Chicagoland Pro-Israel Political Update
Calling balls and strikes for the pro-Israel community since 2006
May 24, 2020
163 days till Election Day
If you remember nothing else, remember this:
- Joe Biden is pro-Israel, and his nomination proves that the Democratic Party remains traditionally pro-Israel.
- Last week, Biden reiterated his support for Israel's security, which includes not only his support for a two-state solution and opposition to unilateral annexation, but ensuring that aid to the Palestinian Authority is not used to reward terrorism and ensuring that aid to Israel remains unconditional.
- The record proves that Democrats in Congress are overwhelmingly pro-Israel.
- The Obama-Biden administration was far better for Israel than the Trump administration has been, and Trump--as well as Republican leadership--has consistently engaged in anti-Semitic and white supremacist rhetoric.
- As recently as Thursday, Trump used white supremacist language to praise notorious anti-Semite Henry Ford.
Read to the end for fun stuff and upcoming events. I love when you tell me about mistakes--consider it a quid pro quo.
You're welcome to read for free, but if you'd like to help defray the cost of the newsletter, please
click here and fill in the amount of your choice
. You don't need a PayPal account; the link will allow you to use a credit card. Or you can Venmo
@Steven-Sheffey
(last four 9479).
Friends,
When they've got nothing left, our Republican friends fall back on "but what about Israel?" Millions of Americans are unemployed, the stock market has tumbled, and we are approaching 100,000 American dead as a result of Trump's
incompetence and corruption. And that's on top of the anti-Semitism, bigotry, lying, and ignorance he's displayed since he announced his candidacy. So let's talk about Israel.
Joe Biden's nomination proves that the Democratic Party remains traditionally pro-Israel.
Dan Shapiro writes that even though "some voices more critical of Israel have been heard in the Democratic party, Biden won the nomination while expressing his deep personal bonds with Israel and pledging to keep backing its security and defend it from any form of delegitimization, including the BDS movement. Democratic primary voters chose the candidate who called placing conditions on US assistance to Israel 'outrageous' and 'a gigantic mistake'.”
Even last week, while reiterating his opposition to unilateral Israeli annexation of the West Bank--a move opposed by every president until Trump and by many in
Israel's security and intelligence establishment--Biden called the idea of conditioning aid to Israel "irresponsible" and said that the Palestinians must acknowledge Israel’s right to exist, “flat out,” and that while Israel should stop settlement activity, “we also shouldn’t let the Palestinians off the hook” for issues like incitement and support for terrorism.
Biden understands that Trump's draconian cuts in aid to the Palestinian Authority are in neither Israel's nor the Palestinian's best interests, but he would
restore that funding only "consistent with the requirements of the Taylor Force Act to withhold certain assistance to the PA unless it is taking measures to end acts of violence against Israeli and U.S. citizens, including terminating payments to individuals engaged in acts of terrorism."
When he was Vice President, Biden not only condemned the terrorists who murdered Taylor Force, but the
failure of the Palestinians to condemn his murder. Dan Shapiro explained in his
2017 testimony that the Obama-Biden administration reduced economic assistance to the Palestinians by an amount "equivalent to the amount expended by the Palestinian Authority as payments for acts of terrorism."
In addition to opposing the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement,
Biden would "sustain our unbreakable commitment to Israel’s security – including the unprecedented military and intelligence cooperation pioneered during the Obama-Biden administration, and the guarantee that Israel will always maintain its qualitative military edge."
But what about Democrats in Congress? If members of Congress cast weighted votes based on how many followers they have on Twitter or on how many media hits they get, it would make sense to extrapolate from two media savvy freshmen the views of the party as a whole. But no matter how much attention they get, those two only add up to two votes. A review of key legislation brought to the floor by Democratic leadership proves that
Democrats remain overwhelmingly pro-Israel.
But what about the Obama years? The Obama-Biden administration was one of the most pro-Israel in history. From record aid to unprecedented security cooperation to successfully constraining Iran's nuclear program to a record at the UN better than its predecessors, the Obama-Biden administration
proved in word and deed to be a strong friend of Israel.
On May 21, Trump
praised notorious anti-Semite Henry Ford's "good bloodlines." The
ADL called on Trump to apologize. The Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA)
condemned Trump's statement, noting that Ford was awarded the Nazi Party’s Grand Cross of the German Eagle and that Trump used Nazi terminology to describe Ford and his descendants.
But what about Trump's record on Israel? That's the question Republicans don't want us to ask. They'll bluff and bluster about his symbolic gestures, none of which have made Israel safer and none of which have brought Israel closer to the two-state solution that Israel needs to remain Jewish and democratic.
The
facts show that Trump’s record at the U.N. is one of abdication and defeat, Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran Deal did not stop Iran’s nefarious activities but encouraged Iran to resume prohibited nuclear activities, and Trump’s symbolic moves on Jerusalem and the Golan Heights did nothing to make Israel more secure.
Trump is enabling unilateral annexation. As
Michael Koplow demonstrates, unilateral annexation would lead to terrible results for Israel and could weaken the U.S.-Israel relationship, which is based primarily on shared values.
Arguing that Palestinian leadership bears much responsibility for the plight of the Palestinians is both true and a non-sequitur in the context of unilateral annexation; it's like arguing that because someone else started a fire that could burn down your house, it's not in your interests to put out the fire--it's certainly not in your interests to fan the flames.
Alan Solow writes that "American Jews have an obligation to speak out against imposing a solution on the Palestinians as a matter not only of intellectual consistency, but also because to do so protects Israel’s long-term interests as well as the critical US-Israel relationship."
Upcoming Zoom Events--All Free, but RSVPs are required:
I guess this is a good problem to have: This list is now so large that while many people are local, even more live outside the Chicago area and have no interest in local news. If you want to be on a list that will receive infrequent newsletters about local issues and events, reply to this email and I'll add you.
Donations are welcome (because this costs money to send)
. If you'd like to chip in,
click here and fill in the amount of your choice
. You don't need a PayPal account; the link will allow you to use a credit card. If you'd rather send a check, please reply and I'll send you mailing information (please do NOT send checks to the P.O. Box). Venmo to @Steven-Sheffey (last four 9479) is fine too.
You’re reading this. So are other influentials. If you want the right people to know about your candidate, cause, or event, reply to this email to discuss your ad.
The Fine Print
: This newsletter usually runs on Sunday mornings. Unless stated otherwise, my views do not necessarily reflect the views of any candidates or organizations that I support or am associated with. I reserve the right to change my mind as I learn more. Intelligent, well-informed people may disagree with me; read opposing views and decide for yourself. A link to an article doesn't mean that I agree with everything its author has ever said or that I even agree with everything in the article; it means that the article supports or elaborates on the point I was making. I take
pride in accurately reporting the facts on which I base my opinions. Tell me if you spot any inaccuracies, typos, or other mistakes so that I can correct them in the next newsletter (and give you credit if you want it).
Advertisements reflect the views of the advertisers, not necessarily of me, and advertisers are solely responsible for the content of their advertisements. I read, value, and encourage replies to my newsletters, but I don't always have time to acknowledge replies or to engage in one-on-one discussion. Don't expect a reply if your message is uncivil or if it's clear from your message that you haven't read the newsletter or clicked on the relevant links. © 2020 Steve Sheffey. All rights reserved.