The London Initiative: a plan to save liberal Zionism

Liberal Zionism, the movement that seeks to reconcile a Jewish state with the principles of democracy, equality, and peace, is facing its most severe test since Israel’s founding. In 2025, the ideals enshrined in Israel’s Declaration of Independence—fairness, equality for all citizens, and the pursuit of peace—have been battered by years of rightward political drift, the trauma of ongoing conflict, and a global crisis of confidence in Zionism itself.

Into this breach steps the newly-launched London Initiative, co-founded by British philanthropist and former CEO of the Conservative Party Sir Mick Davis and British-Israeli equity activist Mike Prashker.

The London Initiative (TLI) aims to reframe the Israel-Diaspora relationship and revitalize liberal forces in Israel by convening a network of 360 philanthropic, institutional, and thought leaders from Israel, the Jewish Diaspora, and international allies.

The goal is nothing short of monumental: to strengthen Israel as a mature liberal democracy, advance a fairer future for all citizens, and revive hope for a secure peace with the Palestinians.

As both Davis and Prashker acknowledge, the forces arrayed against liberal Zionism—both within Israel and beyond—have never been stronger, making their mission as urgent as it is formidable.

“Our message to those alienated from Israel at this time is don’t bow out, barge in,” said Davis.

Concerned that “progressives are slowly being taken out of the picture,” The London Initiative pushes back against cases such as the recent disciplinary action taken against members of the British Board of Deputies who signed a letter affirming liberal Zionist values and the refusal of the Australian Jewish News to publish a letter calling for the war on Gaza to end.

“TLI seeks to give the endangered majority the strength to be vocal and say where they stand. They are fully entitled to speak, yet these people have been delegitimized, told only to write cheques and stand in pro-Israel rallies. If this is all we offer them, they will disengage. We don’t accept that. The same goes for liberal Israelis. That’s why TLI is so essential, said Davis.

He also believes that TLI can be the vehicle that leads the reengagement and full participation of Jews and non-Jews who want to see the liberal Zionist dream realized after Netanyahu is no longer PM.

Significantly the initiative includes both Arab and Jewish Israelis. Its founders optimistic that most Israelis support a liberal visions, despite a recent poll that 82% support the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza of Jewish Israelis and that 53% believe the army should ban all food aid.

They point to a poll in April 2025 that found that 66% of Israeli Jews would either support or accept an agreement for “full diplomatic, economic, and security cooperation with Saudi Arabia and the Arab world, which includes recognising a Palestinian state.”

One of the many challenges facing Jews critical of Israel is the rise in antisemitism, which has led many Israelis and Diaspora Jews to embrace the most conservative form of Zionism.

Davis is deeply concerned about antisemitism, but adds that “antisemites will always be antisemites, and we can’t let their hatred of us stop us from doing the right thing for Israel”.

“Even if Israel changed its course tomorrow—by increasing aid to Gaza, scrapping the NGO bill that would tax donations to civil society organizations by 80%, and ensuring equal opportunity—it wouldn’t eliminate antisemitism. But it would change the climate in which antisemites thrive and gain influence. Take that away, and they no longer have the oxygen to operate in broader society.”

Often accused of “using the language of our enemies,” he adds, “Our enemies do not need our narrative. Voicing legitimate criticism of Israel does not in any way imperil the diaspora.”

On the question of the IDF’s conduct in Gaza, Davis has called for an inquiry into both the circumstances that allowed Hamas to carry out the October 7 attacks and the conduct of the IDF during the war. He added, “If people are found to have committed war crimes, they should be sanctioned by the Israeli Supreme Court.”

Prashker adds that Israelis who have experienced trauma, such as the brutality of October 7, should not be held to a higher standard than any other nation that has suffered trauma.

“The expectation that Jews will behave better is flawed on two counts. First, it ignores well-known findings from social psychology, which show that victims of trauma are less likely to show compassion to their enemies. Secondly, it plays into a form of Jewish exceptionalism—this idea that we are an ahistorical people who can somehow behave better than others.

 “No one spoke kindly about the Germans 25 years after World War II, and no one expected the British to do so.”

The London Initiative’s aspiration—to save liberal Zionism and restore the vision of Israel’s founders—is both urgent and Herculean. Whether it can succeed depends on its ability to unite diverse actors around the interconnected goals of democracy, fairness, and peace, and to do so in a political climate where each of those values is under siege. The stakes could not be higher, nor the odds longer.

But the story of Zionism has always been one of improbable hope. The question is whether that hope can be rekindled before it is extinguished.