What leads numerous liberals to disdain Israel?

What prompts numerous people on the left to harbor animosity towards Israel?

This piece explores the long-standing history of anti-Semitic hatred within the left-wing movement, from the likes of Karl Marx to modern-day activists like Greta Thunberg. It describes how the current wave of anti-Israel protests and criticism has become increasingly violent and discriminatory towards Jews and Judaism.

The text begins by highlighting the prevalence of anti-Semitism within the left-wing landscape, extending back over the past 150 years. It discusses how those on the left are more loudly denying Israel's right to exist and accusing the country of genocide. These sentiments are especially prevalent amongst followers of leftist ideologies, with individuals such as Greta Thunberg and Judith Butler voicing their opposition to Israel. Despite this, the anti-Semitism is often overlooked due to its being veiled in anti-imperialist, pro-Palestinian sentiment.

The author argues that this deep-rooted anti-Semitism stems from a postcolonial, victimized worldview associated with the woke class struggle narrative. Israel is depicted as imperialistic, racist, and colonialist, while Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims are the oppressed group. However, the author notes that this narrative ignores many facts that don't fit the narrative, such as Israel being the only democracy in the region and the ongoing cultural imperialism of the Arab nations.

The article details the long-standing history of anti-Semitism in the left-wing movement, dating back to early French socialism. This anti-Semitic sentiment has been perpetuated by generations of leftists. During the Soviet era, communism was openly hostile towards Jews, with instances of anti-Semitic purges, and in East Germany, socialist anti-Semitism held strong. Books like Stefan Meining's "Communist Jewish Policy" and Michael Wolffsohn's "The Germany File" provide a detailed account of this. These sentiments also carried over into parts of the successor party "The Left."

The text then recounts specific instances of anti-Israel sentiment within the German left, like the warnings about "Jewish capital" and "Jewish usurers" by the KPD and DKP, and how members of RAF terrorists were trained in Palestinian camps to promote anti-Semitic rhetoric. The text even points to a particularly heinous event where an arson attack on a Jewish nursing home in Munich resulted in the deaths of seven elderly residents, perpetrated by the left-wing terror group, "Tupamaros Munich."

The article draws a striking comparison between the anti-Israel sentiments of the present and the trajectory of the left-wing movement in the 1970s, zooming in on the infamous terrorist Ulrike Meinhof. She was a key figure in the RAF terrorists and was openly hostile towards Israel. Following the Palestinian attack on Israeli athletes at the Olympic Games, Meinhof defended the terrorists and even went so far as to reverse the victim-perpetrator dynamic. This same pattern of anti-Israel rhetoric repeats itself today.

In essence, the article asserts that the left-wing movement has a historical and systemic problem with anti-Semitism, which has taken on increasingly extreme forms over the past century. It implores the left to push past their "Jewish Knack" and recognize the error in their vilification of Israel and Jews.

In her paper "Strategies for Anti-Colonial Resistance," Meinhof advocated for the kidnapping of Jewish athletes at the Munich Olympics as a "courageous act against Israeli soldiers disguised as athletes" while simultaneously criticizing the Federal Republic for its support of Israel and "payment of reparations." Meinhof saw Israel's actions as "genocidal policy," urging Germany to cease arms sales to the country. In parallel to today's left-wing demonstrations, Meinhof viewed anti-Semitism as a form of anti-capitalism.

Since the 1967 Six-Day War, German leftists have predominantly aligned themselves with the Arab-Palestinian cause. Dieter Kunzelmann observed at the time, "Palestine is for the FRG and Europe what Vietnam is for the Americans. The Left has yet to grasp this. Why? The German Jewish complex." Leftists needed to break free from the German Jewish complex, which referred to the guilt complex, and confront Israel directly.

Wilfried Böse, a member of the RAF terror group, successfully overcame this "Jew-fixation." During a 1976 airplane hijacking, he indiscriminately selected both Jewish and non-Jewish passengers. The RAF could not have operated effectively without the aid of Palestinian organizations. As Kraushaar cautions, considering the increasingly heated situation in the Middle East, "This could herald a new form of militancy not only on the Islamic, but also on the left side."