Anti-Israel Activism: How it was. What it’s become – Part I

Personal Photo

“[F]uck Israel. erase that demonic entity off the map.” – Susan Abulhawa, May 6, 2025  “Israel must be gone from the world if we are to have any hope of a moral existence as a species.” Susan Abulhawa (May 6, 2025)

Including my undergraduate and graduate college years; I’m nearing the half-century mark in my experience analyzing, writing and speaking about Israel’s “Critics,” “Detractors” and “Haters” in America.  What some used to term “The Campaign against Israel.” (In my Freshman Year I wrote about George Ball’s Foreign Affairs April 1977, article “The Middle East: How to Save Israel in Spite of Itself” and  my Freshman Term paper was entitled “The Causes of the Erosion of American support for Israel.”

Before I proceed; I fully acknowledge that it’s not necessarily being anti-Israel to criticize Israeli actions or policies. (And even if it were; Israel is certainly not beyond reproach.)

In my early years at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) back in in the mid-1980s; I used to say that this “Campaign Against Israel” had moderated somewhat – at least in how it presented itself and in the language that was employed. Not that there was any love for Israel from “Detractors” of Israel; but the arguments employed and their ostensible agenda had been somewhat moderated to no-longer explicitly questioning Israel’s existence.

In a talk I gave at AIPAC’s 1988 Policy Conference, I stated that “The significant anti-Israel movement in this country has adopted a new strategy. It has become far more sophisticated and increasingly effective.”

And then I laid out how this new approach compared to what it had been. (Obviously speaking in generalities.) “From the instant Israel declared statehood, anti-Israel groups in the country expressed a deep animosity towards Israel, often not disguising their desire to see Israel destroyed.” But I noted that “their extremism often backfired and discredited their cause.” That “its strident anti-Israel agenda attracted little sympathy or support” and that “the extremism of its message exerted very little impact upon people.”

The new campaign against Israel was “more sophisticated and the message was revamped and repackaged even as the ultimate goal was to cut US aid and support for Israel and to drive a wedge between the United States and Israel. So one approach was to redefine their concerns as being to combat discrimination. And to depict their attacks on Israel as part of this fight. And of course they attacked supporters of Israel.”

I noted how detractors had “toned down” their statements about Israel. They no longer- overtly attacked the existence of Israel.  At the same time, they charged that “Zionism is a racist, anti-Arab and undemocratic…” They portrayed Israel as an American burden, which cannot be trusted and should not be supporter. And a familiar one: “They characterized the United States as pro-Israel, only because of domestic pressure and intimidation from pro-Israel interest groups who they accused of working against the national interest.

I also observed that “Divisions in Israel and within the American Jewish community” gives these detractors an opportunity to tear at the US-Israel relationship.  (Divisions among Jews has been one of my other long-standing concerns and something that I have sought to understand.)

And then in 1993, came  the Oslo peace accords, and numerous people including quite a number of “Friends of Israel” hoped and believed that there had been a sea change in Israel’s Detractors view of and approaches to Israel. I was perhaps a little more skeptical regarding the detractors (if not so skeptical about the actual peace process itself!) My piece in  the Winter 19997 issue of Middle East Forum  was entitled Israel’s American Detractors – Back Again

And this has gone on over the years and decades; as many of Israel’s detractors became more perceived as “legitimate actors” and more and more organizations were founded. And then of course came social media to amplify certain views.

In recent years, and especially since October 7th; there has been a growth in the public advocacy of an unequivocal “No Acceptance of any Israel.” Regardless of what concessions Israel might make; or what territories Israel might withdraw from.   No euphemisms. Not urging a “Two State solution.” Not even urging a “One State solution for Jews and Arabs.” Simply urging a Palestinian Arab state with no concern expressed about the future and fate of the   seven million Jewish inhabitants of Israel. And the vitriolic demonizing Israel and every Israeli.

We not only hear Israel should not have been created. But that Israel’s creation should be reversed. With Israel being described with words such as “Demonic.” Whether such phrases and actions are “antisemitic” or “‘merely” Anti-Zionist is to me is irrelevant to this point.

And of course it’s not just that these are views are being held; but they are openly expressed – without any shame or restraint. And if and when one responds to such statements on social media; those anti-Israel views attract a torrent of support and the responder receives a slew of hate.

This “No Israel” is even-more distressing and significant than the accusations of “Genocide” or taking Israel to International courts or asserting that Israel is an “Apartheid State.” Although there has obviously a certain evolution to getting to this point (or reverting to this point)

The  “hows” and “Whys” we got to this point are interesting and worthy of discussion.  As is examining what “Friends of Israel” can possibly do about that. But that’s for future pieces.  Just as is whether any of Israel’s action over the years or decades has done anything to bring this about or whether Israel can do anything  to reduce this hatred.

I would suggest that in any meaningful way; hatred of Israel is not because of what Israel does but because Israel exists – which is of course a little depressing. And the broadest, reasonable (“Zionist Left”) concessions that Israel conceivably could make would still require an acceptance of Israel. But obviously some Israeli actions (whether necessary or otherwise), don’t always help!

One can certainly trace a path of how we got to this point. One can discuss whether “Anti-Zionism” is antisemitism.”

 There are innumerable things one can point to: A 75 year campaign against Israel. The use of the United Nations and UN agencies…The “Zionism is Racism” Soviet and PLO campaign at the UN, half-a-century ago. The actions of Human Rights organizations. Can one throw in the rabid anti-Zionism of some of the antisemites – some with massive followers on X.  y

As for Jewish anti-Zionist, true haters of Israel – not just Jewish “critics” of the Israeli government or certain Israeli policies, of which there are obviously many – that is sadly a very-broad topic and something I find hard to grasp. But I see little purpose to using terms such as “Self-hating Jews” or “Kapos” to characterize such people.

To be continued