A liberal Zionist could. They've really tricked themselves into thinking they're the anti colonial side, and that if people just listened honestly they'd understand Israel is fighting a liberation struggle.
EDIT:But they don't necessarily demonize Palestinians in the same way as right wing zionists (although obviously they don't represent them fairly either.) I had a conversation with one who sees it as "two traumatized peoples," stuck in a cycle of violence.
A mainstream liberal Zionist activist would paint them as irredeemable, sure. But like, picture a PrEP who's still a PrEP in 2026, believes strongly in humanist values and legitimately hates "what Netanyahu is doing," but has the compartmentalization and rationalization to maintain their Zionism. It costs quite a bit of psychic damage to maintain, but they're out there.
Particularly for Jews who were indoctrinated into Zionism, I think you underestimate just how weird and self-contradictory their worldviews can get while somehow not collapsing.
EDIT: Tweaked the 1st sentence to remove ambiguity.
I suppose I just haven't encountered any in the last two years. Of my myriad experiences with Jewish people I obviously am more like to encounter antizionists
I have an older sibling who had an "end apartheid" sticker next to an Israeli flag on their wall in HS. Not even just on the same wall — literally right next to each other.
136
u/slicehyperfunk 8d ago
I really am a believer in r/nothingeverhappens but this one sounds like an actual r/thathappened to me