Chicagoland Pro-Israel Political Update

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



February 28, 2021

If you remember nothing else, remember this:

  • Last week's overreaction to Michael Che's provides useful lessons in how not to advocate for Israel.
  • The White House and Congress support Israel.
  • The U.S. and Israel are working together on Iran strategy. Many in Israel's security establishment supported the Iran Deal and now support Biden's approach.
  • Biden should reverse Trump's directive to inaccurately label goods made in parts of the West Bank as "Made in Israel."
  • Read to the end for upcoming events and fun stuff.

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Friends,

The overreaction from some pro-Israel organizations to Michael Che's joke last week provides useful lessons in how not to advocate for Israel.

Che joked that Israel vaccinated half its population--the Jewish half. I didn't think it was funny, fair, or true, but it's not antisemitic and it's not blood libel. It's satire, which almost by definition is unfair and exaggerates for effect. We don't help our cause by conflating antisemitism with criticism of Israel or by fixating on an SNL joke that most people wouldn't have seen but for its amplification by some organizations.

Imagine the difference it might have made if the organizations condemning Michael Che and demanding NBC take action against Che had condemned Donald Trump's antisemitism with the same strong language and demanded that the Republican Party take action against Trump. But that would have been partisan, and we can't have that, can we?

Unlike NBC, the Republican Party is seeped in antisemitism from the top down. And they're not joking. After Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) posted an anti-Semitic tweet about Jewish money buying the 2018 election, Republicans didn't condemn him. They elected him House Minority Leader. They elected Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), who described himself as "David Duke without the baggage," as the #2 House Republican. They elected Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), one of 23 votes against a resolution condemning antisemitism, as the #3 Republican. If Michael Che wants to escape criticism, maybe he should run in a Republican primary.

We should always defend Israel's right to live in peace and security as a Jewish, democratic state, but that does not mean defending every policy of Israel's government whether right or wrong. That strategy only works when Israel's government is right. If we think we can defend Israel's vaccination policy, we should explain why Che is wrong on the merits, not falsely charge him with antisemitism, which makes him look like the victim of unfair attacks, makes it seem like we can't take a joke, and blurs the line between speech we find offensive and antisemitism.

If with think Israel's government might be wrong, we should consider the approach modeled last week by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), who stated his opposition to unilateral Israeli annexation and his support for humanitarian aid to the Palestinians while at the same time reiterating his "unequivocal" support for unconditional aid to Israel. We should help people understand that the bond between the U.S. and Israel transcends even major disagreements, which allows space for legitimate criticism and does not require us to defend the indefensible.

The defensibility of Israel's vaccination policies in the West Bank and Gaza (that's what Che meant by half its population--the half who are not citizens but live under Israeli control) is complex, both legally and logistically. Netanyahu did not help Israel's cause by announcing exports of vaccines while Palestinians in the territories lack vaccines (on Thursday, Israel suspended the deliveries). Even if one believes that the Oslo Accords supersede Israel's legal obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention, an argument can be made that Israel's vaccination policy is not consistent with the values shared by the U.S. and Israel.

The best piece I've read on this subject comes from Joshua Shanes, who points out that "Zionism was all about the normalization of Jews. Congratulations! Jews did it. They have a sovereign state. Part of that normalization, however, means that the state can be criticized, including harshly, and even unfairly! None of this is antisemitic."

The White House and Congress support Israel. The U.S. will rejoin the UN Human Rights Council and will fight anti-Israel bias. Secretary of State Tony Blinken called for abolishing Agenda Item 7, which singles out Israel for criticism.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu last week to reaffirm the unbreakable bond between the U.S. and Israel and Congress’s unwavering support for a safe and secure Israel.

The U.S. and Israel are working together on Iran strategy. The Obama administration established a working group with Israel on Iran strategy that will resume under the leadership of "the U.S. and Israeli national security advisers — currently Jake Sullivan and Meir Ben-Shabbat." Biden is asking to formally censure Iran over its accelerating nuclear activities.

The best approach to Iran's activities is outlined in the newly reintroduced Iran Diplomacy Act, which is supported by Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL).

Many in Israel's security establishment supported the Iran Deal and opposed Trump's withdrawal from the deal. Prime Minister Netanyahu and other political leaders opposed the deal, but many former Israeli national security experts--freed from political constraints against speaking out--supported the deal. Israeli nuclear experts disagreed with Netanyahu. Leaders in Israel's security establishment opposed Trump's withdrawal from the deal.

Ofer Salzberg documents that today, Israeli politicians in the center and on the right favor discreet Israeli cooperation with the U.S. in reentering the deal, Israeli politicians on the left (including two top security experts in Israeli politics) agree with Biden's strategy, and former top Israeli defense officials have publicly backed U.S. return to the JCPOA, including former Mossad Head Tamir Pardo, former IDF Iran Czar Nitzan Alon, and former NSC Head Uzi Arad. Israeli security experts outlined their recommendations on February 22.

Israel believes that Iran's nuclear program should be dealt with separately from its regional activity in future negotiations--the point that President Obama made when the Iran Deal was criticized for only focusing on the existential threat of Iranian nuclear weapons.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Thursday that if Iran resumes full performance of its commitments under the JCPOA, the U.S. would be prepared to do the same. We would then seek to lengthen and strengthen the parameters of that deal, followed by agreements addressing Iran’s other malign activities negotiated together with our closest allies and partners.

Biden should reverse Trump's directive to inaccurately label goods made in parts of the West Bank as "Made in Israel." On December 23, Trump's State Department required goods made in Area C of the West Bank to be labeled with Israel as country of origin even though the West Bank is not in Israel. Last week, several pro-Israel groups asked the administration to review and revoke Trump's requirement and to duly enforce the longstanding customs guidance requiring such goods to be labelled accurately.

Israel has not annexed the West Bank, so goods made in any of the West Bank are not made in Israel. As Abe Silverstein explained, "it is difficult to imagine the State Department regarding products originating in Crimea as being made in Russia, even though Russian control of the territory is the 'reality' of the situation today."

A key argument against BDS is that it is inappropriate and counterproductive to boycott Israel over its policies in the West Bank because it takes two parties, Israel and the Palestinians, not just Israel, to negotiate a two-state solution. Until then, the disparate treatment of Jews and Palestinians in the West Bank is a temporary situation pending resolution.

But if the West Bank is part of Israel--which is what "Made in Israel" suggests--then the case for boycotting becomes stronger. Jews in the West Bank vote in Knesset elections, but not Palestinians in the West Bank. Jews and Arabs in the West Bank have different legal statuses. If the West Bank is part of Israel, that's unacceptable. The BDS movement seeks to conflate Israel with the West Bank to justify a boycott of all Israeli products. Trump's policy reversal gave BDS a victory it could never achieve on its own and makes a two-state solution harder to achieve.



Tweet of the Week. Paul Rudnick.

Twitter Thread of the Week. Halie Soifer.

Video Clip of the Week. When you're on the way.

Upcoming Events. Alexi Giannoulias is running for Illinois Secretary of State. His listening tour is coming to my Zoom screen on Wednesday, March 3 at 3:00 CT. The event is free, but RSVP is required.

Join Dana Gordon and me for a special event in support of Sen. Tammy Duckworth's (D-IL) 2022 reelection campaign. Tammy is not only a friend of the Jewish and pro-Israel communities, but she is a special friend of ours, and we hope you will attend on Thursday, March 11, at 3:30pm CT. Contributions are encouraged but not required. However, you must RSVP to get the Zoom link.

Join us for a conversation with Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) and Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) on Monday, March 15 at 6:00pm CT hosted by Politics with Dana and Steve and Democratic Jewish Outreach of Pennsylvania. The event is free, but RSVP is required.


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