The Israeli radical left and the colonial question: towards a paradigm shift?

This article examines the paradigmatic shift that has affected the Israeli radical left in recent years, and how it has been incorporated and performed by its members. Drawing on observations and semi-structured interviews, it postulates that a number of activists have shifted their focus from the occupation of the territories conquered by the State of Israel in 1967 to a broader recognition of the colonial nature of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. This paradigmatic break can be seen in the use of the terms Nakba and apartheid, and in a discourse on the 'erasure' of the Green Line promoted by members of the Israeli radical left. It appears as well as in the ways activists act, think, and perceive themselves: by detaching themselves from Zionism; learning Arabic; and standing in service of Palestinians.