Welcoming a New Jewish Voice
Ha'Aretz & Others | 15.11.2008 03:39 | Anti-racism | World
The same thing is currently happening in Britain and Canada as well.
Perhaps more importantly, this proves that the Jewish community, at least in these three countries, strongly rejects the extremism of Israeli Zionism, which is unrepresentative of most Jewish people.
Perhaps more importantly, this proves that the Jewish community, at least in these three countries, strongly rejects the extremism of Israeli Zionism, which is unrepresentative of most Jewish people.
Welcoming a new Jewish voice
By Haaretz Editorial
Tags: Israel News
Barack Obama's election as president of the United States justifiably generates new hope not only for a change in policy but primarily for the implementation of a different point of view. All signs indicate that Israel would do well to understand that while the new U.S. administration is as committed to its security as its predecessors, it may not be able to accept Jerusalem's policy of foot dragging.
No wonder then that many in Israel and the American Jewish community see Obama's election and his apparent policy leaning as a threat.
In the past, Israel has not made do with its leaders' persuasive efforts to ward off U.S. pressure. It tended to recruit an aggressive, powerful Jewish lobby to assist it: The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Over the years, this organization became not only the lobbying extension of Israel's policy - but in many cases it forged its own independent policy, usually with a right-wing agenda, which posited that renouncing the territories posed a threat to Israel's existence.
This lobby, known for its pro-Israel activity, managed to create the illusion that American Jews spoke with one voice, and that this voice spoke exclusively and automatically for the Jewish right wing and Israeli government.
Recently, a new Jewish lobby has been formed, J Street, which proposes a left-wing liberal alternative to AIPAC. This is important news to both peace supporters in Israel and the U.S. Jewish community.
Judging by the new lobby's public opinion poll, some 76 percent of U.S. Jews support negotiating with "Israel's worse enemies," 58 percent support pulling out of the Golan in exchange for peace and 59 percent support withdrawing from the territories. This is a large and important chunk of the Jewish American community, whose voice is usually silent, or silenced with the argument that it is a marginal group of "self-hating Jews" or "Israel haters."
This poll's findings render this argument groundless, just as the claim that the new lobby weakens the Jewish influence on the administration and Congress - because it splits its lobbying power - is false. The establishment of another lobby truthfully reflects the ideological and political controversy that exists in Israel.
AIPAC cannot expect the internal Israeli debate not to reach the U.S. This attitude only deepens suspicions that AIPAC wants to preserve its monopoly of representing the Jewish public's position to the U.S. administration. But this attitude also insults the administration, because it implies that it is not familiar with the complexities of the controversy. Alternatively, it suggests the administration is actually a threat, against which Jewish Americans and Israelis must present a united front.
Israel should not have to decide which lobby represents it, and America's Jews do not need Israel's permission to voice the range of its opinions. Ultimately, the policy of Israel's government, which was elected by its citizens, is the one that should determine its relationships with its neighbors and with the U.S. This said, it is good to hear a new voice emanating from the American Jewish community.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1037284.html
Israel, World Jewry Drift Apart
https://israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/8411/index.php
Jewish Groups Condemn Israel's War Crimes
https://israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/8503/index.php
Poll Reveals Neo-Con Zionist Groups Unrepresentative
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/12/12/ajc_poll/index.html
An invention called 'the Jewish people'
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/959229.html
Zionism's Support Faltering
http://www.israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/7472/index.php
Western Jews Revolt Against Zionist Bully Tactics
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/world/2007/03/364749.html
By Haaretz Editorial
Tags: Israel News
Barack Obama's election as president of the United States justifiably generates new hope not only for a change in policy but primarily for the implementation of a different point of view. All signs indicate that Israel would do well to understand that while the new U.S. administration is as committed to its security as its predecessors, it may not be able to accept Jerusalem's policy of foot dragging.
No wonder then that many in Israel and the American Jewish community see Obama's election and his apparent policy leaning as a threat.
In the past, Israel has not made do with its leaders' persuasive efforts to ward off U.S. pressure. It tended to recruit an aggressive, powerful Jewish lobby to assist it: The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Over the years, this organization became not only the lobbying extension of Israel's policy - but in many cases it forged its own independent policy, usually with a right-wing agenda, which posited that renouncing the territories posed a threat to Israel's existence.
This lobby, known for its pro-Israel activity, managed to create the illusion that American Jews spoke with one voice, and that this voice spoke exclusively and automatically for the Jewish right wing and Israeli government.
Recently, a new Jewish lobby has been formed, J Street, which proposes a left-wing liberal alternative to AIPAC. This is important news to both peace supporters in Israel and the U.S. Jewish community.
Judging by the new lobby's public opinion poll, some 76 percent of U.S. Jews support negotiating with "Israel's worse enemies," 58 percent support pulling out of the Golan in exchange for peace and 59 percent support withdrawing from the territories. This is a large and important chunk of the Jewish American community, whose voice is usually silent, or silenced with the argument that it is a marginal group of "self-hating Jews" or "Israel haters."
This poll's findings render this argument groundless, just as the claim that the new lobby weakens the Jewish influence on the administration and Congress - because it splits its lobbying power - is false. The establishment of another lobby truthfully reflects the ideological and political controversy that exists in Israel.
AIPAC cannot expect the internal Israeli debate not to reach the U.S. This attitude only deepens suspicions that AIPAC wants to preserve its monopoly of representing the Jewish public's position to the U.S. administration. But this attitude also insults the administration, because it implies that it is not familiar with the complexities of the controversy. Alternatively, it suggests the administration is actually a threat, against which Jewish Americans and Israelis must present a united front.
Israel should not have to decide which lobby represents it, and America's Jews do not need Israel's permission to voice the range of its opinions. Ultimately, the policy of Israel's government, which was elected by its citizens, is the one that should determine its relationships with its neighbors and with the U.S. This said, it is good to hear a new voice emanating from the American Jewish community.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1037284.html Israel, World Jewry Drift Apart
https://israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/8411/index.php Jewish Groups Condemn Israel's War Crimes
https://israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/8503/index.php Poll Reveals Neo-Con Zionist Groups Unrepresentative
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/12/12/ajc_poll/index.html An invention called 'the Jewish people'
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/959229.html Zionism's Support Faltering
http://www.israel.indymedia.org/newswire/display/7472/index.php Western Jews Revolt Against Zionist Bully Tactics
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/world/2007/03/364749.html
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