An Israeli Lefty Begins his Neocon Evolution

I find this article by a hard-core Israeli lefty in the Jerusalem Post, fascinating. His are the words of a man in ideological transition; a liberal who has been mugged by reality. He is clearly at the beginning of his long and difficult journey away from years of social and ideological conformity to leftist orthodoxy; compelled by the reality of needing to keep his family and country safe, and his mind sane, he will undoubtedly, slowly, eventually, have no alternative but to join the ranks of us unapologetic "Neocons". Most of us went through the same journey. Mr. forman will find that should he persist in this direction, he will loose many friends whom he will discover are not as "tolerant" as he had thought. We wish Mr. Forman good luck. A few samples from this tormented liberal:

Having grown up in a home of diehard New Deal Democrats, with a wider family circle that included hard-core socialists and communists, and having come of age in the United States during the turbulent 1960s, every fiber in my body is filled with political and social liberalism.

Since the onset of the second intifada, the rise of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Hamas's takeover of Gaza, the encroachment of Hizbullah, I am fighting forces within me that are edging to the political right - all the while desperately holding on to a progressive philosophical mindset. In the deepest recesses of my being, I am finding it difficult to maintain my usual equilibrium.

How do I maintain a sense of justice for Palestinians and continue to advocate for their human rights, when I know they are being swept up by a pan-Islamism characterized by Islamist extremism? We hate the security barrier because it steals Palestinian lands, divides villages and separates families, but we sleep better knowing our children no longer play Russian roulette with their lives when they venture out in public. We deplore targeted assassinations, but when the IDF kills terrorists on their way to fire rockets into Sderot, we breathe a sigh of relief.

Has the Right read the political map better than we have? Everything that those who opposed the unilateral withdrawals from Lebanon and Gaza predicted would happen has happened. Hizbullah in the north and Hamas in the south are squeezing us and, at a moment's notice, could wreak havoc upon the country.

SO, WHAT'S an Israeli liberal Jew to do - turn to our leftist sympathizers abroad to gain some perspective and objectivity? Who are they - the American Center for Constitutional Rights that has issued warrants for the arrest of Moshe Ya'alon and Avi Dichter for war crimes; the International Solidarity Movement or the Christian Peacemaker Teams whose Web sites are veritable wellsprings of anti-Semitic drivel?You see why I feel besieged - even my natural allies put me on the defensive.

We activists for decency and fair play for the other can no longer bury our heads in the sand. We must find a way to reconcile our ideological liberalism with the harsh political realities of a bellicose neighborhood and an indifferent at best, hostile at worst, world community that allows the UN Human Rights Commission to single out Israel for permanent scrutiny.

For those of us born with a liberal spoon in our mouths, the challenge is formidable - almost frantic. Painful memories of our history, presently reflected in the mirror of a dangerous new reality, compel us to examine and reexamine, evaluate and reevaluate our deeply held principles - even as we resolutely cling to our ideals, steadfastly advancing a social agenda that impels Israel to be a "light unto the nations."