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Can ‘it’ happen here? It depends on what ‘it’ is

Nazi analogies are notoriously loose, which doesn’t mean things in the US haven’t changed

If “it” is the transformation of American society into a racist state bent on carrying out a genocide against the Jews, “it” is not happening. However, the Nazi anti-Semitism of the 1930s has taken on a new form in our time. Now, most hatred of Jews is directed against Israel, although, as if Jews in Pueblo needed to be reminded this week, hatred of Jews still retains its classic, white supremacist orientation. That said, transformations in America vis-a-vis Israel, even when qualitatively less intense than Nazism, can still be deeply disturbing and perhaps even dangerous for Israel, which, when all is said and done, is the largest community and acutest symbol of the Jewish people today.

The fact that many Democratic candidates for president are now talking about whether to “leverage” aid to Israel on Israel’s towing some Democratic political line means that something is rotten in the State of Denmark. It doesn’t matter whether one of the candidates talking this way actually wins the presidency. Once the topic is introduced on a high political level, by more than one credible candidate, against a background of highly visible and strident critics of Israel within the Democratic party, the topic will not likely go away.

Joe Biden, whose history on Israel is mixed, has nonetheless called the idea of leverage “outrageous.” Many other Democratic candidates do not agree. Moreover, they diversify the poison. They identify more than one major policy that Israel must, to their lights, implement in order to qualify for American aid. Their focus is not narrow. Their focus is really the State of Israel itself, all the platitudes to the contrary notwithstanding.

One Democratic candidate insists that Israel change its policy on Gaza; another, on the West Bank; another, on the two-state solution. Once the genie is out of the bottle, anything Israel does, or does not, do becomes legitimate fodder for the critics who really do not understand Israel’s geopolitical dangers, or don’t want to; and who certainly don’t understand the history of Israel or of the region.

Bernie Sanders, for example, wants Israel to direct American aid to Gaza. For what purpose, Mr. Sanders? More terror tunnels? To whom, Mr. Sanders? To Hamas, which totally controls Gaza, and would use this aid, as it has used all previous aid, for terrorist tunnels? The ignorance of the likes of Bernie Sanders is appalling. Yet, this does not stop him, nor does it stop others from picking up his message.

Take Elizabeth Warren, for example. At the recent J Street conference, where the cut-the-military- aid-to-Israel-if-Israel-doesn’t-bend was expressed, Warren said she would immediately resume aid to the Palestinians and financial support to the UN Works Relief Agency (UNRWA) that oversees Palestinian refugees. Hillel Neuer of UN Watch responded on Twitter: “As a progressive, why not await the UN probe into charges that UNRWA bosses engaged in sexual misconduct, nepotism, retaliation, discrimination and other abuses for political gain?”

It is not just Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar and Rand Paul anymore. It’s not just a couple of first-term Democrats with a different background and a US senator who is opposed to all foreign assistance. When a Democratic candidate for the president of the US must stand up and say, in effect, “I don’t agree with conditioning military aid to Israel, because Israel is under severe military threat from Iran and others,” the cat is out of the bag.

Because somebody with a big megaphone has said something — and presidential candidates have big megaphones — it automatically becomes legitimate at least to “debate” it. If evidence were needed, look no further than Jeremy Ben-Ami, head of J Street, who is now dancing around the idea of withholding aid from Israel. He says it clearly, then appears to modify it, playing this game, this well worn tactic: Get the idea out there, walk it back a bit, let it settle into the public conscousness, then come back to it full force. That a Jewish group imperils military aid to Israel, which Iran threatens to wip off the map, boggles our mind.

We also question whether the Republican Jewish Coalition acts wisely in exaggerating the changing reality in growing segments of the Democratic party. Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are poor leaders in trying to keep the dissenting, anti-Israel voices within the party in line with what still remains, thank G-d, the official Democratic party position on Israel. But Pelosi and Schumer’s own commitment to Israel is strong. Therefore, to call them out for being personally anti-Israel, as the RJC is reportedly planning to do, is to worsen the situation — if the top concern isthe welfare of Israel and not partisan gain.

The call of the hour today is to remind pro-Israel politicians of their commitment to Israel, and to identify them publicly with such critical pro-Israel positions as massive American military aid to Israel. It is easy in today’s climate to sharpen the partisan divide. When it comes to Israel, all sides should be figuring out ways to soften the partisan divide and unify behind continued, massive, American military aid to Israel.

Bottom line: A form of “it” is happening in the US, namely, hostility to the Jewish people mainly through its representative, Israel. This cannot be stopped if it is not acknowledged, though it must not be exaggerated. President Trump exaggerates it when he says that to be a Democrat today is automatically to be against Israel. What we would prefer to see from Trump is a sound Syrian policy that does not abandons the Kurds and expose Israel to increased threats from Turkey and from Iran and its proxies in Syria and Lebanon.

One last point that defenders of American military aid to Israel must always publicize: Most of the aid is spent in America, for American weapons, produced by American workers, in American factories. If this aid were sent to Gaza, not only would it strengthen terrorists there, it would weakens Americans here.

Copyright © 2019 by the Intermountain Jewish News




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