic Palestine in which both Jews and Arabs are given equal rights, you are not an antisemite, because you have avoided advocating for discrimination. Your task, if you are a student demonstrator, is to explain to us how an immediate ceasefire and a consequent Hamas victory in the Gaza war somehow gets us to that Point B. Nobody has explained that to me as of this date.

The American government’s position is that the solution to the problem is the creation of a viable, but militarily weak, Palestinian state on the West Bank and in Gaza. This concept maintains Israel as both a Jewish and a democratic state and solves the problem of discrimination. As such, it is the best possible approach to the problem–that is, if the facts on the ground have not already made it impossible, thanks to the efforts of extremists on both sides.