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January 29, 2023
Key Takeaways:
- The White House strongly condemned the heinous terrorist attack at a synagogue in Jerusalem on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Palestinian leadership did not condemn the attack.
- The Democratic Party's overwhelming support for Israel is a matter of record, and it is not diminishing.
- There is no contradiction between supporting Israel and a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and criticizing policies, rhetoric, or actions of the U.S. or Israeli governments that run counter to the values central to the identities of both countries. Rather, the two go hand in hand.
- By speaking out now, those of us who love Israel can help prevent the implementation of policies that could foreclose any possibility of a two-state solution. When that door closes, the only options remaining will be a democratic binational state that is not Jewish or a Jewish state that is not democratic. The inexcusable terrorist attack in Jerusaem does not change these realities.
Read to the end for what you may have missed last week, fun stuff, and an upcoming event featuring Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA), Nimrod Novik, Martin Raffel, and yours truly.
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Hi Steve,
The Democratic Party's support for Israel began 11 minutes after Israel’s rebirth, on May 14, 1948, when President Harry Truman overruled his State Department and became the first world leader to recognize the nascent State of Israel. Seventy-five years later, Joe Biden--who entered office with a decades-long record of supporting Israel and opposing antisemitism--leads the Democratic Party and our country. He is the rule, not the exception, in the Democratic Party. Biden's State Department said as recently as January 23 that our security commitment to Israel is "ironclad."
The White House strongly condemned the heinous terrorist attack at a synagogue in Jerusalem on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff condemned the attack while visiting Holocaust sites in Poland. Palestinian leadership did not condemn the attack and held "the Israeli government fully responsible for the escalation on the ground." Biden called Netanyahu and said that the Jerusalem attack was "an attack against the civilized world," and in that call he reaffirmed our "ironclad" commitment to Israel.
The goal of terrorism is to strengthen extremists on both sides by creating fear and inciting reactions that will lead to more violence. What was true before the terror attack remains true after the terror attack, including the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship and the necessity of maintaining our commitment to the values that support the relationship. At the same time, we must reaffirm that there is no equivalence between the Israeli operation in Jenin, which was designed to prevent imminent terrorist attacks, and the terrorist attack in Jerusalem, which was designed to murder innocent people.
There is no contradiction between supporting Israel and a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and criticizing actions of the U.S. or Israeli governments that run counter to the values central to the identities of both countries.
We don't like to hear criticism of Israel, even if the criticism is valid. We just don't want to hear it. We'd rather the focus be somewhere, anywhere else so that we could continue to believe in the Israel we want to believe in. We worry that criticism of Israel distracts from, or even could be used by some to justify, rockets from Gaza or terrorism within Israel, and when terrorists murder innocent Israelis, as they did in Jerusalem on Friday, any criticism of Israel seems out of bounds.
We identify so closely with Israel that criticism of Israel can seem like criticism of us and of our identities, and we worry that criticism of Israel will lead to rejection of Israel. We need to recognize those emotions and, without denying their legitimacy, internalize the truth that we cannot effectively advocate for Israel by taking positions not grounded in reality or blaming the messenger for delivering a message we'd prefer to ignore or because the timing isn't right. There is never a good time.
The challenges posed by Israel's government must be addressed while they remain promises made and before they become promises kept. We don't have the luxury of time, and to the extent hardliners in Israel are tempted to use the terrorist attack as an excuse to implement policies that would weaken the U.S.-Israel relationship, it becomes more important for us to speak out.
Eric Goldstein, the CEO of UJA's New York Federation, wrote on January 20 that proposed changes to Israel's Supreme Court threaten "the very foundations of Israel’s democracy." He wrote that "cutting ties or support for Israel is precisely the wrong response. Just as we would not consider abandoning America if we strongly disagreed with the policies of a particular administration, we cannot walk away from Israel whose existence is essential to a secure and vibrant Jewish future. To the contrary, this is the moment to engage even more, using all the means at our disposal to help sustain a Jewish and democratic Israel."
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) is the most senior Jewish member of Congress. His district comprises one of the largest Jewish populations in the country. Nadler wrote on January 25 that "I care about Israel very deeply. My Jewishness and love of the Jewish state is fundamental to who I am. As a proud graduate of Crown Heights Yeshiva, I treasure the tradition of Jewish learning from which I come."
After reiterating the "strong commitment that the United States has to advancing our shared values and strengthening Israel’s position as a secure, Jewish, and democratic state," Nadler wrote that the U.S.-Israel alliance is rooted in shared democratic principles and that "this critical relationship could be irrevocably strained should Israel move forward with the Justice Minister’s proposed anti-democratic judicial amendments."
Most members of Congress who publicly criticize Israel are not going to preface their criticism of Israel with lengthy reiterations of their support for Israel, as good as pieces like Nadler's might make us feel. Some will not recognize that their criticism of Israel will be better received if their criticism is coupled with a reiteration of their support for Israel's safety and security, even if their support is already on the record. Instead, they will cut to the chase, which Republicans will twist into false claims that Democratic support for Israel is weakening. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Democrats in Congress overwhelmingly support Israel. Republicans love to talk about the handful of Democrats who are outside the mainstream on Israel. If votes in Congress were weighted based on Twitter followers or media hits, I might be worried too. But that's not how it works. The votes in Congress prove the strength of Democratic support for Israel and opposition to antisemitism:
- Roughly 96% of all Democrats, including 90% of the 95-member Progressive Caucus, voted for the $1 billion emergency Iron Dome supplemental in September 2021. It did not immediately reach Biden's desk because one Senate Republican, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), held it up for six months.
- In February 2019, when Republicans moved to include language clearly and specifically condemning antisemitism in an unrelated bill, Democrats unanimously voted to include the language--and then 177 Republicans voted against the entire bill, including the antisemitism language. But the bill passed with the antisemitism language drafted by the GOP, thanks to 100% Democratic support and 18 Republican votes.
- In March 2019, the House passed H. Res. 183, which again clearly and specifically condemned antisemitism. No Democrats voted against, but 23 Republicans did.
- In July 2019, the House passed H.R. 1837 with no opposition (that means no Democrats opposed it), which provided for enhanced cooperation between the U.S. and Israel, security assistance for Israel (including codification of the record $38 billion Memorandum of Understanding entered into between the U.S. and Israel during the Obama administration), and justice for United States victims of Palestinian terrorism.
- In July 2019, the House passed H.R. 1850 unanimously, which imposed sanctions with respect to foreign support for Palestinian terrorism.
- In July 2019, the House passed H. Res. 246, which condemned BDS and supported a two-state solution, with support from over 90% of House Democrats. More Democrats than Republicans voted for this resolution (the Democratic majority was large because moderate Democrats replaced Republicans in toss-up and Republican-leaning districts, not because a few left-leaning Democrats replaced other left-leaning Democrats).
- In December 2019, the House passed H. Res. 326, which reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to a two-state solution, our “ironclad” commitment to maintaining military assistance for Israel, and support for humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians. The resolution is almost a definition of what it means to be pro-Israel. Yet Republicans overwhelmingly opposed it.
Congress does not constantly take votes on Israel and antisemitism, although some organizations seem to think so. The two key resolutions in 2019, H.R. Res. 246 and 326, were not introduced in subsequent sessions under Democratic control since Congress is now on the record. The Iron Dome emergency vote was a one-off vote. Aid to Israel, aside from the emergency Iron Dome bill discussed above, is generally part of a much larger package of must-pass legislation and passes overwhelmingly every year. Israel currently receives record levels of aid pursuant to President Obama's Memorandum of Understanding with Israel, which requires, and receives, congressional appropriations every year.
If your Republican friends think this list is cherry-picked, ask them to name one--just one--piece of anti-Israel legislation passed or even called for a vote under Democratic control of the House or Senate. They won't be able to name any because there aren't any. Ask them to name one--just one--piece of pro-Israel legislation that did not pass with overwhelming Democratic support. They won't be able to name any because there aren't any.
Republicans occasionally play political games to create the false impression of divisions on Israel, but the voting record is clear: Democrats overwhelmingly support Israel and oppose antisemitism.
But what about the handful of Democrats who are out of pattern on these votes? I don't think it's lowering the bar to say that 96% of Democrats voting for emergency funding for Iron Dome is pretty good. I will concede that it wasn't unanimous. The Republican vote wasn't unanimous either, and it took six months for the funding to reach Biden's desk because a Senate Republican, Rand Paul, blocked it. If you are concerned about the Squad, you should be apoplectic about Rand Paul--he has more power than all of them combined.
We will see some Democrats, including the same Democrats who routinely support pro-Israel legislation every time, criticizing specific policies of the current Israeli government. Millions of Israelis do too.
The Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), the only national voice of Jewish Democrats, said on January 19 that "We strongly support a continued close US-Israel partnership and the vital security assistance the U.S. provides to Israel, we oppose any efforts to drive a partisan wedge in our relations with Israel, and are confident this strong bilateral relationship will continue. At the same time, in the spirit of that close relationship and with recognition of Israel’s security concerns, it is entirely appropriate for any American, including lawmakers, to express concern about the policies, rhetoric, or actions of the new Israeli government with which they disagree, including those that run counter to our shared democratic values or jeopardize prospects for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
Along those lines, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), a self-described lifelong Zionist, told Ben Samuels that Israel needs "the United States. They need us in international forums, they need us for so many reasons. Those who risk U.S. support should know what they’re doing.”
Sherman spoke out against those on the Israeli right who think Israel can annex the West Bank without giving citizenship to the Palestinian population: “Disenfranchising, if it’s temporary, is entirely legal. If it’s occupied territory, you’re working toward a negotiated two-state solution, then people who aren’t going to be under your sovereignty and aren’t going to be your citizens don’t vote in your elections. Once you say out loud that the West Bank is a permanent part of your territory, how do you deprive the people who live there?"
The advantage of speaking out now, before dangerous policies are implemented, is that by speaking out now, we can help prevent implementation of those policies--which is more effective than playing armchair quarterback after the fact and having others ask where we were when it mattered.
This is not the first time Israel has faced internal challenges. Until the 1970s, we had a simple response when people claimed that Jews engaged in terrorism to create Israel: Israelis firmly rejected Menachem Begin and his Irgun thugs and never allowed him or them to gain power. Then Israel elected Begin Prime Minister. We lost a talking point but the U.S.-Israel relationship endured.
That is not to minimize the potential dangers posed by Israel's new government, some of which may never come to pass (believe it or not, politicians don't always deliver on their promises), and some of which might be averted by vocal opposition from Israel's friends in the United States. Israel is the same country it was before, and thousands of Israelis are protesting the same policies we are protesting. Let's add our voices--from a position of support for Israel--and help them succeed, even as we condemn Palestinian terrorism whenever it occurs.
In Case You Missed It:
- Friday was International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff and Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt spent the day at Auschwitz-Birkenau. They wrote that "we all have a responsibility to speak out and make clear that antisemitism is wrong, just like every other prejudice. We must all condemn antisemites as dangerous and also call out those who don’t. In the face of evil, there is no neutrality. Standing silent is not an option. Indeed, silence is what allows vile oppressors to thrive and this malicious virus of hate to grow."
Tweet of the Week. Senate candidate Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA). Watch his video too.
Quote Retweet of the Week. Gerald Alexander.
Twitter Thread of the Week. Dan Shapiro.
Video Clip of the Week. George Santos on Jimmy Kimmel.
Upcoming Event. Democratic Jewish Outreach Pennsylvania (DJOP) presents a free event on Zoom: "US-Israel relations: The View from Jerusalem and DC" on Sunday, March 19, at 10:00 am CT moderated by Jill Zipin with panelists Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA), Nimrod Novik (former senior advisor on foreign policy to the late Shimon Peres and currently a member of the Executive Committee of Commanders for Israel’s Security), DJOP Board member Martin Raffel (previously senior vice president and director of the Task Force on Israel, World Jewry & International Human Rights at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs), and Steve Sheffey (me). RSVP here to get the link.
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