Posted on 10/17/2018 5:42:39 AM PDT by SJackson
Democrats push back after NY Times says party is drifting on Israel
Looking to unseat Republicans in November midterms, opposition lawmakers scramble to reaffirm support for Jewish state
Israel Today By Ron Kampeas 16 October 2018,
WASHINGTON, DC (JTA) — Sen. Robert Menendez hardly needs to establish his pro-Israel bona fides: he is guaranteed a standing ovation every time he appears at the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and pro-Israel political donors are lining up to back him in an unexpectedly close race for re-election.
But the New Jersey Democrat joined a gaggle of colleagues last week in reaffirming one of his signature issues, after The New York Times suggested that the Democrats’ support for Israel is tottering.
The story, headlined “A New Wave of Democrats Tests the Party’s Blanket Support for Israel,” may have overstated it. There have been a handful of high-profile nominees among Democrats who have indeed questioned orthodoxies about support for Israel, and there is more broadly a readiness to criticize the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, arising in part from his open pro-Trump partisanship.
The Times named four candidates challenging for seats in the US House of Representatives: Ilhan Omar in Minnesota, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York, Rashida Tlaib in Michigan, and Leslie Cockburn in Virginia. All four have been tough on Israel in the past, and commentary by Omar has been outright hostile. Tlaib favors ending assistance to Israel. (Others mentioned in the article have been targeted by Republicans using guilt-by-association tactics, but have conventional Israel views.)
n the piece, Matt Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, laments the “fact that this is allowed to metastasize in the Democratic Party without any real pushback.”
Others deny that it’s a “wave” — at least not yet.
As Ronald Halber, the director of the Jewish Community Relations Council for the Washington, DC, area says in the article, “We’re talking about a handful of people; they’re certainly not going to move Congress’s wall-to-wall support for Israel.”
Nevertheless, The Times helps shape the narrative, so Democrats are pushing back.
“Today, I want to once again reaffirm that the United States Congress stands firmly behind a strong US-Israel relationship,” Menendez said in a statement sent October 10. “As threats to Israel continue to increase, as her enemies continue to grow ever-closer, the United States will stand firm in our commitments.”
He added: “Despite partisanship interfering with so many pressing policy issues today, an overwhelming majority of members of all political parties continue to reaffirm Congressional support for this relationship.”
Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., the Jewish ranking Democrat on the House Middle East subcommittee, penned an op-ed for The Times of Israel titled “A new Democratic House majority will continue our historic support for Israel.”
Lara Friedman, the president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, compiled statements from 10 legislators in her weekly legislative roundup, including Jewish and black Democrats and Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the Democratic whip.
Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas, who is hoping to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, is telling constituents that “he believes Israel is critically important to the United States because it is the home of the Jewish people, because it is an exemplary democracy that shares our values, and because it is a crucial contributor to our national security objectives in the region.”
Rep. Grace Meng, D-NY, as solidly pro-Israel as Menendez, reminded reporters this week of her leading role in securing defense assistance for Israel.
And Chuck Schumer, the New York senator and minority leader, told Jewish Insider: “Senate Democrats are very strongly pro-Israel and will remain that way.”
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U.S. Representative accuses Israel of 'apartheid'
Jerusalem Post By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
"Friends, the world has a name of that form of government that’s codified in the Nation State Law, and it’s called apartheid.”
Betty McCollum, Democratic Representative from Minnesota, said that Israel practices apartheid, in a speech delivered at the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) annual conference where she accepted a leadership award two weeks ago.
The USCPR has been linked with funding BDS activity.
In her acceptance speech, McCollum spoke out against Israel's Nation-State Law defining it as "apartheid."
"Friends, the world has a name of that form of government that’s codified in the Nation State Law, and it’s called apartheid.” said McCollum. October 15, 2018
To his credit, Menendez was anti Iran deal, which I believe is why Obama indicted him. But the Democrats in general are Jew hating, Muslim idealizing, left wing radicals who will, if they can, destroy Israel and sleep comfortably as Israelis are slaughtered.
Translation of article: Yes we’re going to get the Jews killed but let’s pretend the opposite for the small percentage of northeast Jewish voters who haven’t yet embraced the Palestinians.
>>Looking to unseat Republicans in November midterms, opposition lawmakers scramble to reaffirm support for Jewish state
Democrats booed God and Israel at their national convention
they have no support for a Jewish state
The Little Eichmann’s in the Democrat Party want the same thing for Israel’s Jews that the Nazis did.....walking meekly into the gas chambers.
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I can’t make heads or tails out of that headline.
Maybe it’s just me and my Kavanaugh brews tonight.
And no, I didn’t read the article.
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