Chicagoland Pro-Israel Political Update

Calling balls and strikes for the pro-Israel community since 2006



July 26, 2020
100 days till Election Day

If you remember nothing else, remember this:

  • Israeli security experts thanked Democrats for speaking out against unilateral annexation.
  • The 2020 Democratic Party Platform remains pro-Israel.
  • Have you heard what the Republicans are saying about Joe Biden and the Democrats on Israel? I've got answers.
  • Trump's policies have been detrimental to Israel.
  • Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran has failed.
  • Read to the end for upcoming events and more, including thoughts on the Bari Weiss episode.

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Hi Friends,

Israeli security experts thanked Democrats for speaking out against unilateral annexation. In June, 191 House Democrats who support "a strong and secure Jewish and democratic State of Israel" signed a letter explaining their "deep concern with the stated intention to move ahead with any unilateral annexation of West Bank territory." The letter was written by Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Ted Deutch (D-FL), and David Price (D-NC).

Last week, 41 retired senior Israeli security and defense officials thanked the Democrats for sending this letter, writing that they consider this "important letter an expression of true friendship for Israel and concern for our country’s security and wellbeing."

The security experts wrote that "unilateral annexation may trigger a chain of events beyond anyone’s control. It may undermine stability in the West Bank and Gaza, our peace treaties and security coordination with Egypt and Jordan, as well as any hope for an effective regional effort to check Iran’s meddling and ambitions. It will certainly complicate further the road Israelis and Palestinians must travel to reach an eventual negotiated, two-state solution to our conflict."

The Israelis didn't thank any Republicans because not one Republican signed the letter, which is too bad, because as  Israel Policy Forum noted, "unilateral annexation...flies in the face of traditional bipartisan American policy in support of two states and contravenes two House resolutions passed last year." Even worse, a majority of House Republicans signed a letter supporting unilateral annexation. Perhaps they should listen to these security experts instead of Jared Kushner. But then again, Jared Kushner did read 25 books on the subject.

The 2020 Democratic Party Platform remains pro-Israel. The draft was released on Wednesday. The Democratic Party is not a monolith. Further debate is possible, but the Iran (page 79) and Israel (page 80) sections will not change. The new Democratic Platform points out that Trump's "unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA isolated us from our allies and opened the door for Iran to resume its march toward a nuclear weapons capacity that the JCPOA had stopped."

The Platform reiterates opposition to BDS and that "a strong, secure, and democratic Israel is vital to the interests of the United States. Our commitment to Israel’s security, its qualitative military edge, its right to defend itself, and the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding is ironclad." This is consistent with Joe Biden's belief that conditioning aid to Israel would be “outrageous” and “a gigantic mistake.”

The 2020 Republican Platform will be exactly the same as their 2016 Platform. And why not? It's not like anything has changed in four years. The GOP  deleted support for a two-state solution from its platform in 2016, anticipating Peter Beinart by four years.

Have you heard what the Republicans are saying about Joe Biden and the Democrats on Israel? Whatever they are saying, it's probably addressed in this fact-based comparison of Trump and Biden on Israel (with links for further details). If you've heard something that's not addressed, let me know and I'll update it--just for you, my friend

I love when you reply to these newsletters with questions and comments, and I'm tempted to start printing and responding to them in future newsletters. Whether I respond or not, I always read them and appreciate your input.

Trump's policies have been detrimental to Israel. Nadiv Tamir writes that "from annexation to Iran, the president's Mideast policies have been severely detrimental to Israel, while diminishing the standing of our most important strategic ally both on the international stage and in the region - not the actions of a true friend."

Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran has failed. The Iran Deal was the best chance we had to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Opponents of the deal never came up with a better alternative. Iran is now closer to a nuclear weapon than it was when Trump took office because Trump withdrew from the deal without a better strategy, or any coherent strategy at all. National Security Action explains why Trump's Iran policy has left Americans less safe.

The Washington Post explains that Trump's “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran has "failed to achieve either its stated or unstated aims: It has not forced Iran to renegotiate the nuclear accord from which President Trump unwisely withdrew; nor has it ended Iranian aggression in the Middle East or caused the regime of Ali Khamenei to collapse."


Bari Weiss canceled herself. Shai Franklin and David Schraub say all that needs to be said. If you haven't read her book, read my review and save yourself some time.



Tweet of the Week. Jon Cooper .

Twitter Thread of the Week. Ben Schwartz channels Rodney Dangerfield.

Political Ad of the Week. Trump asks to see the death chart.

Video Clip of the Week. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) responds to Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL). Ten minutes everyone has to watch and internalize.

Upcoming Events. Dana Gordon and I are hosting three great upcoming events, and we'd love for you to join us:


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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.