It’s not exactly the most controversial thing to say that we live in one of the most polarized times in history. For Zionists, especially those of us in the Diaspora, this is even more apparent; our numbers seem few, and our allies seem fewer. We accept all who appear to defend and support us, and I mean all. And this is perhaps the most dangerous thing to the future of Zionism, second only to the Kahanist settler movement.

Consider first the diplomatic case of Azerbaijan. Israel and Azerbaijan have enjoyed a positive relationship since 1997, but is this one Israel should strive for?

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is very complicated, but I’ll do a slight recap: the Armenians in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh voted to leave Azerbaijan to join Armenia, leading to cycles of violence between the two countries. As of late, Azerbaijani war crimes have come under increased scrutiny, including the ethnic cleansing of virtually all Armenians from the disputed region.

Should Israel, a country constantly defending itself from false accusations of war crimes such as ethnic cleansing and genocide, be associated with a country actually involved in these practices?

As for foreign leaders, Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and a presidential candidate himself, attended the Second International Conference on Combating Antisemitism. He has taken a strong stance against current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, pledging to bring Brazil back to Israel’s side, including recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Although this is a positive policy shift, even a broken clock is right twice a day; Israel was founded as a secular Jewish liberal democracy and needs to remain so, while Bolsonaro would turn Brazil into an Evangelical illiberal democracy. His father celebrated Brazil’s 20-year brutal military dictatorship, championed deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest and the loss of rights of Brazil’s indigenous population, and, just last year, was sentenced to 27 years for plotting a military coup after losing the 2022 election.

While we are told not to judge the son by the sins of his father, Flavio has positioned himself as the ideological successor to Jair, even physically resembling him. And, just two weeks ago, the Brazilian Supreme Court ordered an investigation into Flavio for slander of Lula, having falsely linked him to drug trafficking, electoral fraud, money laundering, and “supporting terrorists and dictatorships” (the call is coming from inside the house). Is this the sort of friend of Israel we want the world to see?

A similar tension exists with Donald Trump. While he is the President of the United States, Israel’s greatest ally, he shouldn’t be seen as the gold standard of friendship.

President Trump has often framed his support for Israel as personal and transactional, instead of ideological. He has demonstrated a willingness to challenge democratic norms in the US, including allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to run rampant throughout the country without any oversight, with 24 deaths in ICE custody and 2 fatal shootings of US citizens in 2026 alone, and seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 election, culminating in what’s been described as a coup on January 6th, 2021. That doesn’t even begin with his personal dealings, having been referenced 38,000 times in the Epstein files, the largest pedophile sex trafficking ring in history. 

If Israel aligns itself too closely with leaders like Trump, it risks reinforcing the anti-Israel perception that its allies are driven solely by short-term gain, rather than long-term democratic values or genuine commitment to Jewish self-determination.

As Israel becomes more and more isolated on the world stage, are these the players we want to be our friends, a country widely accused of ethnic cleansing, and two world leaders with strong authoritarian tendencies? If Israel, and Zionism as a whole, has any hope of surviving into the second half of the 21st century, we must reflect inward and assess with whom we associate ourselves.

The story of Judaism throughout history is not only one of survival, but also of how we chose to survive. Our emphasis on human dignity, peace, social justice, and Tikkun Olam is at the core of Jewish survival. And while I recognize that the complexities of Israel’s geopolitical reality often necessitate alliances with imperfect partners, if we, as Jews and as Zionists, align too closely with them, we risk undermining these core values as a whole. We must instead align closely with those who hold values true to our own, and who would stand beside an ever-changing and reforming Israel, with the values of Judaism and liberal democracy at its core.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)