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I didn’t leave the Left. They left me — all because of Israel.

Summarizing John Matthews in Future of Jewish · Published Thursday, October 30, 2025
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JL;DR SUMMARY John Matthews, a journalist, reflects on the shifting attitudes of the political Left towards Israel. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Zionism  Jewish State  Palestinian Conflict  Liberalism  Golda Meir  Political Shift  Middle East Politics  1960s  Leftist Politics 

Places mentioned

Israel
"specifically to 1969 in the State of Israel, when Golda Meir became its prime minister."
Jordan
"Indeed, that hard truth was demonstrated by the fact that Jordan, who held the West Bank and East Jerusalem from 1948 to 1967, made no moves whatsoever towards the formation of a separate Palestinian state."
Gaza, Palestinian Territories
"In Gaza, where with the withdrawal of settlers, Gazan women gave flowers to Israeli soldiers in thanks, that initial hope faded as Hamas gained control and with continual rocket fire into Israel, the situation became even more entrenched."
United Kingdom
"A favourite past-time of British students throughout the late 1960s and 1970s was to spend summer breaks on a kibbutz, whereas now theyd more likely be found demonstrating in front of the Israeli embassy."
Syria
"Syria, where with a death toll of 620,000, seven times as many Muslims have died in nine years than with Israel in 70 years."
Iran
"whereas Hamas support has historically come from Syria, Iran, Qatar, and the Muslim Brotherhood in various Arab nations, as well as talk of Hamas links with ISIS."
Qatar
"whereas Hamas support has historically come from Syria, Iran, Qatar, and the Muslim Brotherhood in various Arab nations, as well as talk of Hamas links with ISIS."
France
"Todays Left-wing liberals to Muslims at large, their fault-lines are even more acute. Yes, I fully understand their motives in defending a seemingly put-upon minority in Europe and the United States, as indeed Jews and Afro-Caribbeans were similarly defended by the liberal Left in those regions in years gone by."
United States
"Todays Left-wing liberals to Muslims at large, their fault-lines are even more acute. Yes, I fully understand their motives in defending a seemingly put-upon minority in Europe and the United States, as indeed Jews and Afro-Caribbeans were similarly defended by the liberal Left in those regions in years gone by."
Egypt
"It ticked all the right boxes: A brave new nation of only 4 million people surrounded by numerous hostile Arab nations, with a combined total of 200 million, vying for its destruction... would no doubt have been divided up equally between its surrounding conquerors of Egypt, Syria and Jordan, with little thought of developing an independent Palestinian state."
Russian Federation
"The U.S. didnt, partly because at that time Russia was backing the Arab camp and that could have led to direct conflict with Russia, though the U.S. did provide arms as the Russians were supplying the Arab armies."

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Retrieved 2025-10-31 05:30:50 UTC
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