“As Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip approaches its eighth month—bolstered so far by $17 billion in emergency supplemental aid from the US, on top of the regular $3.8 billion yearly aid package—dissent is growing across segments of the MAGA movement’s leadership and base. The trend recalls an earlier era in which a sizable right-wing bloc opposed US support of Israel on nativist grounds. And like its earlier manifestations, today’s right-wing anti-Israel sentiment frequently dovetails with broader racist and anti-Jewish sentiment. Indeed, while the left at its best adopts a structural understanding of US imperial support for Israel, the America First right almost axiomatically arrives at antisemitism when it slots anti-Zionism into its pre-existing nationalist frame, positing that a shadowy Zionist cabal is subverting American sovereignty from within. As mounting pressure from progressives over Israel’s war on Gaza finds little outlet in an obdurate bipartisan establishment, this insurgent right threatens to capitalize on this opening to build power and reshape the political landscape.
Since October 7th, the anti-Israel inclinations in the America First movement have emerged with new energy… As we build the movement for justice in Palestine, progressives must remain wary, not only of unwelcome bedfellows, but also of our message being co-opted by forces opposed to the collective liberation we seek. And the moment should also serve as a warning for Democratic Party liberals that—as with Wall Street—failing to contend with legitimate popular outrage over US support for mass killing in Gaza risks ceding the political terrain of dissent to their MAGA enemies.”
Ben Lorber 
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