Over the past quarter-century, Israeli voters have demonstrably shifted from the left to the center, and now increasingly to the right. This significant political realignment, mirrored to a lesser extent among Israeli supporters in the diaspora, is largely attributable to the left’s perceived abandonment of Israel, according to a recent analysis by prominent legal scholar Alan Dershowitz.
Dershowitz’s opinion piece highlights a historical paradox: Jews, both in Israel and globally, have traditionally leaned left politically. Upon its founding, Israel, a socialist democracy surrounded by autocratic Arab regimes, garnered widespread support even from the extreme left.
The Soviet Union initially backed Israel’s establishment in 1948, with Czechoslovakia even supplying arms to aid its defense against invading Arab nations.
READ: Alan Dershowitz Says Supreme Court Missed Key Question In Nationwide Injunction Case
This alignment, however, was short-lived. In the 1960s, the Soviet Union strategically pivoted, abandoning nascent Israel in favor of resource-rich, undemocratic Arab states, particularly those with significant oil and gas reserves and geographical advantages like the Suez Canal. Dershowitz asserts this shift was purely a matter of “power politics,” as agrarian Israel, then exporting little more than Jaffa oranges and Dead Sea mud, offered few comparable strategic advantages.
The Soviet Union’s change of heart had a ripple effect on the global hard-left, with Euro-communist parties and the American Communist party falling in line. While many moderate leftists continued to support Israel, particularly during the Six-Day War in 1967, the seeds of a future ideological divergence were sown.
Israeli voters, according to Dershowitz, largely remained left-leaning until Menachem Begin’s surprising victory in 1977. Since then, while left-of-center figures like Yitzhak Rabin and Ehud Barak secured wins in 1992 and 1999 respectively, the overall trend among Israeli voters has been a gradual move to the right.
READ: Alan Dershowitz: How Trump Conviction Will Get Appealed
Dershowitz identifies two primary catalysts for this discernible rightward shift. The first was the influx of hundreds of thousands of Soviet Jews into Israel. These immigrants, having endured discrimination and persecution under Communist regimes, harbored deep distrust of the left. Their political assertiveness and subsequent alliances with center-right and right-wing parties had an immediate and significant impact on Israeli politics, pushing the electorate further right.
The second, and perhaps more impactful, reason cited by Dershowitz is the consistent “Arab rejectionism” of Israeli peace offers. He points to the 2000-2001 peace initiative championed by then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak and President Bill Clinton as a critical turning point. Clinton himself characterized the offer as granting Palestinians a state in 96% of the West Bank and 4% of Israel, with a capital in East Jerusalem. This comprehensive proposal, despite being affirmed by the Israeli cabinet, was rejected. Clinton attributed this rejection partly to Hamas’s disinterest in a Palestinian homeland, instead prioritizing the destruction of Israel.
This rejection was swiftly followed by the Second Intifada, a period of intense violence that claimed thousands of Israeli and Palestinian lives. Dershowitz argues this era significantly weakened the Israeli left, which had championed the “peace camp,” and simultaneously bolstered the right. Many centrist Israelis, frustrated by the failures of negotiation, began to believe that terrorism could only be prevented or deterred through military action.
READ :Alan Dershowitz Blames Columbia University ‘For Not Protecting’ Workers Against ‘Thugs’
The narrative continues with Israel’s unilateral disengagement from Gaza in 2005 under conservative Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, an effort to foster a viable Palestinian enclave. However, Hamas subsequently seized control of the Gaza Strip in an unlawful coup, leading to years of rocket fire into Israel.
Dershowitz asserts that this belligerency culminated in the devastating October 7th massacres and kidnappings, whose victims were predominantly Israeli leftists and peace activists. He states that the atrocities of October 7th, coupled with what he describes as “positive support given by many to the Hamas barbarism” from elements of the left, further propelled many traditionally left-leaning Jews away from their political base and towards a more conservative outlook.
Dershowitz emphasizes that his analysis is not intended to justify or criticize this rightward movement but rather to explain a phenomenon he believes is widely misunderstood.
He concludes by arguing that it is only natural for a nation and its supporters to shift their allegiances when a political ideology that once supported them turns against them. To expect Israelis and Jews to act against their perceived self-interest, he suggests, would be to impose an “unacceptable double standard.”
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Connect with us: Follow the Tampa Free Press on Facebook and Twitter for breaking news and updates.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
