From Ben-Gurion to erasing October 7: The shame in Venice and the sad truth about the Israeli left | Prof. Moshe Cohen-Eliya
Prof. Moshe Cohen-Eliya analyzes the generational shift in the Israeli left, from the Zionist Ben-Gurion through the legal Aharon Barak to the post-national Yuval Abraham. The victory of Abraham's film 'A Casualty of War' at the 2026 Venice Film Festival serves as a starting point for the claim that the new left seeks moral approval in Europe and distances itself from Jewish nationalism.
Prof. Moshe Cohen-Eliya analyzes in his column the generational shift in the Israeli left, using the victory of Yuval Abraham's film 'A Casualty of War' at the 2026 Venice Film Festival as a starting point. The film, which received a 25-minute standing ovation, is described by the author as representing the new left: post-national and partly anti-Zionist, placing Palestinian suffering at the center and ignoring the context of October 7 and Hamas infrastructure in civilian areas. The author outlines three generations: the Zionist-socialist Ben-Gurion, the legal-liberal Aharon Barak, and the post-national Yuval Abraham seeking moral approval in Europe. He notes that the film was produced by The Guardian and JW Films, linking it to an international ecosystem that rewards a certain language about Israel. The author warns that applause is not a moral compass, referencing the anti-Semitic film 'Jud Süss' screened in Venice in 1940. He cites a JPPI survey from July 2026 finding that 66% of Jews in Israel identify as right-wing and only 19% as left-wing, arguing that the left has turned Jewish nationalism into something to apologize for.