In the context of the ongoing debate about freedom of debate, there is a proverbial «elephant in the room» that many are reluctant to name explicitly. Recent measures such as revoking visas, detaining students and scholars, suppressing protests, restricting academic freedom, and pressuring universities to censor faculty and curricula raise serious concerns about civil liberties and legal norms in the United States and other Western nations. This sweeping assault on democracy spells a revival of the themes and methods of the settler colonial state, exemplified nowadays by Israel and promoted by its global network of allies.
As the historian Tony Judt noted, Israel’s political structure represents an anachronism. Even prior to the unilateral declaration of independence by the Zionist leadership in May 1948, settlers’ militias under its command had initiated actions targeting local civilian population, including displacement and dispossession. Since that time, millions of Palestinian refugees have languished in camps in neighboring countries or under Israeli military occupation in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel’s assertion of its “right to exist” has relied on coercive and violent actions against the occupied Palestinian population. This has, predictably, generated both non-violent and armed resistance. While Israel’s case certainly has some unique features, it is fundamentally rooted in the historical model of settler colonialism—a political framework once upheld by Western powers but widely repudiated in the second half of the 20th century.
A parallel case emerged in Africa when white settlers in Rhodesia issued their own unilateral declaration of independence in 1965. By then, however, settler colonialism had been widely delegitimized. The international community condemned Rhodesia’s actions and imposed sanctions. Israel initially joined the sanctions but would later sell weapons to Rhodesia, enable it to produce its own version of the Uzi machine-gun and even supply helicopters via apartheid South Africa. International pressure ushered the end of white minority rule in Rhodesia in 1979.
This change was driven less by moral considerations and more by the strategic imperatives of the Cold War. The Soviet Union actively supported decolonization efforts, offering material and political assistance to liberation movements. Despite efforts by colonial powers to retain control through violent repression, they ultimately failed. Concerned about Soviet influence in Africa, the United States gradually withdrew support from its traditional allies—including Britain, France, Portugal, and later, apartheid South Africa—contributing to the broader success of political decolonization.
Zionism, the ethno-nationalist ideology of settlement underpinning the Israeli state, was initially spared. However, in 1975, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 3379, declaring that “Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination.” The resolution aligned with the 1963 Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and reflected the influence of socialist and recently decolonized states. Sponsored by 25 nations, including the Soviet Union, the resolution passed with 72 votes in favor and 35 against—largely from Western countries. In 1991, shortly before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the General Assembly repealed the resolution, a consequence of the shift toward a U.S.-dominated global order often referred to as the “unipolar moment.”
This geopolitical transformation significantly benefited Israel, which has since enjoyed robust and largely unconditional support from the United States, Germany, and several other Western powers. However, geopolitical realignment alone does not account for Israel’s exceptional status. A crucial additional factor has been the sustained effort by Israeli state and non-state actors to equate criticism of Israel and Zionism with antisemitism. This strategy of controlling political discourse has helped Israel discredit dissent and deflect scrutiny, particularly in the wake of military actions against Palestinians. A number of Israeli scholars, journalists and politicians have long warned that the country is exhibiting increasingly fascistic tendencies.
These trends intensified following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in October 2023. In its aftermath, Israeli society, long dehumanizing the Palestinians, embarked on military campaign in Gaza, an operation that numerous observers—including historians, political scientists and human rights organizations—have characterized as genocidal. Expressions of empathy toward Palestinian civilians, including children, have been denounced by Israeli officials reflecting the openly racist sentiments expressed by Israeli public. Access to Gaza has been severely restricted for international journalists, while Palestinian reporters, alongside medics and humanitarian workers, have been specifically targeted and assassinated. To justify its actions, Israel disseminated terrible allegations regarding Hamas, which were uncritically reported by major Western media outlets before many of the claims were challenged or disproven by independent investigations in Israel and elsewhere.
Although religious and ideological narratives continue to justify Israeli policies for portions of Western publics, criticism of the Zionist state keeps growing. Even in the United States, IDF actions in Gaza turn public opinion against Israel. This makes the Israel Lobby work overtime to counter this trend by muzzling free debate about Gaza. Under the pressure from the lobby, several Western governments have gradually relied on legal and policing measures of control framed as efforts to combat antisemitism. These initiatives fail to distinguish between legitimate political and moral criticism of Israel and racial or religious prejudice against the Jews. While many Jews, including visibly identifiable Haredim (Ultra-Orthodox), are at the forefront of pro-Palestinian activism, state authorities in Western countries have assumed the right to define “real Jews” as those who support Israel, while repressing Jews who criticize it.
The influence of Israel has extended beyond foreign affairs, where support for that country often overrules national interest. It has steadily impacted the domestic spheres of Western nations.
Organizations such as Canary Mission, Betar, and Project Esther, acting for the benefit of Israel, collect and disseminate personal data on pro-Palestinian activists, critical scholars, and “inappropriate” university curricula. These groups function as thought vigilantes, supplying information to government agencies and universities, which in turn impose sanctions that range from expulsions from universities to revoking visas, detentions and deportations.
Israel’s willing collaborators in Western government have come to censor thought. At one point, the visa information of the U.S. State Department included a warning against “illegal ideas,” a phrase later removed due to its incompatibility with constitutional protections under the First Amendment. In practice, however, visas have been revoked, individual detained and, against the law, sent to more conservative jurisdictions where judges are likely to approve this kind of repression. The campaign to suppress dissent persists and gathers momentum. Despite protests from Jewish and Israeli scholars, most prestigious American universities are being attacked for alleged tolerance of antisemitism in courses they teach and demonstrations they allow on their premises.
Fascistic measures are spreading from Israel to countries usually considered liberal democracies.
Some interpret these developments as part of broader efforts by the ruling classes—nowadays associated with the Trump administration—to manage perceived national decline and socioeconomic instability. The phrase “Make America Great Again” underscores a recognition that the United States no longer holds undisputed global supremacy. Beyond its reliance on millions of Christian and Jewish Zionists, Israel has capitalized on heightened insecurity of the rulers to promote domestic repression under the pretext of combating antisemitism. Once such repression becomes normalized, it is likely to be expanded to suppress other forms of dissent, especially as economic inequality and, consequently, political unrest increase.
A vast network of supporters of Israel identifies and tracks pro-Palestinian activists across the globe. Historically, Zionists have long exhibited a bold and unapologetic posture in advancing their aims in Palestine. Nowadays, they openly parade politicians financed by the Israel lobby in the United States, France and elsewhere. This undermines foundational democratic principles, including civil liberties and the rule of law around the world. Israel has developed methods of population control to monitor political activity and is exporting surveillance technology and knowhow to numerous countries. The repercussions of Israel’s actions are thus no longer confined to the Middle East. An anachronistic vestige of settler colonialism, the Zionist state poses a global challenge not only to international stability, but also to democratic freedoms around the world.
