As a progressive college student, a Muslim-American and a leader of a pro-Israel, pro-peace movement on campus, I have spent time on the ground in Israel and in the occupied territories: studying, living and listening. I care deeply about Israel’s future and the people I met there. I care deeply about Palestinians and the injustices they face. Like most progressive students familiar with the conflict, I support a two-state solution because I see it as the only pragmatic solution for both peoples.

But in advocating for this solution, my work is made extremely difficult because of a simple truth. On campus today, it is becoming harder and harder for progressive students to identify as pro-Israel. This is because, both in Israel and the United States, support for Israel is being monopolized and defined by the hawkish, conservative right – at a time when conservative politics have never been more toxic.

Attacks on women’s rights, Islamophobic rhetoric from presidential candidates and rampant xenophobia in the anti-immigration debate have characterized the Republican presidential race so far, and has defined the party for the current generation of students. Meanwhile, many young people are beginning to recognize the force of institutional racism in our society, thanks to the work of social justice movements like Black Lives Matter.

As progressive principles and ideals spread, the average American college student simply will not vote for someone who says that an American Muslim would have to renounce their religion to run for president. They will not vote for someone who says all Mexican immigrants are rapists, or who calls for mass deportations and traffics in racist tropes.

And yet we now face a serious risk that the people who espouse these extreme and illiberal ideas – right-wing politicians who are increasingly out of touch with the majority of the country – are becoming the public face of what it means to be pro-Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s close ties with the Republican Party and its most hawkish leaders was glaringly evident throughout the recent national fight over the Iran nuclear agreement. Democrats secured the deal’s approval, while Netanyahu and Republicans in Congress were against it – despite much of Israel’s professional intelligence community arguing that the deal would be good for Israel’s long-term security.

Some Republican presidential candidates have also been willing to make Israel into a partisan issue, following the lead of right-wing donors. They seem to take their cues from multibillionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, a man who has declared again and again his utter contempt for Palestinians, publishes Israel’s leading right-wing newspaper and has cavalierly advocated the use of nuclear weapons against Iran. Earlier this year, Adelson forced presidential candidate Chris Christie to apologize simply for using the phrase “occupied territories.”

Powerful right-wing donors like Adelson are not content to dominate the discourse over Israel solely in national politics – they seek to do so on campus and in the Jewish community as well. Donors have threatened to pull their support from Hillel branches that associate with J Street U for the pro-two states, anti-occupation work we do. Adelson has funded an organization called the Campus Maccabees that aims to be “pro-Israel” by pushing hawkish, out-of-touch talking points and fiercely rejecting any criticism of Israeli policy whatsoever.

Meanwhile, actions and policies of the current Israeli government have eroded their standing with progressives. Netanyahu’s anti-Arab fearmongering on Israel’s Election Day last March, support for settlement expansion, public rejection of the two-state solution and pandering to extremists in his government have all raised major red flags.

Young people want to act on our progressive values of social justice, human rights, peace, and security for all peoples. We recognize that Israel faces real challenges and threats to its security, and that no country is perfect. We want to support an Israeli government that pursues peace and behaves like a liberal democracy. But we want no part of being “pro-Israel” if that simply means agreeing with the politics and worldviews of Ben Carson, Ted Cruz and Benjamin Netanyahu.

I am pro-Israel because I support the vision of a Jewish and democratic state that respects human rights and strives for peace. I identify with Israel’s founding values of self-determination, taking responsibility for the future of one’s people, and striving for social justice and freedom from persecution. These are progressive values, and they are my values.

For me, being pro-Israel means working for a secure future for the people I have met throughout Israel and the West Bank. It means understanding peace and security are integral to each other. It means grappling with the fact that, across the Green Line, Palestinians live without sovereignty and civil rights – and without hope. We have a responsibility to end the occupation: for Palestinians, for Israelis, and for all those who believe that the future need not continually repeat the mistakes of the past.

In difficult times like these, that means facing the reality on the ground, and advocating for actions that can move us closer to a solution. That means condemning violence and incitement, wherever it’s coming from. It means actively opposing the settlement enterprise. It means continuing to insist on responsible, solutions-oriented leadership.

Millions of young Americans are not going to change our values and beliefs to please wealthy donors or right-wing leaders. But that need not and must not make us “anti-Israel” – quite the opposite. We know that many leading Israelis, Palestinians and Americans share our principles and views. If they stand up to the forces of hate, despair and rejection, and demonstrate courageous leadership toward peace, we are ready to stand with them. While we watch and wait, we’re taking the lead ourselves – but we’re counting on them to follow.

The writer is a senior at the University of Maryland and president of the J Street U National Board.