Pro-Israel organizations have long been active in American politics, promoting friendly relations between the U.S. and Israel. Jewish groups, in particular, have helped ensure that candidates’ attitudes toward Israel would be an important element in congressional and presidential elections. Yet now, two venerable Jewish organizations, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), are saying that it is improper to do this in the case of President Obama. They have taken the initiative to shield Mr. Obama from the political consequences of his cold treatment of Israel.
The AJC and ADL are jointly promoting a “national pledge for unity on Israel.” Its essence is that “America’s friendship with Israel . . . has always transcended politics” and that “U.S.-Israel friendship should never be used as a political wedge issue.”
Explaining this effort, ADL chief Abraham Foxman lamented that presidential candidates have recently “challenged their opponents’ pro-Israel bona fides” and “questioned the current administration’s foreign policy approach vis-à-vis Israel.”
True, every political movement wants unity in support of the common cause. But since when have American supporters of Israel believed that a candidate’s attitudes toward Israel should be kept out of electoral politics? Since never.
In 1984, pro-Israel groups exerted themselves to block the re-election of Illinois Republican Sen. Charles Percy, the prominent chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who was an outspoken critic of Israel and champion of U.S. engagement with the Palestine Liberation Organization. Percy lost and, in an election night interview, attributed his defeat to the Israel lobby. Other politicians who met a similar fate include Reps. Paul Findley (R., Ill.) and Cynthia McKinney (D., Ga.).
When running against President George H.W. Bush in 1992, Bill Clinton took full advantage of Mr. Bush’s testy relationship with Israel. As the New York Times reported in March 1992: “Some leaders of American Jewish groups predicted today that President Bush would pay in the November election for his demand that Israel freeze settlements.”
One such leader spoke of the “anger and dismay in Jewish communities over Bush Administration policy that is increasingly perceived as one-sided and unfair against Israel,” adding “I imagine it will be translated into an unwillingness to vote for this Administration or contribute funds.” By the way, the speaker was Jess Hordes, Washington director of the ADL.
President Obama came into office determined to distance the U.S. from Israel and to portray Israel as the impediment to Middle East peace. He insisted on an unprecedented Israeli settlement freeze, exceeding the demands at that time of the Palestinian Authority itself. And he went along with the PA’s refusal to renew direct negotiations with Israel, agreeing that the Palestinians could use U.S. officials to conduct indirect talks. Meanwhile he offered “engagement” to Israel’s Iranian and Syrian enemies, a vain policy that failed as the courted regimes rebuffed the offer and brutalized their own pro-freedom demonstrators.
Mr. Obama also orchestrated a public imbroglio with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, walking out of a White House meeting with him in 2010 and refusing to be photographed with him. Quarrels between the men this year have been openly bitter.
This vexed Mr. Netanyahu and the Israeli public in general, which overwhelmingly views Mr. Obama as anti-Israel, and it antagonized not only the president’s domestic political opponents but also many Democrats in Congress. When Mr. Netanyahu addressed Congress in May, most Democrats, including the leadership, joined in the numerous standing ovations that were obviously intended to contrast the affection for Israel on Capitol Hill with the bad feeling emanating from the White House.
So anyone truly intent on preserving unity among Israel’s friends could do so by building on the substantial bipartisan opposition to Mr. Obama’s policies on Israel. Instead, the AJC and the ADL are working to protect Mr. Obama.
These organizations exist in large part to defend the Jewish state from unfair criticism, pressure and attacks. But they are defending President Obama from well-grounded charges that he has subjected Israel precisely to that.
If the AJC and ADL want to defend Mr. Obama straightforwardly, they could do so. They might argue that his record on Israel is not unremittingly hostile. They could try to balance some of the healthy features of the U.S.-Israeli relationship—for example, the continuation of defense cooperation—against the bad parts. But it’s not a strong argument, which explains why they are claiming to uphold a venerable (though previously unheard of) principle of unity that precludes criticism of a president’s position on Israel.
Whatever the AJC and ADL say, Mr. Obama can expect to pay a substantial political price in 2012 for his antagonism toward Israel and feckless courting of its enemies.
Mr. Feith, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, served as under secretary of defense from 2001 to 2005.
The AJC and the ADL are outdoing Chamberlain in their public defense of Obama’s anti-Israeli policy for the past several years. Why? What can they hope to gain from their public stance supporting the policies of a man that bows to Israel’s self-avowed enemies and appeases its enemies (including Iran that pledged to “wipe Israel off the map”)? There can only be one of two reasons for going against the tide: some kind of profit or fear. Surely no amount of money can balance the scales against the huge massive loss of respect and credibility that their organizations (and their leaders) will suffer. Can such an organization expect to survive such an assault?
Fear is a familiar weapon used against Jews. Threats, persecution, exile, expulsion, pogroms, holocausts, and genocidal assaults are traditional hazards encountered in our history. Why do you think we value Israel so much? To paraphrase Shakespeare (Julius Caesar): “A coward dies a thousand deaths, a brave man dies but once.” What do leaders of the AJC and the ADL fear? Whatever it is, it’s nothing compared to the loss of membership in their organizations which may well spell their demise if a radical policy change isn’t forthcoming. They will have to choose between their identity or their political loyalty…. or have they already chosen?
The “keep quiet” policy is what was used in the 1940-45 period by many mainstream Jewish leaders to turn a blind eye as to what was happening in Europe—namely, the Holocaust! This must not be allowed to happen again. Reject the calls from the ADL, the AJC and exercise your freedom of speech. Do not be silent as Israel is sacrificed for the sake of political expediency! Silence is acquiescence.
Dr. Steven Carol
Prof. of History (retired)
Official Historian and
Associate Producer of
Middle East Radio Forum
http://www.middleeastradioforum.org
Let’s see what the voters’ guts tell them. One thing in favor of Israel, is that fewer and fewer voters are swayed by the mainstream media; because fewer and fewer Americans even look at the mainstream media. They get their news and views from the Internet, from sites that agree with what they feel in their guts — and concerning Foxman and other pro-Obamists, “In their guts, they know they’re nuts”.
Mr. Feith kindly omitted Foxman’s subsequent press release, in which Abe tried the old Jedi mind trick: “The words you heard are not the words we meant.” Too late, Abe, the damage is already done; only faithful Kool-Aid drinkers can kid themselves that you did not mean exactly what you said.
Mr. Feith could also have mentioned Foxman’s notable silence concerning the contrast between this administration’s testy relations with Israel, and the open-armed embrace extended to the Muslim Brotherhood and its many offshoots, the new 21st century Nazis. Is Foxman so invested in this administration that he cannot recognize the tremendous damage the current WH resident and his minions are causing, not only in the Middle East but throughout the entire world?
Post hoc, how can Foxman retain any credibility, on any issue? It is long past time that he relinquish the reins at the ADL.
NoDumbo2012 – and NoFoxman2011.