Israel Matzav

Insight into the mind of a self-hating Jew: Excerpts from Jeremy Ben Ami's new book with commentary

J Street chief Jeremy Ben Ami (that's him in the picture) has written a book. The book is not doing quite so well on Amazon as they are claiming (when last someone checked, it was # 7 on Israel and not # 1 as they claim). Here are some excerpts someone sent to me. They should be enough to convince you that Gary Ackerman pegged it right when he made the comment quoted in the picture at left.

9—Born in the USA

p39

[Growing up] I understood that the Arabs had tried—more than once—to destroy Israel and make the Jews leave. But never once did I hear their side of history. Not one book in my house told their story. Not one class in Hebrew school exposed us to their culture, their backgrounds and lives… According to the history I learned, Palestine was essentially empty when the Jews arrived. [It was - Mark Twain records it in Innocents Abroad. Twain was here then; Ben Ami was not. CiJ]

p40-41

The story line of the Israel-Arab conflict as my generation learned it was simple and appealing—a tale of good and evil, a morality play pitting David against Goliath…It would be many years before I discovered that there is more than one narrative when it comes to the story of Israel and Palestine. In fact, it wasn’t until I moved to Israel and started meeting those very Palestinians that I learned that, yes, the Palestinians are a people and, yes, they do believe that my people came and threw them out of their homes and took their country away from them. Imagine my surprise when I found out they had the keys to those homes to prove it. [There is no such thing as an ethnically distinct 'Palestinian people.' They were invented by the Arab states as a club against Israel. The Arabs have admitted as much. CiJ].

My father’s politics were liberal-left on all issues…But not when it came to Israel. Little did I know that this was a phenomenon I’d come to know all too well in the American Jewish community later in life.

p43

[Defended Israel in college paper saying that there was media bias etc] Today there are well-funded training programs to arm student activists with talking points and arguments like these. Back then, I just had my father.

My senior thesis…concluded based on 28 years of polling data, that foreign policy actually has little impact on presidential elections. It’s an argument I still find myself making today.

I still hear from [my father’s contemporaries] today…sharing angry, often venomous letters charging me with betraying my father’s legacy.

p44

[Father also went against the mainstream in his day and history proved him right] I find myself on the center-left of the political spectrum, sounding the alarm about the looming existential threat to the democratic state of Israel as a Jewish Homeland if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not resolved…Pro-Israel, pro-Peace movement…[is] attacked by right-of-center establishment, both in U.S. and Israel

p45

[Out of college little thought to Israel, at White House} my interactions with the Jewish community and the issue of Israel were sporadic…I’d talk abt [diff issues] but Israel? I left that to my colleagues from the Nat. Sect. Council, and I’d head back to my office when they started talking

p46

I was jolted…out of my complacency by the assassination of PM RABIN IN 1995. [tried to understand how jew could kill jew, frustrated couldn’t read Hebrew so went to Israel]

p47

[In Ulpan met Pals for first time] [Interesting how he apparently doesn't stop to ask what the fact that Israel provides 'Palestinians' with free ulpan (Hebrew lessons) shows us about Israel]. After 35 yrs of knowing little more than the caricatures on which I had been raised, I was know getting to know [them]…I learned again a basic rule of history—that one people’s victory is likely to be another’s catastrophe.

4—Sixty Seconds in Santa Fe

p55

[Worked on Dean campaign was at event and while distracted Dean said] US should “not take sides” in the Israeli-Pal conflict…should be “evenhanded” in our approach

That kind of straight talk and honesty is why I went to work for the governor but it certainly didn’t constitute playing by the rules of American politics when it comes to Israel

p62-66

[Worked on Mark Green mayoralty campaign…was revealed he contributed to APN…Hikind attacked him for questionable loyalty to Israel]

I was close to Peace Now, having consulted for them when I lived in Israel…I found it outrageous that a candidate in the largest city in the US would have to pass a loyalty test to Israel established by settler allies from the west bank.

[Dean & Green were] articulating a mainstream position on American foreign policy…Yet both candidates were treated as if they had blundered horribly…both minor examples of what happens every day when American politics intersects with Israel’s most vocal supporters [He sounds like Walt and Mearsheimer, doesn't he? CiJ]

[How did all this happen?] What about my views, and the views of all my colleagues and friends who had lived and worked in Israel, who passionately believe it will serve Israel’s and Americas interests for the US to be more evenhanded in its approach to the conflict?

How these rules were written and codified is a fascinating tale of modern American politics. The need to rewrite these rules has become the mission of my life

5—The Loudest 8%

p67-75

How he met Jim Gerstein…Jim said based on data that] Israel is a “threshold” issue for Jewish voters…Only a small percentage of Jewish Americans actually vote based primarily on whether or not a candidate adheres to their party line on Israel…And that minority definitely trends further to the right than Jewish Americans as a whole when it comes to Israel…Jim [calls] this minority “the loudest 8% in the country” bc their voices dominate the public debate and the perception of where the community stands…But the views of this minority are out of date and out of touch w the broader American Jewish public.

[Wrong perception that Jewish American community is single-issue voting bloc and that to win votes candidates need to be as far right as possible. So candidates talk mostly abt Israel etc when addressing Jewish community and don’t address issues which they care abt most]

[What are views of Jewish Americans?] We can certainly start with the notion that Jews are libral politically. They self-identify as liberal or progressive, and they vote Democrat. Repubs continually try to claim that Jews are moving towards right and try to use Israel as a wedge issue but based on data, polling, etc, this is all obviously a “myth”] [Not such a myth based on recent polling. Obama majority has definitely shrunk. CiJ].

p76-78

Jewish Americans grow up both conscious and proud of Jewish leadership of mvmnts for justice and equality over the past century…We understood that it was our role to help fight oppression and injustice. [Loudest 8% don’t have these values—they are less democratic, liberal, progressive, more likely to have voted for McCain, be religiously observant and] opposed to active American leadership as a means to solve a conflict.

[Not only have the loudest 8%] created the impression of a community w a single-minded focus on Israel, they have backed it p w just enough money and political muscle to skew the national conversation abt foreign policy and the Middle East for more than a generation.

6—Ending the Conflict

p79-81

Those who oppose efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict love to say that there’s no point in trying, bc this is a fight that has been raging since time immemorial btwn mortal enemies destined to hate each other…In fact, the history of Jewish/non-Jewish relations in the land of Palestine, and throughout Arab and Muslim land, was fairly positive…root of conflict is national and territorial…without religious overtones. The resolution of this conflict [is] clear: the division of the land into two states, on for the Jewish people and one for the Palestinians. [If it's so clear, why have the Arabs rejected it time and time again? CiJ]

p83-86

[Consequences of occupation after ‘67 war…names Israeli leaders at the time who opposed settlements bc thought Israel would be viewed as kind of apartheid state…Israel ignored those voices and kept developing settlements…but Israeli leaders always knew the territories would need to be addressed in negotiations…]Since 1990’s negotiators have embraces the same basic outline…the “Clinton Parameters”

p87-89

Despite widespread public support for a two-state solution…3 factors make resolving the conflict increasingly difficult and urgent. [(1) Technology and more lethal weaponry (2) deepening extremist ideology (3) Demography…] Given these threats…Israel finds itself at a critical fork in the road, facing a choice of existential proportion: Either end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict now thru a two-state solution or cling to an untenable status quo that leads to the decline of its Jewish character, its democratic values and its international standing. [The demography issue is bogus - it's based on statistics that double count 'Palestinians' in Jerusalem and count 'Palestinians' who have not lived in the area in years. CiJ].

p90-91

The creation of a political home for the Palestinian people at some point in the coming years is inevitable. The question is whether the Israeli political system can muster the will to swallow the compromises necessary to achieve this outcome peacefully and diplomatically now, or whether it will take years or decades, not to mention thousands of lives lost

One common observation is that one side has the capacity to take the steps necessary to end the conflict, but not the will. The other side has the will, but not the capacity…Left to their own devices, the Israelis and Palestinians are unlikely to muster the political will to hash out the details of an agreement…That’s why the assistance of 3rd parties, in particular that of the United States, is indispensable…Luckily, it also has a strong self-interest in ending the conflict.

7—The Crossroads of politics and policy on Israel

p93-97

[Even though everyone in Washington agrees about what should be done in ME, they won’t say what they truly feel about the Israeli-Palestinians conflict bc of the Israel Lobby…they think it will cost them Jewish support. Jewish support=money not votes] This political dynamic goes a long was toward explaining how the United States…is unable to find a way to end the conflict when both the need and the solution are so evident. [More Walt and Mearsheimer conspiracy theories. CiJ]

Jewish Americans do provide a disproportionately large percentage of funding for American political candidates and committees…Washington insiders seem surprisingly unaware, however, how little of this financial support from Jewish Americans has anything to do with Israel. They don’t seem to grasp that Jewish Americans aren’t single-issue voters and actually hold moderate to liberal views on Israel. In J Street’s Nov 2010 poll…we found 78% support among Jewish American voters for a two-state solution…creating a Palestinian state in the WB, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. This is consistent w a long history of surveys…

A 2010 J Street poll also found that, by a margin of 82-18, Jewish Americans (JA’s) understand that a two-state solution is necessary to strengthen Israel’s security and ensure its Jewish, democratic character. [It's all in how you ask the question, and J Street does its own, biased polling via Gerstein. 'Nuff said. CiJ]

Further, 69% of JA’s believe that Israel should suspend, either partially or totally, construction of Jewish settlements on the WB, This, too, reflects a consistent view among JA’s that the settlements a re counterproductive to efforts to resolve the conflict peacefully. [65-35% support active, balanced US role in resolving the conflict]

The political establishment just does not hear the moderate voice. Instead what they hear constantly is vocal support for Israel, whether Israel is right or wrong…This voice tells them that the only way to truly support Israel is by not questioning any legislation, resolutions, or letters related to the conflict that express unwavering commitment to one side of the conflict (Israel) and frustration and doubt about the other (Pals and Arabs).

p98-105 (Israel Lobby/ECI)

[Bc of Jewish /Israeli ties to prominent Republicans] The challenge to the rest of us could not be clearer….AIPAC…is only one of a number of forces…None of these many organizations are actually in the business of electoral politics…In the 2010 election cycle, the primary vehicle for attacks on candidates perceived as being insufficiently pro-Israel was a newly formed body called the Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI)

Formed by Bill Kristol…neoconservative…neoconservative contention that strength and military power are more useful tools than diplomacy and conciliation, meshes well with the right-of-center views now dominant in Israel…strong cross-fertilization btwn Israel-focused and neoconservative think tanks in the US…The views of neoconservatives could not differ more from those of the overwhelming majority of JA’s.

Gary Bauer…president of the nonprofit American Values which according to its website, “is deeply committed to defending life, traditional marriage and equipping our children with the values necessary to stand against liberal education and cultural forces.

Rachel Abrams…wife of Elliot Abrams and daughter of legendary neoconservatives

ECI itself does not appear to be associated directly with AIPC. Rather it looks more like a partisan Republican political operation, staffed by two young Repub and neoconservative political operatives—Michael Goldfarb and Noah Pollak. Goldfarb was John McCain’s spokesman on Jewish issues…and worked closely with Kristol at the National Review. Pollak, the group’s exec director, has written for Commentary (whose founding editorial board include Kristol and Podhoretz) and worked for the Shalem Center in Jerusalem, the think tank that was home to…Michael Oren.

ECI ran television ads attacking a number of Democratic members of Congress for signing a letter to the president in early 2010 urging that the closure of Gaza be eased. They painted those members as friendly to Hamas and anti-Israel…attacks meshed with…RJC…aimed are peeling away Jews from their traditional Democratic affiliations---efforts that…have not succeeded.

I do not accept that these groups…constitute a vast “Israel Lobby” …In fact I believe that these efforts to overstate Jewish power in this way are playing into nasty historical stereotypes that have fueled prejudice against the Jewish people over the centuries…

[Candidates have to memorize talking points on Israel and have to learn proper way to be “pro-Israel”…go on educational trip to ME after election courtesy of AIPAC etc…during tenure get visits and contributions of Jewish community and AIPAC reps] Newly elected officials are trained well…to live with a element of fear of what might happen if they start to toe a different lie when it comes to Israel [Examples of Sen. Charles Percy and Cynthia McKinny who lost bc were believed to be anti-Israel. Donna Edwards didn’t toe the line but was reelected overwhelmingly in 2010…She has found considerable support for her reasonable positions]

BEWARE THE BACKLASH p105-108

The traditional pro-Israel community employs a powerful combination of political assistance for those who follow the line and a healthy dose of fear for those who don’t…efforts cross the line from an admirable exercise of political power to overplaying one’s hand…interests of Jewish community and Israel are not well served by level of resentment…members of Congress and their staffs…[feel] dread as they head to the floor of the House or Senate to cast votes on Israel related resolutions…few members are willing to say no…it’s just not worth the political price…[they] resent the treatment they receive from pro-Israel lobbyists….majority of national political leaders know [that] there is a diversity of political views in Jewish community….Where, they wonder, are the moderate, rational voices when it comes to talking about Israel?

By the spring 2004 I was convinced that the rulebook of American politics needed a thorough rewrite…skewing the substantive discussion in DC about actual American policy.

After all, shouldn’t there be at least as much space for discussion here as there is in Israel itself? If Israel’s politicians can talk openly and honestly…why cant America’s?

[Those who don’t agree] need to know that there will be meaningful political support for them. They need to se evidence that for every prominent donor they think they may lose, another will take its place. They need to know that someone’s got their back…We sought to fill this gap by providing a political voice for friends of Israel…who are willing…to break with Israeli govt policy. Who are ready to say that the US may need to press not only the Palestinians and the Arabs to make peace but the Israelis, too.

P109- 112(George Soros/Launching J St)

[Oct 26, 2006 called confidential meeting w Soros, Peter Lewis, Charles Bronfman, etc…but before meeting story broke and criticized in particular for Soros’s participation. Soros opened meeting saying why he couldn’t participate: “I am not sufficiently engaged in Jewish affairs to be part of the reform of AIPAC.” Supposed to launch w budget of $10 million and merger with IPF, APN, AJP but didn’t have enough support so launched w $1.5 million. ]

We ultimately did gain the financial support of George Soros, who began contributing to the effort in the late fall of 2008…Soros’s prediction was on the mark: The revelation of his support generated a storm of controversy. So did the decision not to make his support public when it began. I am proud to have George Soros’s support. I believe his philanthropy and political activism represent the best of Jewish values in action, and I regret that I succumbed to the very political pressure that J Street is trying to defeat in arguing that we should keep his support quiet. Happily none of the controversy…has stopped the effort from taking off successfully…Michael Goldfarb and other right-wing activists tried to frighten members of Congress out of serving on our Host Committee [but unsuccessful]

On our first conference’s opening night, the “majority” of Israel’s supporters, the moderates, were silent no more. The Obama administration, coming into office just months after J Street launched, recognized this emerging power center and sent National Security advisor Jim Jones to address our conference and invited me to a meeting of American Jewish leaders

The goal of J Street is to be a new voice for Israel, not to be “the” voice of the American Jewish community…We know that we disagree substantively and politically with many in the community who are more skeptical of chances of reaching a peace deal, of capacity and willingness of the Palestinians and of the long-term viability of such an arrangement…We want a voice in the American political debate that reflects the progressive and liberal tendencies of that community and that is consonant with the values on which we were raised. We want nothing less to rewrite the rules of American politics. Our job wont be complete, however, unless we change the rules of the Jewish community as well.

8—Generation Oy

p113-119

The level of direct connection btwn Jews in America and Jews in Israel is…surprisingly low. [J St polls and others show that approx 33% of US Jews travel to Israel and overall interaction has been trending downward…can explain it generationally…Generational gap btwn non-Orthodox Jews over 65 and those under 35…Younger Jewish Americans are further removed from fear of prejudice and anti-Semitism. Growing up, Ben Ami very attached to Israel]

Israel, to today’s younger generation, is less a miracle than a fact…The notion of Israel as David and the Palestinian people as past of an Arab Goliath sounds backwards to them…They see less an Israeli fight for survival, and more a Palestinian fight for freedom, in which the underdogs are no longer the Jews…that fight for liberation and justice resonates.

Jewish children in the US today are unlikely to forge an emotional connection w Israeli settlers…they are…more apt to relate personally to the young Christian woman from Gaza denied permission to re-enter the WB in order to complete her university degree in Bethlehem…they’re shocked when they hear that rabbis rule that it is a sin to rent a home to an Arab, and that a majority of Jewish Israelis support this discrimination, not the Arabs who are its victim.

[Among non-Orthodox Jews under 35…those who are “left-leaning” are just as tied to Israel as those who are “right-leaning”] Jewish liberals…should find it reassuring and empowering that they care as much about Israel as do their conservative neighbors…If liberals care just as much about Israel as do conservative community members, their concern for an perspective on the future of Israel deserve equal respect and airtime.

[American Jews are giving less to Jewish causes…making pro-Israel liberals more comfortable will reverse 50% decline in donations]

p120-126

[Flotilla: Agreement w Israeli statement—middle age, conservative, religious. Turkish statement—18-29…Younger Jews no less connected to Judaism but not connected to Israel…need more progressive approach] One of the surprises for me, since starting J St, has been that the net generation of leaders in the Jewish community seems to see Israel largely as a headache or impediment, rather than as a potential asset to their work…[In Israel lots of young activists working in NGOs for more just, peaceful society, supporting non-violence resistance in occupation of WB]

Young Americans should be exposed…to the passionate activism of young Israelis who have finished their military service and are now speaking out against the occupation. Instead those Israeli speakers are often blocked from traditional American campus events and certainly not on itinerary for Birthright

[major philanthropists have tried to get young Jews to relate more strongly to Israel…things like Birthright don’t work bc they fail to address the issues…Progressive students want to express anger over Palestinian plight…so they join movements like BDS] The problem is that the policies of the state of Israel and the behavior of parts of the Jewish community in Israel are simply tremendously disturbing to large numbers of students and even to their professors…The proper response…is not to label them as anti-Israel or to throw them out of the communal tent…not a vigorous reiteration of Israel’s right to exist

p126- (Beinart)

[reviewed threats to Israel’s democracy and concluded [that the current Israel conversation in the Jewish community is putting the future of liberal ZIonism, and support for Israel among young Jewish Americans, at risk…I would go further…the conversation is putting the heart and soul of the entire American Jewish community at risk…[solution: Criticism of Israel needs to be met w rational dialogue and community leadership should speak up loudly when Israel’s is exhibiting bad behavior]

9—Five Million Jews, One Opinion?

Silencing the Dissent p131-138

[Dissent over Israel is a good thing nowadays…kvetching how J Street is not recognized as pro-Israel, ostracized etc…modern day McCarthyism of ppl who express their positions on Israel

Funding p138-141

Another tool in the right-wing playbook is to throw around financial clout.

[Federations adopt funding guidelines when it comes to Israel—when it comes to BDS, the Israeli govt and right-wing activists in US don’t make distinction btwn those who are anti-Israel and those who are protesting Israeli policies related to Pals but support Israel’s right to exist…also screen speakers, programs, funding, etc in advance to see if they’re properly pro-Israel] Further polarizing American Jews and undermining debate

p142- 144(HRW, etc]

[As soon as HRW focuses on Israel it’s branded as anti-Semitic, attacked by Israeli govt, called anti-Israel by AIPAC…even its founder, etc…progressive Jewish orgs who are not as well funded observe this so steer clear of Israel bc scared that they wont have funding if they criticize Israel.] [Two words: Marc Garlasco. CiJ]

Rather than live in fear of the consequences, progressive Jews need to lead the way [lots of Jewish philanthropists w progressive values like Soros who gave $100 million to HRW, etc]

The Enemy Of My Enemy p144-149

[McCarthyism…Dershowitz and Sarna were certain that J St is “Trojan horse for anti-Israel activists…but could only name Soros as anti-Israel]

[Stephen Walt support of J St drew criticism….In book Walt actually called for a group like J St…Ben Ami refused to announce his favorable comments/support]

The taunts, funding threats and guilt by association all add up to an undemocratic and un-Jewish pattern of limiting dissent…The self-appointed “pro-Israel” forces have skewed the conversation so severely…everyone else finds themselves blacklisted…[which is why many progressives just don’t engage in the conversation and community] It’s time to let them back in…rewrite the rulebook governing Israel conversation…

10—Rewriting the Rules

p151-172

[No single voice can speak for the Jewish Americans on Israel…threats of growing number and clout of Orthodox in Israel…Avigdor Leiberman…]

[Questions for leaders: criticism vs. delegitimization, will we censor, effectively restrain criticism of those who dissent, stand up for rights of Muslim Americans, step back from alliance w evangelicals, give young ppl space to openly discuss Israel ??]

Suggestions for refreshing the rulebook:

1. Supporting and loving Israel should be more than a simple yes-or-no proposition (redefinition of what it means to be pro-Israel)

2. Being pro-Israel should not require accepting everything Israel’s govt says on its face or pledging unquestioning loyalty to the policies of the govt…American Jews should have just as much say as Israelis…not all those engaged in the use of boycotts…are “anti-Israel”...The quickest and most effective way for Israel to take the steam out of the growing BDS movement would be to end the occupation. Then it would be unmistakably clear who are simply critics of Israeli policy, and who are intransigent enemies of the sate itself

3. The American Jewish community should ally with those whose values we share and be wary of selling out our values in an effort to grow the base of Americans supporting Israel...i.e. evangelical Christians—in particular Pastor John Hagee, Gary Bauer, Mike Huckabee

4. Not every “pro” requires an “anti” We should not ask people, organizations, or even countries to pick sides…Time to view support for the creation of a Pal state as a legitimately pro-Israel position…Us vs. them mentality—Park 51 Islamic center…J St/liberals defended it…Support for Obama was at least partly rooted in rejection by younger people of exactly the sort of rigid us-vs-them mindset that drives the communal approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict [Anyone need more proof that Ackerman was right? His head is so open his brains have fallen out. CiJ]

P173-4

The traditional institutions that have led organized American Jewish community for the better part of the past century need to face the reality that the product they are marketing just isn’t selling the way it used to…loss of donors, resources, interest, etc…Newer groups like Jewish Funds for Justice, American Jewish World Service and J St are growing robustly...not disconnected from our identity and heritage…simply dissatisfied with the traditional options the community is offering for connecting to them.

11 What becomes of Tel Aviv in 2019

P179-187

My joy and pride is Israel’s present are, however, balanced and at times exceeded by my deep concern for its future. [Israel’s failure to address its challenges is due to leaderless and paralyzed political system and allies who enable the country’s willful denial]

Israel must choose among 3 things: the land it has occupies since 1967 beyond the Green line, it’s Jewish majority, and its democracy. It can only have 2 of the 3…One by one, each of Israel’s PM’s has come to grips with this reality [and pursued 2-state resolution]…Ehud Barak, warned: failure to make peace with the Palestinians would leave the state of Israel at risk of becoming an “apartheid” regime [Olmert, Meridor agree]

One-state solution: For me there is no one state solution, only a one state nightmare…They need a divorce and they need it now before they kill each other…One critical test of Israel’s character…will be how it treats the non-Jews living in the state, in particular the indigenous Palestinian population … [problems: tensions of being democratic and Jewish…need to separate religion and state…ultra-Orthodox maintain govt opposed to territorial compromise]

There are proposals in the Knesset right now to institutionalize a form of second-class citizenship for non-Jewish Israelis, launch McCarthy-style investigations into organizations that promote civil and human rights and restrict free expression…[also] gap btwn rich and poor.

The ultimate dream is the same today as it was four generations ago—to be a free people in our own land—yet it has not been fully realized. Only an agreement that ends the conflict with the Palestinian people and established recognized borders for the state will grant Israel the full legitimacy it deserves and a permanent place in the community of nations.

12—America’s Stake in Ending the Conflict

p189-196

Fundamental national interest of the US…engaged militarily there…2006 ISG study: “The US will not be able to achieve its goals in the ME unless the US deals directly w the Arab-Israeli conflict.”

The Right is terrified that the public may recognize that the ongoing Israeli-Arab and Israeli-Palestinian conflict runs against American interest bc that could lead to meaningful pressure on Israel to cede land on the West Bank…

By arguing that…Patraeus is wrong for drawing a simple and logical connection btwn the festering of Israeli-Pal conflict and American interests…American Jewish leaders risk appearing to put their own interests, and those of the state of Israel, ahead of the interests of the US

Obama and the Future

p197-204

Despite the good will and best intentions, the Obama administration has failed in its first two years to bring the underlying conflict any closer to resolution…the president was quickly perceived by the Israeli public as favoring the Palestinians over them. But his early decision to put so much political capital into achieving a total settlement freeze was perhaps the most serious strategic mistake…The position was entirely consistent w the roadmap laid out by Bush…The Palestinians were delighted…The rest of the world was presently surprised and supportive…the Israelis said no…Settlements are a symptom of an underlying disease—the lack of a defined border…defining the border…would put an end to the settlement issue.

I would argue that the time has come for the US, w broad support from the international community, to publicly put the widely accepted parameters of a peace agreement on the table and then ask the parties publicly to respond…Let’s put them to the test…If one party says yes and the other hesitates, it will be clear where the obstruction lies. Either way it’s time to end the “peace process” as we know it. [Clinton tried that. We all know what happened. Israelis expressed reservations. 'Palestinians' said no. Ask Clinton whom he blames for failure. CiJ]

Mahmoud Abbas and PM Salaam Fayyad may not be perfect, but they are the best Palestinian leader Israel is likely to have to work with for quite some time; they are dedicated to diplomacy, negotiation, and a two-state solution that recognizes Israel’s right to exist. [You can''t make peace with the leaders. You have to make peace with the people. We may yet suffer for that mistake in Egypt and Jordan. The 'Palestinian people' don't want peace. They want to destroy Israel. Two-state is just a phase for them. See recent Greenberg poll. CiJ]

Ideally, the president should place efforts at resolution into a comprehensive, regional framework—for instance, taking the Arab League up on its Arab Peace Initiative…regional approach.

The “loudest 8%” has been astoundingly effective in shaping the discourse in Washington when it comes to Israel…The key to change, therefore, is to organize a broader pool of “passionate moderates” into a true counterweight to balance the energized minority…must demonstrate to the White House, to members of Congress, and to the political world that a sufficient base of political support exists and can be delivered to back them up if they break w the status quo. And this movement must be significant enough to not only help a White House pursue peace, but to make it politically costly not to pursue the end of the conflict aggressively.

13—Giving Voice to Our Values

p205-209

The ongoing occupation of the WB and the blockade of Gaza shouldn’t end simply bc they are strategically bad for the long-term security and survival of Israel, or bc they damage the national interests of the US. They should end bc they are morally wrong.

Yet to raise these moral questions opens you to a scathing attack and to being labeled “virulently anti-Israel.” The charge if you talk about Israel’s human rights record? That you are contributing to the delegitimization of the sate of Israel.

[Dershowitz’s and other’s arguments that other countries like China, etc are worse human rights abusers are inconsequential…and can’t use the argument that “they started it”]

p209-214

I also question the ethics of those in the Jewish community who cut off the conversation on human rights and morality by personally attacking those who raise the issues. Look, for instance, at the treatment of Richard Goldstone. [Lists all his credentials as pro-Israel, etc] But then he led the international commission appointed by the UNHRC to investigate the actions of both Israel and Hamas during Operation Cast Lead…Opposition to the Goldstone Report became a rallying cry in Israel and among the right-of-center Israel advocates around the world. PM Netanyahu labeled it as one of the great strategic threats facing Israel…However, the proper response to the reports charges would be…to confront the troubling moral questions in defense of Israel’s actions, rather than refusing to participate…Instead the Israeli and Jewish establishments unleashed a torrent of personal attacks on the judge that turned his name into a dirty word. [He ignores the fact that Goldstone has recanted. I guess he only reads the New York Times and not the Washington Post. CiJ]

With the govt of Israel and its defenders labeling any critique of Israel off limits and unacceptably anti-Israel, it’s not surprising that there’s little room for the nuanced position that, despite the disproportionate international focus on Israel, the country still does have human rights issues that need to be addressed.

In Israel, the attacks against human rights organizations are steady, harsh, and growing…NGO Monitor…Im Tirtzu etc….The Knesset is considering a range of legislation that would dramatically limit the rights of those promoting human rights in Israel…This list of pending legislation that would erode the foundation of Israel’s democracy is lengthy, much of it is designed by Israel’s right wing to shut down the country’s human rights movement…Neither survival without morality nor morality without survival is a satisfactory outcome. [We also HAVE human rights organizations. No one else in this region does. CiJ]

14—Why Not?

P216-end

For several generations now, Jews in the US and in other parts of the Diaspora have grown up understanding our role: As our cousins in Israel build the national home of our people, it is our duty to answer their call for help. And so we have been asked for money…We have been asked to consider making aliyah…We are asked to lobby on Israel’s behalf in Washington and with govts around the world…We have been asked to visit as tourists and establish a personal connection w the country…

Today, however, Israel needs something much more and far different than it has in the past. Israel is at risk…It’s not simply an external enemy pointing a rocket, building a bomb or proposing a UN resolution. The threat today to Israel’s long term security and character is its failure to recognize the danger that comes with not achieving a two-state solution, not addressing and resolving the claims of the Palestinian people, not helping them achieve their freedom and independence.

Listen carefully and you’ll even hear former Israeli prime ministers and many of Israel’s military leaders and leading intellectuals begging us to recognize that Israel faces an existential threat…They—not Israel’s enemies—tell us that Israel is “finished”….speak of a future that resembles far too closely an apartheid state.

The conflict has a rational solution. It is still, at the end of the day, a dispute between two people over one piece of land. [No, it's not. It's over Israel's existence. Ben Ami cannot acknowledge that the conflict here is and always was a zero sum game. Israel has tried everything possible short of suicide and swimming to bring about peace. And our own people act to undermine us abroad. CiJ] And it’s our choice whether to fight to the death over it or to find some way to share it in peace…

This is the greatest love we can show Israel—don’t sit idly by and watch the country head for a cliff of its own making…This is the Zionism of the 21st century.

The present path that the state of Israel is on is unsustainable. The occupation of another ppl and the denial of their national aspirations and their rights is not only morally unacceptable, it is a fatal threat to the entire enterprise of the state of Israel.

A new voice is needed for an American Jewish community, one that is read to speak these truths and redefine what it means to be pro-Israel in the 21st century.

Don't read the whole thing (i.e. don't put money in his pocket by buying the book). This ought to be enough to tell you all you need to know.

Labels: Israel Lobby, J Street, Jeremy Ben Ami, paranoia

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:35 AM