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October 22, 2024 - 1:20pm
Most people recognise anti-Zionism as a Leftist phenomenon in America. But they are less attuned to how Right-wingers have adopted the ideology, given that conservatives are frequently assumed to be axiomatically pro-Israel.
Chris Brunet, who made his name through his collaboration with Christopher Rufo in breaking the Claudine Gay plagiarism scandal, has recently publicly split with a number of former comrades and associates within anti-woke conservative circles over the issue of Israel. So pronounced is this rupture that he is now the subject of admiration from far-Right commentator Nick Fuentes and his following of Groypers, while Rufo has today written an essay condemning — without directly referring to Brunet — “anti-Semitic ideologies […] on the fringes of American conservatism”.
According to Brunet, after “years of intentionally avoiding the topic” he became “redpilled” following the mass rape scandal within Israeli prisons holding Palestinian inmates. Another turning point for the journalist came when Republican congressman Brian Mast wore his IDF uniform as a jibe against Democratic representative Rashida Tlaib flying the Palestinian flag.
Even though the bulk of the American Right composed of differing streams — from evangelical Christians to foreign policy neoconservatives and MAGA Republicans — has been and continues to be pro-Israel, there has always been a section which has taken a more critical approach. This is largely under the banner of “paleoconservatism”, a particularly reactionary stream of American conservatism once spearheaded by the likes of Pat Buchanan and Russell Kirk.
Their gripe with Israel is part of a general conflict with neoconservatives, whom they see as more loyal to abstract “globalist” values than to the concrete heritage of the American people, and as giving special consideration to Israel in matters of foreign policy. Buchanan proclaimed in 1990 that “Capitol Hill is Israeli-occupied territory” while Kirk, in a more lukewarm fashion, said of the intellectual genealogy of neoconservatism that “some eminent neoconservatives mistook Tel Aviv for the capital of the United States.”
Leftist anti-Zionism is generally premised on international solidarity with the Palestinians — a small, dispossessed and occupied people whose national and civil rights have been negated by Israel, which ought to be rectified. Beyond that, this outlook views Israel and its conduct towards the Palestinians as symptomatic of a hypocritical, American-led liberal order which aggressively preaches human rights against “official” enemies such as Iran or Russia but sponsors the abuses of its Israeli allies. Because Right-wing anti-Zionism is based on an “America First” nationalist isolationism that holds Israel as a baleful influence on raison d’etat, its proponents oppose the neoconservative stance that the countries have a shared national interest.
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SubscribeWhat the right and left wings versions of anti-Zionism have in common is that they have to magnify – or invent – Israel’s misdeeds in order to justify their prejudices. In the case of Brunet, it takes the form of turning a case of prisoner abuse – absolutely despicable even if the victim is part of a group of a thousand Hamas prisoners suspected to have participated in the October 7 massacre – into “mass rape”. The perpetrators are being duly prosecuted. If this incident is your stated reason to negate the existence of Israel, alone among the countries of the world – some of which also occasionally host prison abuse -, I suspect there are ulterior motives at work.
Perhaps the issue is the trite left/right dichotomy? The Youtuber ‘Dark Age Theorist’, a theoretical historian, proposes a more nuanced political compass in his recent video essay on the topic: Outline of a new political vocabulary
Left-wing hatred for Jews and Israel is the rule; the right-wing variety is the exception. Naturally, let’s focus on the exception.
I have no quarrel with Israel defending itself against barbarians such as Hamas and Hezbollah. I do, however, have a quarrel with the idea that this battle is somehow the US’s to fight.
The Left don’t hate Jews, the Left has historically fought with Jews. The Battle of Cable Street where socialists, communists and Jews fought Mosley’s black shirts. The Left hate the apartheid state of Israel, hope this helps 🙂
you mean the “apartheid state” that is home to the freest Arabs in the Middle East, the state that has Muslims in its military, police force, and govt?
Hmm. Not everyone on the left hates Jews, but the vast majority of Jew haters are on the left. I also think there is a strong contingent on the left, who hate Israel like they hate America and the west.
At Cable Street the socialists, communists and Jews fought the police, not Mosley’s blackshirts. The blackshirts didn’t turn up in the end and the march was called off.
Christ-Cable street was nearly 90 years ago-and some 11 years before the Balfour Declaration.the “Left” are a totally different animal now,consumed with anti semtism and identity politics.
I am sure there are racists, islamaphobes or whatever in Israel as hatreds of this kind exist virtually everywhere there are tribal or cultural mixtures, that’s humanity unfortunately. In Israel’s case they are continually attacked, and have been for decades, by their Arab neighbours and sometimes their own Arab citizens, which can’t help. There are extremists and aggressive settlers but most Israelis long for peace and cooperation.
Do you know how many Jews have been expelled and expropriated from Egypt, Jordan, Syria and even Iran but found welcome and refuge in Israel? It rivals the number of Palestinians made refugees from that part of Jordan legitimised by the League of Nations and the United Nations as a (refuge) state for Jews. A proportion of Arabs remain as citizens but those who did/could not were unwelcomed by these neighbouring countries.
Far worse happens or has happened elsewhere with far less international condemnation.
Sorry, posted twice.
Any goy who refuses to lick Netanyahu’s boots is an anti-semite
That’s BS. Bibi’s not a god.
The ADL would like a word with you
I don’t have an issue with people not supporting Israel, although I strongly disagree. The issue for me is antisemitism. That’s the red line IMO, and there is some of that on the right as well.
Because in fact, separating an anti- Israel stance from antisemitism, is a fool’s errand. Palestinians have been rejected by their own former kin and kind — the only tiny territory they will grant Palestinians is Israel’s. Not one kilometer of their vast, former Palestinian lands. For them, it’s terror or refugee camps. Palestinians in Israel are better off than their rejected kindred are.
To support the entities sworn to destroy every vestige of Judaism, both kind and country, is not justice. It is inhumane and antisemitic, at best. At worst, barbaric.
Um…Do “anti-Semitic ideologies […] on the fringes of American conservatism,” really justify a headline treatment in UnHerd?
Difficult but not impossible.