Democrats, Republicans, and Israel

Submitted by Dan Weil (United States), May 25, 2006 at 03:10

Would add to your observations: Most American Jews identify with the Democratic Party; as to the number of Democrats being supporters of Israel, to assess really need a breakdown by category of those being polled: are the number affected by Black and Hispanic responses?

Most Democrats have supported Israel historically because it is a Jewish state; Republicans see it as a Western cultural bastion in the Middle East which is not Muslim or Arab-dominated. That does not make Republicans pro-Jewish, and means shifting political tides can affect that support.

Being anti-Israel does not translate into being anti-semitic; and being pro-Israel does not mean being pro-Jewish.

Republican support for Israel today is somewhat reflective of the attitude of the Christian Right and fundamentalists who have over-reaching influence with the Party. It is not a reason for Jews, or Israel, to feel comfortable.

Lastly, your comments reflect a gross and frightening failure on behalf of the American Jews to adequately address the issue of Palestine and the MIddle East. Too often, they assume a righteous attitude without realizing they have to convince their fellow Americans of the reasons Israel ought exist as a Jewish state and why Palestinians are struggling. With the families of sheiks having hundreds of billions of dollars to spend, so little has been dedicated to building an economically viable Palestinian state.

Why not publish a book detailing how this should have and still need be done? And after publishing, the message has to be constantly packaged in various media outlets, time and again. It involves not just the writing but also the selling.

daniel

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".