Montréal (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – There is a proverbial elephant in the room that few dare to identify openly. Revoking visas, arresting students on the streets, detaining them in staunchly Republican jurisdictions, banning protests, cutting federal funding to universities, and forcing institutions to censor their faculty and curricula—all of these actions, and more, violate academic freedom, civil liberties, and both U.S. and international law. This sweeping assault on democracy in the United States and other Western countries is in some ways a revival of the themes and methods of the settler colonial state, exemplified nowadays by Israel and promoted by its extremist partisans.
An anachronism, as the late Tony Judt put it, Israel began attacking civilians, deporting and dispossessing them even before Zionists issued a unilateral declaration of independence in May 1948. Since then, millions of refugees have languished in decrepit camps in countries surrounding Israel, as well as under Israeli military occupation in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel’s sole means of exercising its “right to exist” has been through the terrorization of occupied Palestinians. Naturally, this has provoked resistance, including armed struggle. Despite some unique characteristics, Israel’s central issue remains the preservation of a colonial settler state—an outdated political system that Western governments once considered legitimate but largely abandoned by the 1960s.
Israel was not alone. Another settler population unilaterally declared independence a few decades later in Africa: Rhodesia. By that time, however, settler colonialism had been universally discredited. The white settler state of Rhodesia was widely condemned, subjected to boycotts, and lasted only from 1965 to 1979. This shift in attitude toward colonialism was not so much a result of moral enlightenment in colonial metropoles as it was a consequence of the geopolitical stakes of the Cold War. The Soviet Union had supported decolonization since 1919, offering material and political assistance to numerous resistance movements. Despite the brutal efforts of colonial powers to retain control in Africa, they ultimately failed. Fearing the loss of Africa to Soviet influence, the United States gradually withdrew support—first from Britain, France, and Portugal, and later from apartheid South Africa. Political decolonization appeared to have prevailed. Though, Trump seems determined to reverse it, with his attacks on the democratic government of South Africa.
Zionism, the political ideology defining Israel as a state for Jews, was initially exempt from this global shift. However, in 1975, the UN General Assembly declared that “Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination.” This resolution, aligned with the 1963 Declaration to Eliminate All Forms of Racial Discrimination, reflected the growing influence of socialist and recently decolonized nations. Sponsored by 25 countries, including the Soviet Union, the resolution passed with 72 votes in favor and 35 against, the latter comprising all Western nations. Nearly two decades later, a few days before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the General Assembly revoked the resolution, reflecting the rise of a unipolar, U.S.-led world and, for some, the arrival of “the End of History.”
Israel greatly benefited from this geopolitical realignment. Since then, it has enjoyed impunity and unconditional support from the United States, Germany, and other Western powers. Within the United States, Christian Zionists made support of Israel virtually an article of faith, seeing it as a symbol for white nationalist victory over brown populations. But this shift alone does not explain Israel’s exceptional treatment. Another crucial factor—now apparent to many—has been Israel’s persistent efforts to frame opposition to Zionism and criticism of Israeli policies as antisemitism. The more violence Israel inflicts on Palestinians, the more aggressively it seeks to silence critics. According to various Israeli scholars and politicians, the country has increasingly embraced unmistakable traits of fascism.
This trend reached a fever pitch after the Hamas attack on southern Israel in October 2023. Israeli society completed its dehumanization of Palestinians and embarked on a campaign of mass slaughter amounting to genocide. Even expressions of empathy toward Palestinian children were condemned by politicians echoing the openly racist sentiments of the Israeli public. Israel barred most journalists from entering Gaza. Palestinian journalists, along with doctors and rescue workers who documented Israeli military actions, were systematically targeted and killed. To justify its brutality, Israel circulated horrific claims of alleged Hamas atrocities such as beheading babies—claims that were faithfully echoed by mainstream Western media before being debunked by Israeli and international investigative journalists.
Ideological and religious justifications for Israel’s genocidal campaign may still resonate with a segment of Western populations, especially as presidents and prime ministers, such as Joe Biden and Justin Trudeau, declare themselves Zionists. However, public opinion—even in the United States—has increasingly turned against the Zionist state. To counter this shift, political and ideological support alone is no longer sufficient. Western governments have thus turned to law enforcement and surveillance under the guise of combating antisemitism. While many Jews, including visibly identifiable Haredim (Ultra-Orthodox), are at the forefront of pro-Palestinian activism, Western authorities have arrogated the power to determine who qualifies as a “real Jew,” using that definition to target and discredit those who reject “the Jewish state.”
“Mike Huckabee, Christian Zionist,” Digital, Dream / Dreamland v3 / ChatGPT, 2025
The Israeli government has long influenced the Middle East policies of the United States and select allies. Now, it appears to be extending its influence to their internal politics. Israel advocacy groups such as Canary Mission, Betar, and Project Esther collect data on pro-Palestinian activists, critical authors, and even university course content. These vigilante groups, working in close cooperation with Israel, channel this information to U.S. and other Western authorities, who act swiftly on it. At one point, U.S. State Department’s website even listed “illegal ideas” among its targets—an admission that blatantly violated the First Amendment, later removed after backlash. Yet the witch hunt continues.
Free trade has long been the dogma of the powerful, and “Make America Great Again” reveals that the U.S. no longer holds unchallenged dominance. Some may argue the recent repressive measures against critics of Israel are part of broader efforts to protect themselves from social unrest and disturbances likely to be caused by the crisis of the U.S. and its neoliberal order.
To shield its genocidal action from scrutiny, Israel has seized this moment to push for greater police repression in Western societies, all under the noble-sounding banner of “fighting antisemitism.” Israel supporters point to complaints of Zionists who feel “uncomfortable” when they see pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus.
This brings to mind a judicial decision in 1977. In line with the First Amendment’s protection of free speech, it allowed a Nazi march in Skokie, Illinois, which had a substantial population of Holocaust survivors, even though this would cause emotional pain to many residents. The court argued that “claims of subjective harm could shut down a public assembly than anyone who objected to a controversial demonstration could prevent it by asserting it would inflict emotional harm.” Yet barely half a century later, pro-Palestinian demonstrations were suppressed, and its participants persecuted. To be fair, this also reflects the recent emergence of the cancel culture. Once such repression is legitimized and civil liberties curtailed, the ruling class may extend these practices to suppress all forms of dissent against growing economic inequality.
Israel exports not only high-tech surveillance tools but also the methods for implementing them abroad. Zionist-aligned groups identify and track pro-Palestinian activists across dozens of countries. Zionists have long used chutzpah (unbelievable gall) to advance their project in Palestine. They have corrupted Western politicians and boldly showcased them at their rallies. Their audacity now threatens democratic processes, the rule of law, and civil liberties across many nations. The danger posed by the Zionist state is no longer confined to the Middle East. This arrogant remnant of settler colonialism armed with nuclear weapons not only spreads violence in its region, but undermines our basic freedoms here and now.
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