Do yourself a favor. Next time you read a story about violence on the Gaza Strip, or the never-ending battle between Israel and Palestine, go Google a picture of the West Bank. Take a look at this sacred territory that so many people are fighting and dying over. I don’t care what ghosts inhabit the area; that desert heap isn’t worth one single human life.
In the last decade or so there has been a bizarre marriage between American patriotism and support for Israel. It’s the ludicrous idea that we’re supposed to support every decision made by Israel no matter how dumb or erratic those decisions may be. This has come up in the most recent presidential election (which hopefully will be over by the time you read this). The candidates campaign for the Jewish vote by expressing just how supportive of Israel they’ll be and just how hard on Iran they’re gonna be. Obama got it right when he said in an interview with The Atlantic that the Arab-Israeli dispute is a constant sore that hinders our foreign policy.
Israel is our ally, not our soul mate, not our blood brother, but our ally. The arguments for supporting it unconditionally are usually based on vague notions of supporting democracy or religious freedom. There is a rather large sect of Christians, led by Pastor John Hagee, who believe that the Bible commands us to support Israel. Hagee has visited Israel 22 times and has given over $9 million to bring Jews from the Soviet Union to Israel. However, Pastor Hagee’s personal mission shouldn’t transcend to mainstream politics.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is one of the largest lobbying groups in America and was listed as the second-most powerful influence group in Washington by Fortune magazine. Its primary goal is to promote pro-Israeli policy. While AIPAC has helped mold relations between the U.S. and Israel, some politicians like Cynthia McKinney and Jimmy Carter have had reservations about the pressure AIPAC puts on candidates running for office. In 1992, David Steiner, who was the AIPAC president at the time, was forced to resign after he was busted on tape saying how much influence he had with Bill Clinton and how much aid he had attained for Israel.
It’s statements like these that hinder our ability to effectively negotiate with other Middle-Eastern nations who have accused us of being in the pocket of Israel. It’s a little difficult to negotiate a peace treaty when one side thinks you’re rooting for the other. While there’s little doubt that we have to maintain a steady relationship with Israel, it’s also necessary to reevaluate our role in the Zionist movement. We have to be advocates for Israel, but we cannot advocate all actions unconditionally, especially if those actions compromise the livelihood of others.
