Starting October 7, many concepts are shattering before our eyes. The public was shocked by the intelligence failure, the non-functioning military systems, and the dysfunction of many government offices, but for some reason, everyone ignores a “super concept” that has completely collapsed – the concept of “the United States will always support Israel.”
There is complete disregard for the process of the collapse of US support for Israel, a process that began more than 20 years ago, during which support was gradually eroded in the face of typical Israeli complacency and arrogance. This process of existential significance (it is enough for the US to refrain from vetoing UN Security Council resolutions in order to send Israel and its economy into a chaotic spiral), may reach its peak within months if the Israeli leadership does not come to its senses and act decisively.
The concept of “the US will always support” – has fathers from the Right and the Left. The Right, because of its leader, still sees the United States of 20 years ago as if “what was then is what exists today.” There is no more serious and fatal mistake than this for the future of the country. The Left is captive to the “It is because of Netanyahu” concept.
Bibi, according to the Left, “destroyed the relations with the Democratic Party.” This is also a bitter mistake: the assumption (arrogant in itself) is that if we just correct this and do some hasbara [public diplomacy] everything will be fine and Americans will “understand” that we are the “good guys”. Following these fixations is an existential danger, far greater than Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas combined. It is important to see clearly and understand. Europe has not supported Israel for a long time; the “other” axis, Russia-China is completely not with us (and has never been with us). The United States is Israel’s only strategic support in a world that does not like us.
For more than 20 years, a “soft war” has been waged against Israel around the world, with a focus on the United States. This war has several axes: Iran, Qatar, and the progressive movement in the United States.
Iran has special units, a budget, and a soft war fighting strategy against the West in general and Israel in particular. Qatar is the main funder of antisemitism and anti-Israelism in the world on an uncanny scale of billions of dollars a year. These two enemy states are supporting their proxies around Israel, with ammunition and money, but they have done something else: they have joined closely with elements of the American progressive movement, creating a constant and immediate threat to the very existence of the State of Israel. The slogans in the United States do not call for the return of “occupied” territories, but for the end of Israel’s existence.
The background is an internal American process that has nothing to do with Israel. For years, the United States has been in the midst of an internal social and political struggle; so-called “progressives” on the one hand, and opposed by traditional democrats, traditional conservatives, and populists on the other. Foreign actors such as Russia, China, and Qatar take a covert but essential part in the internal struggle to advance their own agendas.
Progressive movement
THE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT is a mainstreaming of what used to be the far-left wing of the Democratic Party. In recent years, the progressives have run various political candidates and today the progressive caucus includes 103 members of Congress!
An important part of progressive ideology is the concept of “intersectionality,” which has a dramatic impact on Israel and the Jews. What is often perceived as different forms of oppression, such as racism, sexism, and xenophobia, are interdependent, and intersect in nature, and together they make up a unified system of oppression. Therefore, our rights and the discrimination we encounter are a product of our unique positioning in society as determined by these social classifications.
Anti-Israel groups encourage progressives to classify Palestinians and Jews by race. In this formulation, Palestinians are “indigenous people” and “people of color,” while Israelis and Jews are “privileged white Europeans and colonialists.”
It is this binary and crude formula that enables the successful application of the “intersection” theory to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Thus, well-funded false campaigns have succeeded in transforming Israel for many in the progressive movement into a hated model of imperialist white supremacy.
The Palestinian issue has been united among the progressive elements with all the other victims of “oppression” who need protection. The fact that Jews are historical victims of genocide, and that the Jewish minority is a victim of most of the religion-based hate crimes in the US does not influence this thinking. Israel’s enemies are taking advantage of and riding the rising progressive wave. Thus, the narrative evolved into a denial of the State of Israel’s right to exist and a denial of 3,000 years of Jewish connection to the land.
Progressives have already gained influence over many important US power centers and are moving rapidly to expand this influence further. This process could lead to a complete collapse of support for Israel within a short time. A few examples:
Universities –Academia has shifted dramatically to the left in recent years, becoming a strong center of progressive politics, impacting tenure nominations, academic programs, and student bodies. Anti-Israel and antisemitic activities are the new normal.
Schools and the education system – the introduction of Critical Race Theory and Ethnic Studies in a growing percentage of schools is an official antisemitism and anti-Israel teaching program.
Media –Many influential Left-leaning media outlets such as CNN and The New York Times are taking more overt stances against Israel, at times promoting false narratives and silencing dissenting voices.
Big tech and social media – strong progressive influence in some of the most powerful companies in the world (Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, Tik-Tok and X) combined with manipulation by foreign actors, is rife with antisemitic and anti-Israel disinformation.
The political system – the progressive caucus is a rising force in the Democratic Party, increasingly challenging the traditional party leadership that has historically stood by Israel.
Executive branch – as younger and more progressive appointees rise through the ranks in Washington and elsewhere, pro-Israel policies may face greater challenges over time.
District attorneys and the legal system – elected in well-financed campaigns, DAs in key urban areas are pushing progressive reforms that often include more lenient conditions for criminal offenders.
The Defense branches – “Right leaning” officers and commanders are gradually pushed out and replaced with more progressive ideologues, leading to politicization of the defense branches, and potentially impacting where resources are directed (e.g., pursuing white supremacists vs. Islamists).
Corporate America – many corporate CEOs are increasingly cooperating with or even leading the progressive agenda for a variety of reasons, making them more receptive to boycott campaigns such as the actions previously launched by Airbnb and Ben & Jerry’s.
Successive Israeli governments have been in the darkness (relying on wrong concepts). Maintaining US support for Israel is an existential task and requires the establishment of units and combat doctrine for the soft warfare. The budgets required are ridiculous – at the price of half a day of fighting per year, this battle can be won. What is needed is vision and leadership.
The writer is a software entrepreneur and philanthropist who lives in Irvine, California. He has spent 40 years building technology companies in the United States and Israel.