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Steven Richard Sheffey's

Chicagoland Pro-Israel Political Update

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

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May 17, 2020

170 days till Election Day

If you remember nothing else, remember this:

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Friends,

Donald Trump continues to damage Israel's security and weaken U.S.-Israel relations. Israel faces two existential threats--that Iran will develop nuclear weapons and that Israel will transition from a Jewish, democratic state to a binational state or a Jewish undemocratic state. Trump is bringing both threats closer to realization.

Trump's so-called peace plan and his willingness to approve unilateral annexation of parts of the West Bank (the coalition agreement  explicitly requires American approval) will, as S. Res. 234 points out, "jeopardize prospects for a two-state solution, harm Israel’s relationship with its Arab neighbors, threaten Israel’s Jewish and democratic identity, and undermine Israel’s security." These are exactly the threats that the pro-Israel community must guard against and that, until Trump was elected, the United States guarded against.

Netanyahu is smart. He understands that annexation is a bad idea, which is why he hasn't moved forward on annexation until now. But Trump is forcing his hand. Michael Koplow writes that "Netanyahu has spent years holding up initiatives to extend Israeli sovereignty into the West Bank, and many of those close to him have insisted for years that Netanyahu understands the dangers of doing so and does not want to be the Israeli prime minister who presides over the creation of a de facto bi-national state."

But thanks to Trump, Netanyahu can no longer employ his "traditional strategy of using the White House as an excuse for throwing cold water on measures that he feels political pressure to act upon but does not want to pursue. In this instance, annexation is in some ways owned and being pushed by the U.S. even more so than by Israel...there is plenty of reason to suspect that if the White House foists this on him, that will be the controlling factor rather than Netanyahu’s own predilections."

That's why Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) recently asked Secretary of State Pompeo to oppose "unilateral annexation and to endorse direct negotiations between the parties, reaffirming decades of bipartisan U.S. foreign policy."

In December,  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.

Noa Landau wonders if the real goal (which would be consistent with Trump's empty but well-publicized moves on Jerusalem and the Golan Heights) might be "the golden path that would allow Trump and Netanyahu to annex and not to annex at the same time, to declare something symbolic that won’t change anything anyway."

Trump's Iran policies have failed. Thanks to Trump's withdrawal from the Iran Deal, Iran's nuclear breakout time has decreased from one year to six months.

The Iran Deal was never intended to constrain Iran's non-nuclear activities, but to make it easier to address Iran's other nefarious activities by taking the risk of a nuclear-armed Iran off the table.

But since Trump withdrew from the deal, Iran's behavior has worsened and Trump has done nothing to stop it. Mark Fitzpatrick notes that "over the past year, Iran has attacked Saudi oil facilities, seized tankers, sabotaged other oil tankers, fired ballistic missiles at a joint US–Iraqi base, and reportedly encouraged militia groups that have repeatedly attacked US forces in Iraq. All of this malicious activity stems from the breakdown in relations that Trump instigated. The region is less peaceful and Americans less safe as a consequence."

Our biggest anti-Semitism problems come from the right. Joel Swanson explains that recently-released "ADL data confirms that in the United States today, the vast majority of ideologically-linked anti-Semitism is committed by the political right."

On college campuses, however, anti-Semitism is decreasing, and much of what remains is right-wing anti-Semitism.

If we are serious about fighting anti-Semitism, we have to stop playing the "both sides" game and acknowledge that Trump, the Republicans, and the right are the biggest threats to Jewish Americans. As Swanson concludes, "anti-Semitism is not somehow above partisan politics. It is political, and it’s long past time for us to say so."

If unity is our goal, shouldn’t we unite against the anti-Semitism that poses the greatest threat? Or will we let our fear of being perceived as "partisan" prevent us from recognizing the threat, which today is Donald Trump and the Republican Party?

Trump has given us the worst of all worlds: Iran is closer to nuclear weapons than when Trump took office and its destabilizing activities have increased unchecked.

We have the worst unemployment rate since the Great Depression, the worst health-care crisis in our history, a stock market that continues to tumble, rampant corruption in the White House, increasing anti-Semitism, and a president who is, in the words of Republican Jewish Coalition Chairman  Norm Coleman, "A bigot. A misogynist. A fraud. A bully."

We've also neglected to take any meaningful action to stem gun violence, check climate change, or provide better and more affordable access to health care and education.

Elections Matter. Trump and his supporters are trying to deflect the blame for his incompetent handling of the pandemic, but the Obama administration left him a playbook for how to handle exactly this situation. It was literally titled "Playbook for Early Response to High Consequence Emerging Infectious Disease Threats and Biological Incidents."

Here's an outline of what could have been if Trump had followed the playbook instead his instinct to undo all things Obama. Can anyone seriously doubt whether Hillary would have followed the playbook?

It's time for a change.

Last week's newsletter .

ICYMI. Halie Soifer: Biden represents change consistent with Jewish values.

Tweet of the Week. Gershom Gorenberg .

Twitter Replies of the Week. To this from Don Winslow .

Pictures of the Week. Tim Kaine . Tim Kaine . Tim Kaine .

Video Clip of the Week. Top 10 Obama Scandals .

Political Ad of the Week. COVID timeline.

Upcoming Zoom Events--All Free, but RSVPs are required: 

On  Thursday, May 21, from 5:00 to 5:30 CDT,  Dana Gordon and I are hosting  Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL).  RSVP here to get your Zoom link.

On Wednesday, June 3, from 2:oo to 2:30 CDT, we are hosting Alaska Senate candidate Al Gross. RSVP here to get your Zoom link.

On Tuesday, June 23, from 3:30 to 4:00 CDT, we are hosting Minnesota House candidate Dan Feehan. Details to come.

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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.