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Why Does the Left Hate Israel?
The American Thinker ^ | January 22, 2004 | Richard Baehr

Posted on 01/22/2004 3:59:35 PM PST by quidnunc

For decades, most American Jews have believed there were far greater threats from the fringe right than the fringe left in this country. While this view may have been reasonable in the past, it is certainly not so today. The fringe right still exists — the neo-Nazis in Northwest Idaho, Matthew Hale, and David Duke, and the remnants of the KKK. But the views of the fringe right have been marginalized by their repudiation by virtually all mainstream elements on the political right.

The fringe left, on the other hand, has evolved into a broader left, and become more mainstream. The political perspective of this new left is vehemently anti-Israel, and the power and reach of this movement represent a real threat to Israel, and by extension to Jews who support Israel.

What is the left?

The left does not mean the Democratic Party in Congress.  When pro-Israel resolutions come before the Congress, due in part to the extraordinary efforts of AIPAC [America Israel Public Affairs Committee], a very high percentage of both Democrats and Republicans vote a solidly pro-Israel agenda. There are some small differences between the parties, however, especially in the House. In particular, the support for Israel among African American Congressmen, all Democrats, has dropped in recent years. However, the defeat in the 2002 cycle of Cynthia McKinney, and Earl Hilliard, two members who were hostile to Israel, and the election to their seats of Denise Majettte and Arthur Davis, has put two highly visible, very pro-Israel African Americans into the Congress. 

In the Senate, you have a different situation. Senators run statewide — which tends to move them towards the center in competitive states. Add to this the fact that many Senators have national political ambitions, and almost all Senators wind up having mainstream views on the Middle East. The mainstream view in Congress is to be a supporter of Israel.  This is due in part, as I said already, to effective lobbying, but also to the widely held view that Israel is an embattled democracy, living in a neighborhood full of authoritarian, thuggish anti-American regimes, that Israel shares the western values this country holds dear, and is engaged in the same fight against Islamic terrorists as this country.

These views are also mainstream for most Americans, which is why support for Israel routinely runs three to five times the support level for the Palestinians in every public opinion survey that is taken. In the House, the tendency to use the redistricting process after every census for incumbent protection, has led to the creation of a very large number of safe seats, and very few competitive ones (perhaps 10-15% of the total). This has given incumbents the ability to be less mainstream in their views on this issue and others. The growth in the Arab and Muslim population in America, and the creation of more districts with high percentages of African American voters, are both elements that could create more House members sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, since both African Americans, as a group, and Arabs and Muslims, to a much larger extent, are less sympathetic to Israel than the general population. In any case, it would be hard to point to any individual member of Congress today and say that he or she hates Israel.

-snip-

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Israel
KEYWORDS: antisemitism; israel; leftists; theleft
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Why Does the Left Hate Israel? – A Response

The fellowing letter is posted with the permission of the author: Mr. Baer — It is really a lot simpler than you make it. The key is  point #6 “Jews Who Hate Israel.” Since Jews have been the driving force in the Left for over a century, and still are, that is not an insignificant “one of eight” point. In the United States today secular Jews disproportionately influence fields like the law, academia, and the press — that are heavily Jewish. Those, in Lenin’s terms, are the “commanding heights” of modern society.

Look at the Democratic party. Largely funded by Jews, its presidential candidates are falling all over themselves to find Jewish relatives, and isn’t it interesting that almost all the ones without them… are already eliminated.?

Add to that the astonishing almost organic effort by secular Western Jews to disappear as a culture and a religion by intermarriage and fragmentation into cults from “Kabbalah” and Moonies, to the “Buddhists” (who do you think all those Hollywood “Buddhists” were who were giving money to Clinton?) … as noted in Eliott Abrams’ brilliant and troubling book … as well as any frisson in the culture from alien abduction to veganism. Forget Jerusalem. Secular Jews are now obsessed with “trivial pursuits.” Hitler would be so pleased.

As Chesterton put it, “If you won’t believe in God, you will believe in anything.” And it isn’t just a problem of secular Jews. As you point out the mainline Christian institutions are aligned with the anti-Israeli Left. Of course please note these churches are emptying faster than they can find signatures for petitions supporting the “oppressed Palestinians.” Ironically as these two remnant fragments of great cultural traditions ally on the Left … they join in their irrelevance to the future.

What we are facing is a degenerative branch of a great culture that is actually and tragically committing suicide. It favors politics that would destroy the true heart of its own culture and religion — Israel — as well as harbors of traditional culture and political realities like the United States that reflect traditional Judaeo-Christian values. The existence of both appear pretentious to these post-modern “black riders” — as if there was any point in epistemological questions of truth and reality as opposed to something “real” like  winning a specious tort case, or pushing the latest environmental fad, or cheating an artist out of his royalties.

-snip-

(Thomas Lipscomb in The American Thinker, January 22, 2004)
To Read This Article Click Here

1 posted on 01/22/2004 3:59:35 PM PST by quidnunc
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To: quidnunc
Coulda saved some trouble here.

The left hates everything. Their minds are fogged with emotional drivel and their appetite is for blood. They do not think, they respond in a skinner-like tradition.

2 posted on 01/22/2004 4:07:16 PM PST by blackdog (Democrat Party? Democratic Party? Democrat Candidate? Democratic Candidate? Wassup wit dat?)
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To: blackdog
Marx-

ism
3 posted on 01/22/2004 4:10:53 PM PST by babble-on
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To: quidnunc
The Left is Godless - either pretending at faith or openly hostile. As enemies of God, they are unable to do anything other than hate the things of God.
4 posted on 01/22/2004 4:11:15 PM PST by anniegetyourgun
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To: quidnunc
Jews are chosen by God to carry ethical monotheism into the world.

America has been chosen by God to project and promote goodness in the world.

The left hates both aspects.

5 posted on 01/22/2004 4:14:21 PM PST by onedoug
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To: quidnunc
simple, because israel is a convenient scapegoat for the perpetual failings of the left.
6 posted on 01/22/2004 4:18:31 PM PST by cripplecreek (.50 cal border fence)
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To: quidnunc
The Jews of Russia were in greater danger, and persecuted more vigorously and for far longer, under the Soviet regime between 1918 and 1989, than the Jews of all of Europe were under the relatively brief regime of Nazi Germany between 1933 and 1945. Even today, the Socialist government of France keeps up its more subtle prejudice against Jewish citizens of that country, most recently denying the wearing of outward symbols of faith in France. Ostensibly this was directed at the Muslims (a MAJOR anti-Jewish force), with which France has its own problems, but on persecution of the Jewish population, the Socialist French government and the Muslims are in full agreement.
7 posted on 01/22/2004 4:20:50 PM PST by alloysteel
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To: quidnunc
Another question:

Why do Jews vote for Democrats??
8 posted on 01/22/2004 4:21:36 PM PST by EggsAckley (..................**AMEND** the Fourteenth Amendment......(There, is THAT better?).................)
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To: quidnunc
Its very simple--The left hates every group which is successful and scapegoats these groups for the failure of all the others that aren't successful.
9 posted on 01/22/2004 4:21:46 PM PST by Cubs Fan
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To: quidnunc
Actually, the left, the ultra-lunatic-left, doesn't hate Israel. They hate America. They hate capitalism. And, they hate anything and everyone who has any kinship with America or capitalism. The left's hatred of Israel is incidental.

What is puzzling is why so many Jews in this contry lean so far to the left. There are Jews in entertainment and in labor unions (New York City teachers' unions) who lead the "Blame America First" efforts and this is puzzling.

10 posted on 01/22/2004 4:23:46 PM PST by Tacis
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Comment #11 Removed by Moderator

To: quidnunc
Why Does the Left Hate Israel?

I don't know. Maybe the question should be asked to the legion of jews that voted for Hitlery Klintoon in NY.

12 posted on 01/22/2004 4:24:21 PM PST by Excuse_My_Bellicosity (Visualize whirled peas.)
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To: blackdog
The left hates Israel because they stand on the side of God, illuminating the fact that sin and evil truly exist.
13 posted on 01/22/2004 4:36:06 PM PST by mfulstone
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To: YadaYadaYada
Why do most Jews vote for the left is the better question.

Because Many buy into the victimology mindset.

BTW It should be noted that liberal Jews often hate Israel and view Palestinians as "victims".

14 posted on 01/22/2004 4:37:59 PM PST by Cubs Fan
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To: onedoug
America has been chosen by God to project and promote goodness in the world.

You do a pretty good Osama impression.
15 posted on 01/22/2004 4:39:24 PM PST by Belial
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To: quidnunc
I would like to add... The left hates those that have the balls to act unilaterally where they see evil.

They resent those with the freedom, resolve, and ability to act. The left has a penchant to water down what I would consider morals in order to come to a consensus with evil doers, and to waste time passing the pipe and debating issues while people in the real world continue to suffer due to lack of real action.

Israel pisses them off because it makes them SO irrelevant.
16 posted on 01/22/2004 4:40:55 PM PST by USF
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To: Tacis
There are Jews in entertainment and in labor unions (New York City teachers' unions)

That explains why there are leftist Jews.

The ones entertainment and media get the most attention.

This is not all Jews.
17 posted on 01/22/2004 4:44:23 PM PST by Delphinium
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To: quidnunc
the neo-Nazis in Northwest Idaho

A very small group who moved in from other states.
18 posted on 01/22/2004 4:46:51 PM PST by Delphinium
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To: Belial
God Bless You, too.
19 posted on 01/22/2004 4:49:25 PM PST by onedoug
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To: onedoug
Jews are chosen by God to carry ethical monotheism into the world.. SALVATION IS FROM THE JEWS THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.
America has been chosen by God to project and promote goodness in the world. SORRY LATELY AMERICA HAS NOT BEEN DOING THE BEST JOB OF PROMOTING MORAL AND DECENT VALUES TO THE REST OF THE WORLD.

So of course the left is just weening there little sneaky selves into areas where they think they are wanted.



20 posted on 01/22/2004 4:52:25 PM PST by missyme
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