The Soviet Union turned anti-Zionism into a mass movement, supporting efforts against Israel

On the morning of October 7, 2023, in London, while Hamas terrorists were carrying out a massacre, their supporters from Palestinian solidarity were preparing to organize a mass demonstration aimed not against the killers, but against their victims.

At this dramatic moment, the capital of the United Kingdom was filled with slogans comparing Israel to apartheid and Zionism to racism. The city was flooded with Palestinian flags and banners equating the Star of David with the swastika.

Western activists began to accuse Israel of “war crimes” and “genocide” even before the first retaliatory actions of the Israeli air force. The destruction carried out by Hamas was portrayed as legitimate resistance to “Zionist colonialism.” This action, perceived as a spontaneous expression of anger, was actually the result of a long-standing campaign to delegitimize Israel.

Origins of Anti-Israel Rhetoric

The roots of the current anti-Israel rhetoric, writes www.jns.org on October 28, 2025, go back to the 1960s when the Soviet Union began a global ideological war against Zionism, aimed at undermining US influence in the Middle East. The USSR created a complex propaganda apparatus aimed at portraying Israel as a colonial and racist project. This manipulative language, full of lies and distortions, survived the turn of Soviet-era events and still poisons public debates.

Zionism as a National Liberation Movement

Zionism began as a movement for the liberation of the Jewish people, seeking to regain their political sovereignty in their historical homeland. In the 19th century, Austrian journalist Theodor Herzl formed the modern version of the movement, which he sought to firmly establish on the international stage through diplomacy and recognition of the Jewish right to self-determination.

After the Holocaust, the ideology of Zionism took on a completely new meaning, becoming a matter of survival. Survivors, rejected by many countries, saw the Jewish state as the only way to live with dignity. Israel gradually gained support even among those who previously considered themselves leftists, seeing it as a symbol of the struggle of the oppressed for their rights.

Israel and the USSR: Changing Relations

Immediately after World War II, the Soviet Union was one of the first to recognize Israel. This recognition was seen as an opportunity to weaken British influence in the Middle East. However, the geopolitical situation quickly changed, especially after the Suez Crisis, when Israel’s cooperation with Britain became a source of disappointment in Moscow and once again brought anti-Semitism back into official rhetoric.

1967 and the Shift in Israel’s Image

After the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel gained new territories, presenting the idea of “land for peace.” However, Arab countries rejected this approach, enshrining in the ‘Khartoum Resolution’ three conditions: no peace, no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with it. Here, the Soviet Union created a new image, endowing Zionism with the status of an expansionist colonial project.

Meanwhile, Jews in the USSR began to actively advocate for the right to emigrate, further fueling negative sentiments towards Zionism. The KGB propaganda renamed the movement into a global anti-socialist threat, which could be placed at the center of an international explanatory campaign.

Anti-Zionism on the World Stage

According to the 1975 UN General Assembly resolution, “Zionism is a form of racism.” Although the West rejected this approach, it was supported by Eastern Bloc, African, and Latin American states, giving Soviet propaganda legitimacy. The UN became a platform for institutionalizing new anti-Semitism: countries unwilling to openly show hatred towards Jews could vote against “Zionism” for the protection of human rights.

Creation of Palestinian Identity

Among the fundamental components of the Soviet anti-Israel strategy was the creation of a separate Palestinian identity. Until the 1960s, the term “Palestinian” referred to all residents under the British mandate, including Jews. But under Moscow’s influence, this identity began to emerge as a way to delegitimize Israel.

This is evidenced by the words of Ion Pacepa, a former high-ranking officer of the Soviet bloc, who claimed that the creation of a new Palestinian identity was a planned action by the KGB. The KGB understood that Islamic societies were particularly receptive to anti-Israel rhetoric and transferred the identity to a national context.

Problems of Narrative Sustainability

Soviet propaganda created myths about Palestinian cohesion, forcing the world to perceive the Palestinian movement as a delegitimization of Israel. This pandemic of a successfully mythologized narrative has today appeared on television and in the news with altered messages, and many liberal democracies lack the courage to confront this legacy.

The ultimate meaning of Zionism was overturned by Soviet propaganda, making it a symbol of oppression, leading to a distortion of human rights discourse. Within the universal right to self-determination, Zionism remains a movement for the liberation of the Jewish people, for example, just like any other national movement. Religions and nationalities are known and valued, and the discrediting of Zionism as an anti-colonial movement continues to exist in today’s global context.