A Twitter deconstruction of Linda Sarsour (@AviMayer)

Avi Mayer, on Twitter, writes about Linda Sarsour's claim that one cannot be a Zionist and a feminist.

It is too good not to put in a short essay form.

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Let's take a minute and pick apart Linda Sarsour's bizarre and twisted claim that one cannot be both a Zionist and a feminis t, shall we?

Per Sarsour, since feminism is about "the rights of all women," a feminist cannot support Israel, which "oppresses" Palestinian women.

There are several glaring problems with Sarsour's simplistic argument.

First, Sarsour herself goes on to say—in the same interview—that "there is no country... that is immune to violating human rights." Surely if all countries violate human rights, @lsarsour should condemn them all. But she aims her bile at supporters of only one: Israel.

Second, Sarsour discusses the plight of Palestinian women at length, but curiously ignores any hardship that cannot be blamed on Israel. Yet Palestinian women "face discrimination in law and in practice, and [are] inadequately protected against sexual and other violence." according to Amnesty.

"Honor killings"—murders of Palestinian women by male relatives seeking to protect "family honor"—have skyrocketed. wapo.st/2mG7Yza

Abortions are illegal under Palestinian law, forcing women to either endanger their lives – or seek help in Israel. atfp.co/1XJhdhA

How "Zionism" is to blame for these rampant violations of Palestinian women's rights within Palestinian society is for Linda Sarsour to answer.

Moreover, while Linda Sarsour professes deep concern for the rights of "all women," she has nothing to say about the rights of Israeli women. At no point does it occur to Sarsour to even pay lip service to Israeli women and their rights. They're entirely absent from her equation.

The mothers of the two Israeli students murdered by Rasmea Odeh, whom Sarsour has defended, do not appear to have rights worth protecting.

Most fundamentally, in rejecting and deriding Zionism, Linda Sarsour denies the basic right of Jewish women—and all Jews—to self-determination.

Sarsour also ignores Israel's admirable (if imperfect) record on women's rights, including having had women head every branch of government.

Finally, in declaring Zionism and feminism incompatible, @lsarsour seeks to erase the many, many women—and men—who identify with both.

Here are just a few of the women @lsarsour would no longer consider feminists due to their support of Jewish rights.

It seems that in Linda Sarsour's version of feminism, all women are equal, but some are more equal than others. Israeli women need not apply.

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