The Publisher's Perspective - 11/14/19

The following is my piece in the November 14, 2019 edition of the Philadelphia Jewish Link:

It may sound crazy, but I love politics. In today’s politically charged environment, where bitterness has replaced bipartisanship and contempt has supplanted camaraderie, I admit that my affinity for politics may have you questioning my sanity.

Allow me to explain. Over the years, I have been involved in many political campaigns and worked in state and local government. My work has spanned the gamut – public policy, issue advocacy, drafting legislation and political communications. That feeling of helping a constituent who comes to you for assistance when they have nowhere else to turn is amazing and the sense of fulfillment you get when helping to effectuate legislative change that benefits the Jewish community is incredible. If we can put aside our cynicism for just a moment, it is very possible that more members of our community will recognize the importance of staying abreast of, and active in, the political sphere, both as Americans and as Jews.

Naturally, I am closely following the 2020 presidential race. As the jockeying among the candidates increases in intensity, each person is trying to make themselves stand out in the hopes of getting a bump in the polls. As a result, much of what it is said has to be taken with a grain of salt, in that policy positions sometimes fluctuate as much as the stock market does. What is said today may not hold true tomorrow.

That being said, I was deeply perturbed when several candidates recently stated their readiness to use U.S. aid to Israel as leverage to pressure the Israeli government. Although it is possible that they were merely pandering to a particular audience, the fact that they would present themselves as willing to condition military aid to Israel is terribly alarming.

The $3.8 billion in security assistance that Israel receives annually from the U.S. resulted from a 2016 Memorandum of Understanding entered into between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu, which has a ten-year term.

This aid is absolutely critical to Israel’s safety and security and the well-being of a close American ally. It is a vital tool in Israel’s efforts to maintain a qualitative military edge and ensure that it has the wherewithal to defend itself against the existential threats that it regularly faces. Military aid to Israel cannot and should not be used to score cheap political points, and the fact that certain presidential candidates, or any government official for that matter, would so cavalierly use it as part of the proverbial carrot and stick approach to induce Israel to accede to their political will is infuriating.

The U.S. made a commitment to Israel for a reason and they should stick to it, irrespective of politics. As presidential candidate and former VP Joe Biden said, the notion that the U.S. would cut aid to Israel on the condition that they change a particular policy is “absolutely outrageous” and “a gigantic mistake.”

Yes, I still love politics. It is because I love politics that I recognize the danger in candidates making these types of statements, and it is because I love politics that I recognize the importance of our community speaking out against political pronouncements and positions that could adversely impact Israel. The apparent lack of understanding by some of the significance of U.S. aid to Israel is appalling, and it is up to the American Jewish community to vociferously object to any effort to backtrack on the United States’ commitment to Israel.