A few days ago, a tempest in a teacup occurred that the vast majority of the Israeli public were not aware of. An esteemed Israeli literature professor, who identifies as part of the Zionist left, wrote a moving, albeit apologetic, open letter to his non-Zionist left-wing comrades. In it he addressed his complicated and delicate relationships with issues that have stood at center stage in the Israeli debate for decades, but have intensified since October 7: the army, the feeling of belonging to a collective, and of course the occupation. The replies ranged from heartwarming thanks to, as is expected at these fringe edges of the political spectrum, ugly and often personal attacks.

Across all of them, however, one question was repeatedly raised: what is even the difference between the Zionist left and the non-Zionist (or anti-Zionist) left? To put it differently, what is Zionism to begin with? Because by defining it, one can correctly place their political worldview in regard to Israel.

The answers, again, ranged widely. Some equated Zionism with Jewish supremacy, territorial expansion, and oppression. Others reduced it to an objection to the current government, or to the widespread phenomenon of “Bibism” as a whole. As one known author and former Haaretz journalist wrote, “if the hilltop youth are the embodiment of today’s........

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