With the recent turmoil in the Arab world, the increased threat of a new war between Israel and Hamas, and the upcoming UN vote on Palestinian sovereignty, I think it would be useful to examine what I think to be the reason for the growing animosity towards Israel in the West.
A while back there was a thread that asked people whether Israel was the worst country in the world. A significant number of you said yes. Not, I assume, because it is, in fact, the worst country. What, with the likes of Somalia, Pakistan, North Korea, the DRC, Burma, Zimbabwe, and, some would argue, the US, China, or Russia, it is hard to believe that many would think that a small democratic, developed, besieged country of 7 million in the Eastern Mediterranean would actually be the worst country on the planet. People simply voted yes as a way to express their intense distaste, their hatred, for this peculiar country.
Many explanations could be given for this hatred, some painting the opposition in a good light, some in a bad light. One could pin it on antisemitism, or on Israel's actions, on lack of understanding, or on an awakening towards Israel's true nature. I think, however, that there is a more root cause for the increasing hate, in the West particularly, of Israel.
Israel is not too different from a country like Britain. It is democratic (politics in Gaza and the West Bank are controlled by Palestinians as per the Oslo Agreement), for the most part secular (although in certain areas, such as marriage, it has a ways to go), and quite liberal (it has a vibrant film, literature, and music scene, it is very open to homosexuality and alternative lifestyles, and has a thriving press and political system). It shares these characteristics with Britain, these characteristics are what make it a Western nation.
Of course, there is a key difference between Israel and European countries - its history. Israel was founded in a hostile land, surrounded by hostile peoples, and has faced non-stop hostility since. No matter your position on the legitimacy or politics of the country, you have to admit that it has faced greater sustained violent opposition than any other nation on the planet. This violence, rooted in Arab hatred for the concept of Israel, explains the growing hatred in the West for the country.
You see, Israel is hated because it represents what the West used to be. It is confident, assertive, and protective of its people, its culture, and its history. In Israel, people are not afraid to be proud of who they are and what they strive to represent. They are firm in their knowledge of what it means to be an Israeli, what it means to defend a homeland. They see the greatness in their country and they see the evil, they see its strength and they see its precariousness, they accept it for what it is but never stop trying to make it better. They are, in other words, deeply invested in the success of their nation.
This purpose, this pride, this willingness to accept who you are and to do your best to preserve, protect, and improve your nation, is now frowned upon here in the West. We Westerners are no longer proud, we are guilty. The ideologies of cultural relativism and multiculturalism, an overtly critical understanding of our history, and the spectre of nationalism gone awry have robbed Europe of her ability to defend herself. Whether in the realm of the military, of politics, or of culture, many Europeans are no longer willing to be proud. Instead, they stand by and watch others claim the mantle of greatness they once held.
It is this fundamental disconnect that fuels the hatred for Israel. It isn't antisemitism (that has always existed in Europe in some way) and it isn't really Israel's actions (Britain's draconian response to the IRA tells you all you need to know about what European countries would do if they faced terrorist threats in disputed territory). No, its about Israel representing both the West's past, and perhaps its future. It represents what the West lost and what it could find again. Israel defends itself - militarily, politically, and culturally. Many in the West have surrendered on all these fronts, and seeing this pocket of resistance, this beacon of possibility, this bulk-work against all which they wish to see destroyed, is an unacceptable state of affairs.
You know, it's funny. Israel is much more complex, much more nuanced, much more multifaceted than many imagine. You can see it in her literature, in books about the lasting effects of the Holocaust, the evils of the occupation, and the psychological effect of constant war. You can see it in her cinema, in movies about the unequal treatment of Israeli Arabs, the disillusionment and cruelty of Israeli life, and doomed love stories about Palestinians and Israeli's. You can see it in the politics, on the floor of the Knesset were yelling and fighting is the norm, on the front page of Israeli newspapers, where the government is routinely castigated, and on the streets of Tel Aviv, where young Israeli's peacefully work towards the betterment of their country.
Israel, in short, is not a monolith. Israel is instead enigma. It is a country whose unlikely birth, survival against impossible odds, stable political system, and astoundingly rapid development make it unlike any other on the planet. It is an anomaly and, to many Westerners, this makes it an object worthy of hate.
Edit:
Also, I know that many of you will feel that because this post isn't vehemently critical of Israel it warrants an automatic neg. I ask you, though, to please read it and respond to it with an open mind, because I think it is an issue worth discussing.
Oh, who am I kidding, nobody reads this far...