Explanation: The USSR actually was a major supporter of Israel for the first decade or so of its existence. Israeli politics were initially dominated by (economically) left-wing parties (this did not stop policies of ethnic cleansing), and it seemed, for a time, that Israel might end up a ’natural’ ally of the Soviet Union more than the USA.
However, with Pan-Arab socialist regimes taking power in the surrounding Arab countries, the Soviet Union shifted its support in the mid-1950s, leading a steady re-alignment of Israel towards the USA through the late 50s up to about 1980. In the 1980s, the increased influence of evangelical religion in US politics resulted in near-unconditional US support for Israel, an issue we are still, shamefully, perpetuating.
Possibly coincidentally, in the 1980s, Israeli Labor lost its dominant position against rising conservative parties.
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Explanation: The USSR actually was a major supporter of Israel for the first decade or so of its existence. Israeli politics were initially dominated by (economically) left-wing parties (this did not stop policies of ethnic cleansing), and it seemed, for a time, that Israel might end up a ’natural’ ally of the Soviet Union more than the USA.
However, with Pan-Arab socialist regimes taking power in the surrounding Arab countries, the Soviet Union shifted its support in the mid-1950s, leading a steady re-alignment of Israel towards the USA through the late 50s up to about 1980. In the 1980s, the increased influence of evangelical religion in US politics resulted in near-unconditional US support for Israel, an issue we are still, shamefully, perpetuating.
Possibly coincidentally, in the 1980s, Israeli Labor lost its dominant position against rising conservative parties.