There is no good reason - in logic, history, philosophy - for the left, especially the hard left, to so vehemently oppose Israel and Zionism, its national liberation movement. Being anti-Israel has become a litmus test for today's left. It hasn't always been that way. When the nation-state of the Jewish people was first recognized by the United Nations in 1947, left-wing countries, individuals, and even the Communist Party rallied to its support.