Some liberals indeed back Israel. The support that many liberal Americans, including liberal American Jews, extend to Israel is not merely symbolic. It is also anchored on liberal values they cherish, including justice, peace, human rights, bonds of Jewish identity, and a belief in a Jewish state. Despite some of the obvious acts and policies they may not support, especially those regarding the Palestinian-Israeli issue, it holds strong.
Some liberals argue that Israel is progressive in areas such as gender equality, LGBTQ rights, environmental protection, and democratic governance. They could also point out that Israeli Arabs receive the same civil liberties as Jewish citizens and that Israel has a liberal society with advanced technology. The liberal support for Israel, however, is often nuanced and, at times, even ambivalent. Consequently, many liberals are against the occupation of Palestinian territories as well as for the political actions that contribute to justice and the establishment of the two-state solution for both Israelis and Palestinians.
Despite this trend, data also reveals that liberals in America are not as supportive of Israel as conservatives; still, more of them harbor more sympathy for Israel as compared to the Palestinians.
Who are the liberals?
Numerous liberal political parties have asserted strong public support, which is mostly demonstrated by their Knesset participation. In Israel, Jewish liberals typically support Zionism in some capacity, despite liberalism’s overall suspicion of nationalism. They are often more open to a two-state solution.
While social liberals (Progressive Party, Independent Liberals) were incorporated into the social-democratic Labor Party, conservative liberals (General Zionists, Liberal Party) were founding members of the Likud, the nation’s primary conservative party. Smaller parties included Shinui, which was a member of Liberal International and had long been a liberal, anti-clerical, and pro-free market party. More recently, Kadima was the liberal and centrist party that included conservatives and liberals in its list of members.
Why do liberals support Israel?
Some liberals back Israel because they believe its accomplishments and ideals are consistent with fundamental liberal ideas. These advocates frequently use the following justifications:
- Freedom of choice, fairly elected judges, and the minority’s rights are among the political institutions that the Israeli state has that cherish the law and imply democracy.
- In the eyes of liberals, it is the only Middle Eastern country with civil liberties and various opinions being expressed.
- It is perfectly natural for liberal soft hearts to close up to Israel not only in terms of its democratic encapsulation but also its social status. As for social liberties, the nation has advanced in some ways regarding gender equality, freedom of religion, and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. But Israel is more liberal than some of the countries in the region in social justice and human rights for less privileged segments of the population. This societal development contributes to the fact that those liberals were partly right in claiming that this nation, Israel, represents numerous ideas that existed among liberal societies.
- Also, liberals admire Israel as a country whose people have produced numerous innovations, scientific research, and environmental technology. Moreover, such liberals believe that Israel can serve as an example of possible effective development and problem-solving in the spheres of water, renewable energy, and medicine.
- This is further compounded by the fact that Israel has an ethnically diverse population consisting of Jews, Arabs, Christians, Druze, and others, which is why some liberal people support it.
- It often promotes that the Israeli Arabs are given their portrayal and legal status, and the multicultural nature of the country is praised for being an example of a multicultural democracy in a volatile area.
Like many other liberals before them, these people do not support anything the government comes up with; they have their own perspective on democracy and pluralism.
What role does the concept of individual responsibility play in liberal support for Israel?
Remarkably, liberal attitudes toward Israel can also stem from the concept of individual accountability, which presupposes that people should be judged for what they do, not for whom they belong. Most of the liberals in Israel insist on a clear distinction between moral and legal responsibility to avoid the perception that all Israelis or Palestinians are to blame. Legal guilt applies to direct perpetrators; others share moral responsibility, not legal accountability.
A fundamental liberal ethic that opposes collective punishment or blame based on country or ethnicity is reflected in this emphasis on individual responsibility. Liberals, who believe that the state of Israel is right, argue that the woes of all Palestinians cannot be attributed to them and that the acts of aggression by all Israelis cannot be attributed to the same group.
On the contrary, each human being should be considered as they make his or her own decision or take action. This way, liberals can subscribe to the notion of the state of Israel while not supporting its policies, which are in essence different from criticizing all people of Israel.
Moreover, this emphasis on people’s responsibility accords well with the liberal ethos of justice and human rights. It shows how precise personal responsibility helps liberals navigate complex Israeli-Palestinian issues without oversimplifying. While promoting reforms and peace, this nuanced approach allows liberal supporters to keep their ties to Israel as a democratic nation intact.
How are liberals defending Israel in the Gaza conflict?
Liberal opinion makers on the Gaza crisis seek to support both Israel’s defense on one hand and, simultaneously, at the same time, consider the humanitarian and legal considerations. Some point to Israel’s perfectly plausible security concerns regarding Hamas attacks, especially after the October 23 invasion by Hamas, demonstrated that it had no qualms with deliberately attacking Israeli civilians. Some people say that Israel has the right to disarm Hamas militarily and protect its civilians from acts of terror.
However, liberal defenders are quick to demand that there should not be many more civilian deaths and that food and supplies should be provided in Gaza. They call on Israel to obey international humanitarian law to minimize civilian tolls and for efforts to provide humanitarian access and supplies to Gaza to ease the inhabitants’ ordeal. Even the liberal Zionists who back Israel’s security concerns respect the UN resolutions and the ICJ verdicts that regard the apartheid and unlawful occupation and violate human rights norms, including the anti-settlement policies.
To resolve the conflict conclusively, some liberals also seek a political solution that entails the freeing of prisoners and a halt to fighting. They advocate for diplomacy and apply pressure on all the warring factions in a conflict to agree on ceasefires that spare human lives and allow humanitarian assistance.
What are the statistics of liberals who are sympathetic toward Israel?
According to a recent Gallup poll, fewer than half of participants felt greater sympathy for Israel than for Palestinians, which hasn’t happened in the previous 25 years. Currently, just 46% of American adults claim to have more sympathy for Israelis, the lowest level of sympathy since the poll first began asking that question in 2001. The margin shrank to 13 points, where 33% of Americans expressed sympathy for Palestinians, which recorded the highest percentage ever.
The poll also demonstrates that the set environment is considerably divided. Currently, Republicans are still largely pro-Israel; three-quarters noted that they support Israelis against Palestinians, and 10% support Palestinians against Israelis. On the other hand, sympathy with the Palestinians has risen from 21 percent to 3/1 or 59 percent. Independents are closer to the national average, where 42% of them support Israel and only 34% support Palestinians.
Despite the current situation in the Gaza Strip and a fatal Hamas attack on the country, support for Israel has dropped to one of the lowest levels.
Most concerned are the young people and the Democrats, trying to pin the blame on Israel’s actions and the conditions in Gaza. Altogether, the majority of Americans, especially Democrats and Independents, would like to see the establishment of a Palestinian state, signifying a significant shift in the political stance of Americans.
Are there liberals who support Israel?
Liberals do have an affection for Israel, but this affection is based on adherence to the rule of law, to human rights, and to the establishment of a long-term peace for Israel and the Palestinians. In this case, liberals tend to assert the Israeli right to security and defense, especially against attacks from organizations such as Hamas, and require strict compliance with the law and conventions at the same time.
