There is no good reason – in logic, history, philosophy – for the left, especially the hard left, to so vehemently oppose Israel and Zionism, its national liberation movement. Being anti-Israel has become a litmus test for today’s left. It hasn’t always been that way. When the nation-state of the Jewish people was first recognized by the United Nations in 1947, left-wing countries, individuals, and even the Communist Party rallied to its support.
Communist countries provided arms and intelligence to Israel when it fought Arab nations in 1948 for its very survival. Shimon Peres was a featured speaker at many socialist gatherings.
This remained the case until the Soviet Union decided to court oil-rich reactionary Arab and Muslim dictatorships. Predictably, most domestic communist entities around the world followed the party line and turned against Israel. The academic left soon followed suit.
When this about-face took place, Israel was a socialist country with religious freedom, gender equality, freedom of speech, and an independent judiciary. Its Arab and Muslim enemies had not begun to reform. Saudi Arabia still had slaves, decapitated blasphemers, and denied women the right to walk in the streets without a male escort. No Arab or Muslim state had freedom or equality of religion, freedom of speech, gender equality, or an independent judiciary. Almost none had elections.
This disparity did not seem to faze left-wing followers of Soviet dictats. They slavishly changed sides, ignoring the reality that Israel’s policies were far more in tune with their own ideology than the policies of Arab and Muslim theocracies.
Suddenly Israel was transformed into a “colonialist,” “imperialist,” “settler” state that was occupying the land of its aboriginal population. This was never true: Israel fought British colonialism, and most Israelis are descendants of Middle Eastern Jews who had lived for centuries in the region. Even after Israel and President Bill Clinton offered a deal to end Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza – which began after it won its defensive war in 1967 – many on the left still denied Israel’s right to exist and to defend itself.
We saw the toxic fruits of the intellectual subversion in October 2023. After Hamas terrorists and Gaza civilians broke down barriers, crossed into Israel proper, and murdered, raped. and kidnapped thousands of Israelis (mostly civilians), the hard left doubled down in its opposition to Israel. More importantly, anti-Israel attitudes morphed from the hard left to many on the center left. The alleged justification was Israel’s response to the Hamas atrocities. New accusations – all false – were now directed against Israel: genocide, war crimes, aggressors.
Thoughtful Americans on the center-left, including Rahm Emanuel and Rep. Jamie Raskin, have now decided to cast their lot against Israel’s ability to defend itself, even knowing that the slanders leveled against Israel are false. They have said so. But they can’t resist the pressure from the hard left to join the chorus of condemnation against Israel.
Democrats in Congress know that if they are perceived as supportive of Israel, they will be primaried by a candidate from the Democratic Socialist Party. They saw what happened in New York where liberal supporters of Israel were defeated in Democratic primaries by rabidly anti-Israel opponents. They know which way the political winds are blowing in blue cities among Democratic primary voters. Many are prepared to compromise their long held pro-Israel principles in the interests of not being primaried out of office.
The New York Times and CNN also know that these accusations are false, but they pander to their readers and viewers in an effort to increase clicks and revenue.
Reasonable university professors, administrators, and students also know that Israel is not the villain it is portrayed as in campus demonstrations, newspapers, and often in classrooms. But many of them fear pushback and recriminations from radical Israel-haters among their peers.
Today it is much safer and more career-protecting to be mendaciously anti-Israel than to be honestly pro-Israel, even while expressing misgivings about Israel’s political leadership. Being anti-Israel has become good for politics, business, and friendships, much as being anti-Jewish served the interests of ambitious Germans, regardless of whether they believed the lies against Jews they were parroting.
There a few courageous Democrats willing to buck the prevailing tide in their party. Two bright lights, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer, are willing to tell the complex truth about the world’s only nation-state of the Jewish people.
Hopefully others will arise.
