What Israel Can Learn From NYC's Democratic Primaries — and From the Knicks (my new piece in Haaretz)
Everyone in Israel is reading the New York primaries the same way: the Democrats turned on us. That reading is comforting. It puts the whole problem on the other side of the ocean.
The harder truth is that Israel helped arm the movement that beat its own defenders. Three Mamdani-backed candidates knocked out two pro-Israel incumbents last week, and Netanyahu’s government supplied much of the case against them.
The race to watch was between two Jews who both call themselves Zionists. Brad Lander beat Dan Goldman by over thirty points, and the argument has moved inside the community: not between Jews and non-Jews anymore, but between Zionists, over how much distance to keep from Israel’s government.
I wrote about all of it for Haaretz this week. What happened, why Israel helped cause it, and the one thing it still controls. And yes, about the Knicks.
Read it in Haaretz
Shavua tov,
Eli
Kudos for getting into Haaretz! I have been voicing a similar sentiment in response to the rise of Mamdani and his allies. It's disingenuous to just point fingers without taking responsibility for this government's agency in creating a fertile environment for the rise of anti-Israeli politicians.
I accidentally canceled my subscription, Eli. But it’s fixed now. Very sorry about that. I look forward to supporting your work for many years to come. Thank you~