Chicagoland Pro-Israel Political Update

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



June 28, 2020
128 days till Election Day

If you remember nothing else, remember this:

  • Pro-Israel Democrats overwhelmingly oppose unilateral annexation by Israel; 191 House Democrats signed a letter outlining their concerns, including every Democrat from Illinois except Dan Lipinski--Marie Newman, who defeated Lipinski in the March primary, would have signed the letter.
  • Republicans, departing from decades of bipartisan consensus, are supporting unilateral annexation.
  • Democratic support for Israel emerged from Tuesday's primaries.
  • The biggest threat to Jewish Americans comes from the White House, where Trump and his campaign continue to use anti-Semitic rhetoric.

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Friends,

This week, 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."

Unilateral annexation would make a two-state solution harder to achieve, jeopardize normalization of relations with Arab states, risk insecurity in Jordan, and damage Israel's relations with Europe. It wouldn't do much for the argument pro-Israel advocates make about shared values either. But other than that, what's not to like?

You can find experts to support any point of view, from climate change denial to vaccines cause autism, and while some seemingly knowledgeable security experts might support annexation, the overwhelming majority of senior IDF officers (retired) and heads of the Mossad and Shin Bet oppose annexation as a security disaster for Israel.

Every Democrat from Illinois except Dan Lipinski signed the letter . Marie Newman, who defeated Lipinski in the March primary and will win in November, told me that if she were in Congress, she would have signed the letter. The letter was written by Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Ted Deutch (D-FL), and David Price (D-NC).

Reps. Schakowsky and Schneider, along with Dan Shapiro, will discuss unilateral annexation on Tuesday, June 30, from 2:00 to 3:00 CDT, on a call convened by the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), the national voice of Jewish Democrats. RSVP here .

The depth of support this letter received shows that support for Israel remains strong among Democrats . The letter was signed by six of the seven Democratic leaders (the Speaker did not sign, but she backs this letter ), 20 of the 26 Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, nine of the ten Democrats on the Middle East subcommittee, all six Democratic members of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee, 23 of the 27 Jewish members of Congress, all six leaders of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, seven of the eight leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus, including its chair, Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), and all five leaders of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

But not one Republican signed, 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.

Democrats have not changed their position on Israel. Israel's government is on the precipice of changing its position by reversing decades of consensus among Israelis and Americans supporting a two-state solution and opposing unilateral annexation.

Writing from Israel and praising this Democratic letter, Yossi Klein Halevi explains that "sometimes we need our closest friends, who see us with the perspective of distance, to hold up a mirror and help us see ourselves, help us be more faithful to our own interests and principles."

Bipartisanship is a means to an end, not an end in itself. Policy is not good because both parties support it, nor is it bad because only one party supports it. The Gulf of Tonkin resolution passed with strong bipartisan support. In retrospect, maybe not the best idea. The Senate failed to convict Trump on almost completely partisan lines. Bipartisan support for a good initiative is good, but the objective of pro-Israel organizations should be sound policy, not the veneer of bipartisanship. The stakes are too high.

At the other extreme, some pro-Israel organizations think it's their job to defend the decisions of Israel's government no matter what out of deference to Israel's democratically elected government. If you read the American Jewish Committee's rationale for defending annexation, you owe it to yourself to understand the distinction I drew between pro-Israel and pro-Bibi.

Democratic support of Israel emerged in Tuesday's primaries. Mondaire Jones won a crowded primary to replace Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), a good friend of Israel who is retiring. At a recent candidate forum organized by JDCA, Jones was clear that he opposed conditioning aid to Israel. Jones supports a two-state solution, opposes BDS, and is committed to Israel's security.

Jamaal Bowman, who appears to have defeated Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), opposes BDS and believes "firmly in the right of Israelis to live in safety and peace, free from the fear of violence and terrorism from Hamas and other extremists, and supports continued U.S. aid to help Israel confront these security challenges." But Bowman seems open to using financial leverage to change Israel's policies, which not good for the U.S. or Israel and will not bring the parties closer to peace. As James Bruno notes, "Israel is a tiny state in a dangerous region, faced with many legitimate threats, and we have a moral obligation to ensure its security. At the same time, the U.S. benefits from the intelligence sharing and security cooperation supported by that assistance."

As a practical matter, U.S aid does not support the policies he objects to (it is used by Israel to defend against external enemies). As it is currently structured, U.S. aid to Israel cannot be used to support annexation, and if Bowman is serious about his commitment to Israel's security, which he seems to be, he should change his position.

Engel did not lose because of his positions on Israel. He lost because he neglected the everyday needs of his district, which is why entrenched incumbents sometimes lose primaries. Not everything is about Israel.

This November, our children are watching. If you want to understand why so many Jewish Americans are so fed up with Donald Trump and the Republican Party, read this recently-published piece from Halie Soifer.



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