Public Opinion and Israel Posted by Michael Cohen

Below Ilan makes a good point about the diversity of opinion in the Jewish community when it comes to Israel; but then that has long been the case.

The pro-Israel voices that dominate the American Jewish community have always had an outsized influence on U.S. policy toward Israel and, I would argue, have not really been representative of Jewish public opinion. Indeed, this is why the creation of J Street is such an important and long overdue development. (Here I will even give a head nod to Glenn Greenwald who has repeatedly made the point that American Jews are far less hawkish than the voices that supposedly represent them in Washington).

But having said that, the pro-Israel voices dominate - not only in political influence, but also I would imagine in political giving. The creation of J Street is great, but alas AIPAC is still the preeminent voice in the American Jewish community. Moreover, hawkish Jewish voices are far more likely to be single issue voters on Israel where as pro-peace Jews are generally not. (Also, support for Israel is sort of no-brainer way for liberal Democrats to act tough on foreign policy and burnish their hawkish side without paying much of a political price.)

Until the pro-peace lobby has as much influence as the so-called, pro-Israel lobby then you will continue to see the sort of unanimity that defines U.S. policy rhetoric on the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Of course, there is another important element here as well - the rising level of support for Israel among evangelicals. I have my own, none too charitable view, about the evolving relationship between social conservatives and right-wing Jews. (Since this is a family blog, I will hold my tongue). But, from the pro-Israel perspective it's pretty damn smart to enlist a political ally as powerful as evangelicals and as unbending in their support for Israel. The practically unanimous GOP support for Israel is a more recent development then some folks may realize (just as Jim "F*** the Jews" Baker) and I would imagine it has much to do with support from evangelicals.

Again Ilan is right about the conflict that many American Jews feel about Israel - but we're just not yet at a point where it matters politically.

Comments

[mark hope]

For your information, there is a chance that the WTC attack by terrorist is planned or at least known by the israel. Why? Because on that horrible day, 9 September 2001, 4000 jewish worker who work in WTC did not go to their office in WTC, ALL OF THEM. Is this make sense? Maybe one or two is reasonable. But 4000 of them, all in one day, the day the terrorist attack WTC. There must something behind their absence on 9 September 2001. Maybe they planned it or knew but not tell the american officer. Now let me ask you, who is the parties that gain the most benefit from the WTC attak. THE ONE AND NOT ONLY ISRAEL.

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ISRAEL IS THE BIGGEST TERRORIST IN THE WORLD BECAUSE OF THIS : Israel’s Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, is one of the world’s most bloodstained terrorists. He is responsible for the cold-blooded slaughter of at least 1,500 men, women and children MOSLEM AND CHRISTIAN in the Beirut refugee camps of Chatila and Sabra. Even a formal Israeli commission found Sharon personally responsible for the Lebanese massacres.4

In 1982, as Israel’s defense minister, Sharon directed Israel’s invasion of Lebanon and the carpet bombing and devastation of the city of Beirut (In Lebanon five times more women and children died than in the September New York attack). This terror bombing was carried out by Jews using jet fighters and bombs supplied by the United States.

In their effort to wrest control of Palestine from British control, the Zionists waged a campaign of relentless terror, including the bombing of the King David Hotel, which killed 93 people. They ruthlessly murdered British officials and soldiers. The Zionists assassinated anyone in their way, including the world-respected U.N. mediator, Count Folke Bernadotte, who dared to tell the world of the Zionist terror and murder campaign. Since 1948, Palestinians have faced ongoing terrorism from Israel. Hundreds of villages have been obliterated and literally wiped from the map. Tens of thousands of homes have been bombed, bull-dozed or dynamited during peacetime! Tens of thousands of men, women and children have been killed. Even greater numbers have been blinded, crippled, disfigured and maimed. Hundreds of thousands have been imprisoned and/or tortured. The terror of Israeli torture: at least 150,000 victims

The brutal torture of thousands of one’s enemies must be classified as a particularly vicious form of terrorism. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been tortured in Israeli jails. A Jewish human rights group in Israel confirmed in a 60-page report that 85% of Palestinian detainees undergo torture while in custody.17 And make no mistake about it; many of the tortures endured by these Palestinian victims are the stuff of one’s worst nightmares. Israeli torture includes everything from choking victims with urine and feces soaked bags tied over their heads, to using electric cattle prods for anal rape and mutilation. Israel often doesn’t even admit to who they are holding, so if they decide to kill or torture a Palestinian to death while he is in custody, his body will simply disappear, or they will later claim that they died in a battle with Israeli police before capture. Many thousands of Palestinians and Lebanese have died while in Israeli custody.
Israel’s slaughter of civilians in this terrible 10-day offensive - 206 by last night - has been so cavalier, so ferocious, that not a Lebanese will forgive this massacre. There had been the ambulance attacked on Saturday, the sisters killed in Yohmor the day before, the 2-year-old girl decapitated by an Israeli missile four days ago. And earlier yesterday, the Israelis had slaughtered a family of 12 - the youngest was a four- day-old baby - when Israeli helicopter pilots fired missiles into their home.

Shortly afterwards, three Israeli jets dropped bombs only 250 meters from a UN convoy on which I was traveling, blasting a house 30 feet into the air in front of my eyes. Traveling back to Beirut to file my report on the Qana massacre to the Independent last night, I found two Israeli gunboats firing at the civilian cars on the river bridge north of Sidon…In 1954, the Israeli government launched a secret operation of terror against the United States called Operation Suzannah. In 1967, during the Six Day War, Israel again committed a grievous terrorist act against the United States of America. Searching through hundreds of articles trying to track down the true Israeli death toll, I found a New York Times piece that clarified the precise number of Israelis who died in the World Trade Center attack. It turned out that of the 130 Israelis President Bush claimed had died in the World Trade Center, 129 of them were still alive. Only one Israeli had actually died. Does that make sense?
FOR GOD SAKE, IF YOU CLAIM AS A HUMAN AND CHRISTIAN THEN YOU SHOULD DEFEND YOUR BROTHER FROM ISRAEL. BUT IF YOU ARE DEFEND ISRAEL THEN YOU MUST KNOW THAT YOU DEFEND THE ENEMY OF GOD.

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I would say Israel needs neither America's approval nor help to deal with Iran. Iran's acquisition of nuclear capability is a threat to both the region and American interests. America's recent placating posture towards Iran is pathetic and serves no purpose.

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