Copyright thedispatch
No nationalist movement will remain sympathetic to Israel or to Jews long-term. It can’t. Nationalism is a form of tribalism in which one tribe, usually the traditionally dominant one, asserts that it rightly defines the identity of the nation and should properly govern it. Accordingly, it’s obsessed with “outsiders” infiltrating and weakening its hold on power. A tribe consumed with purifying the nation by purging alien elements who threaten its dominance will never fully reconcile itself to Jews. Familiar antisemitic critiques will creep in: Jews are too distinct and insular a tribe in their own right to ever assimilate into another. And they’re waaaaay too influential in the nation’s culture and industry given their meager numbers. Why should the dominant tribe tolerate them having such a prominent role in a country that belongs to its rightful rulers? If they’re “real Americans,” why are they so defensive on Israel’s behalf? Why is our government so supportive of that country, anyway?
