IAN HAWORTH: Behind The Left’s Hatred For Israel’s Leader Lurks Old-Fashioned Antisemitism

IAN HAWORTH: Behind The Left’s Hatred For Israel’s Leader Lurks Old-Fashioned Antisemitism

Ian Haworth on July 27, 2023

In recent days, there has been an eruption of outrage towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government over sweeping “judicial reform” attempts which would shift certain powers away from the judiciary and towards the executive.

And while protests continue in Israel, there are many on the American Left who are falling over themselves to condemn Netanyahu’s political efforts. So much so that President Joe Biden — who recently looked like he was falling asleep during a bizarre meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog — even called on Netanyahu not to advance a vote on the bill, to no avail.

“Given the range of threats and challenges confronting Israel right now, it doesn’t make sense for Israeli leaders to rush this — the focus should be on pulling people together and finding consensus,” Biden announced in a statement.

Of course, taking advice from Joe Biden on “pulling people together and finding consensus” is like choosing Hunter Biden as your Alcoholic Anonymous sponsor.

But this also begs the question: why does the Left hate Netanyahu?

On the surface, it might seem like the latest in an ever-expanding list of political crises in Israel is truly the focus of criticism and condemnation — especially when combined with the over-used label of Netanyahu as a wannabe-dictator working to destroy democracy and consolidate his own power in the pursuit of the far-right nationalistic apartheid-esque ideology decried by members of The Squad.

Let alone the fact that many of those who oppose Netanyahu’s efforts are simultaneously demanding that we pack or disband the U.S. Supreme Court to ensure that they can achieve their own political goals.

Funny how Supreme Courts are worthy of protection right up until they do something you don’t like…

But while it’s perfectly reasonable to debate Netanyahu’s political efforts, with interesting and objective arguments being held on both sides, the response of the American Left is not based on respect for the Israeli Supreme Court. Instead, this issue is simply the latest stand-in for their hatred of Israel, loosely masked by their hatred of Netanyahu.

Remember, Netanyahu is routinely connected with their most hated villain, Donald Trump. For example, The New Yorker’s David Remnick warned of the rise of a “Trumpian future,” writing that “The eagerness to put self before country, of course, is the common thread between two profoundly unprincipled politicians, Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump.”

Of course!

However, we cannot forget that the Democratic Party — including President Biden — is being actively driven by more than Trump Derangement Syndrome, but by a radical wing of pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel extremists motived by what Rabbi Sacks called “contemporary antisemitism.”

Put simply, the modern American Left is only obsessed with Israel because they are obsessed with Jews.

After all, would this reaction be as strong for the leader of any other nation? Did Chinese President Xi Jingping’s consolidation of power atop a ruling elite cause such outrage here at home? No, of course not.

It’s important to acknowledge that this isn’t to say that holding opinions — good or bad — regarding this specific political battle, or domestic Israeli policies, or even Netanyahu himself is anti-Israel or antisemitic. Indeed, thousands of Israeli Jews are taking to the streets to protest Netanyahu, all without arguing against Israel’s right to defend itself against genocide.

But it is to say that we should take criticism from the American Left of Netanyahu’s supposed Trump-like assault on Israel’s Supreme Court with a handful of salt when they would happily dismantle the U.S. Supreme Court if it meant achieving political victory, let alone their open hatred for Israel itself.

In many ways, this isn’t about Netanyahu. To some extent, it’s about Trump, but it’s definitely about the world’s only Jewish state.

Ian Haworth is a columnist, speaker and podcast host. You can follow him on Twitter at @ighaworth. You can also find him on Substack.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.