Israel and American Politics

I just finished Jeremy Ben-Ami's book A New Voice For Israel, which lays out the case for J Street in the American political environment.  I'm toying with the idea of getting more into J Street, as I really agree with Ben-Ami's frustration regarding the "rules" of the Israel policy discussion in the US. 

The American polity's positions on Israel extend from the absolute, unquestioning fetishisizing of the Jewish state among the Republican party, all the way to the strong support without the anti-Arab vitriol, which characterizes the Democrats.  Now I know that in Europe there are real anti-Israel voices that have real power, but there's none of that in the US ouside of the Chomskyite fringes.

As Ben-Ami says, AIPAC and other representatives of the Jewish establishment have done a great job forcing the conversation the way they have- there is just no questioning by either party regarding US support for Israel. 

So it seems to me that the existential problem for single-issue pro-Israel political entities here is that they've already succeeded completely in meeting what should be their goal- to keep US support strong for the benefit of Israel.  But AIPAC and other organizations can't now just pack up and disband, having met their goal.  So it seems that the American Jewish establishment has set out to look for fights, to ensure that not even a wisp of argument that might lead to something that sounds anti-Israel will be tolerated in polite debate in the US.

As Ben-Ami argues, the American Jewish Right doesn't seem to currently support a two state solution in Israel.  I'm not sure that's true, as I still get the sense that the American Jewish establishment at least pays lip service to a two state solution.  Still, it's perfectly acceptable in the US to talk about the hopelessness of negotiating with the Palestinians, and to imply that Israel should just hold on to the West Bank forever.  But when a voice from the Left talks about ending the Occupation or curtailing Jewish settlements in the Territories, the speaker is pilloried as Anti-Semitic.  When a Jew (like me) complains about these things, he's labeled "self-hating".

That frankly pisses me off a lot.  To talk about Israeli mistakes or criticize policies is not anti-Semitic, and it's not even anti-Israel.  I love Israel, and so does Ben-Ami- his grandparents were among those who founded Tel Aviv, and his father was a Jabotinskyist who came to America to raise money for the cause during the early days of the new country.  I can't claim that kind of connection, but I've been to Israel three times, speak a little Hebrew, and feel very strongly about the country's prosperity and survival. 

The worry is that Israel needs to make peace in order to have a long-term future as a Jewish and Democratic state.  Occupation is necessary right now, clearly, as it wouldn't be safe to allow Palestinians dedicated to Israel's destruction to have carte blanche to operate only a few miles from Jerusalem.  But it's not good!  And building Jewish settlements deep in the West Bank is very clearly an impediment to peace.  To say that isn't anti-Israel- it's pro-Israel.  Just because the Palestinians are worse doesn't mean that Israelis are off the hook.

So I'm not all in for J Street right now, but I'm thinking about it.