When did being pro-Israel shift from being a left-wing to right-wing position?

[bgwah]

I imagine many on the left aren't fans of their continued settlement of the West Bank...

[Dgov]

When was supporting Israel ever a Left-Wing Position?

Are you for real?

Okay, speaking as someone not well versed in European Foreign policy, enlighten me.  It just doesn't seem like the Left has ever really had a legitimate reason to support Israel.

Israel was viewed for decades as a progressive state fighting its own corner in a part of the world dominated by nasty dictatorships and as much of an example of democratic socialism in action as Sweden. To use an example from Britain, even most of the people on the Left who were opposed to the Suez invasion were broadly sympathetic towards Israel's actions during the crisis. Going back a little further, one of the main complaints the Labour Left had against Ernest Bevin was that he was hostile to Zionism.

So its more that Israel was a left-wing state surrounded by unfriendly autocracies, than a Leftist belief that Israel was morally right in its dispute with the Palestinians?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

So its more that Israel was a left-wing state surrounded by unfriendly autocracies, than a Leftist belief that Israel was morally right in its dispute with the Palestinians?

Hardly anyone at the time looked at things from that point of view; it was usually seen as a conflict between Israel and 'the Arabs' (meaning mostly neighbouring Arab states) rather than a conflict between Israel and the Palestinians (and this would be because mostly that's what it was until the aftermath of '67).

[Linus Van Pelt]

So its more that Israel was a left-wing state surrounded by unfriendly autocracies, than a Leftist belief that Israel was morally right in its dispute with the Palestinians?

Hardly anyone at the time looked at things from that point of view; it was usually seen as a conflict between Israel and 'the Arabs' (meaning mostly neighbouring Arab states) rather than a conflict between Israel and the Palestinians (and this would be because mostly that's what it was until the aftermath of '67).

And indeed, this shift is closely linked to the question of the thread. People's attitudes towards a dispute between a socialist democracy and a bunch of dictatorships and religious monarchies will be quite different from their attitudes towards the military occupation of a civilian population.

[minionofmidas]

Not to forget the struggle between Palestinians and other Arabs? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_I_of_Jordan

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Not to forget the struggle between Palestinians and other Arabs? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_I_of_Jordan

No, but then those tensions have never had much attention in the West, have they?

[minionofmidas]

Not really, no.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Dgov's comments in this thread are as high up in the "lack of understanding of history" category as benconstine's about the UK being non-existent in 1945.

[Xandal]

Traditionally Jewish Americans have been simultaneously Zionist and Liberal. However Zionism is ideologically incompatible with Liberalism. Jewish writer predicts that Zionism and Liberalism will drift further apart with most Zionist Jews abandoning the left for the Neocons.

[courts]

Dgov's comments in this thread are as high up in the "lack of understanding of history" category as benconstine's about the UK being non-existent in 1945.

Seriously? I know Ben tends to focus more on watching Batman than history but wow.

[Dgov]

So its more that Israel was a left-wing state surrounded by unfriendly autocracies, than a Leftist belief that Israel was morally right in its dispute with the Palestinians?

Hardly anyone at the time looked at things from that point of view; it was usually seen as a conflict between Israel and 'the Arabs' (meaning mostly neighbouring Arab states) rather than a conflict between Israel and the Palestinians (and this would be because mostly that's what it was until the aftermath of '67).

Ahh, that makes more sense.  Thank you.

[All Along The Watchtower]

-When Israel became a serious military power
-When the religous right started to promote Israel as the Jewish part of the "Judeo-Christain" world
-When the Israeli government began to engage in human rights abuses
-When George W. Bush shifted U.S. policy to almost unconditional support of Israel.