Three prominent American Jews could have used their impactful influence to help change the trajectory of disdain toward Israel and support the Jewish state’s right to defend itself, but political aspirations appear to have gotten in the way. Who are they?
First on the list is US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has accumulated the most frequent flyer miles coming and going to Israel. At first, to sound supportive, then to re-qualify support, later to wag the finger and issue ultimatums, and finally to propose unrealistic ceasefire agreements and serve up the unappetizing remains of an absurd two-state solution. .
Blinken, the consummate carrier pigeon, seems willing to be the bearer of threatening messages from his losing political party to the Jewish nation, which has the most to lose if it does not cooperate with what is demanded of it. The party he represents has failed to control his anti-Jewish electorate and has instead turned bitterly against him. Unfortunately, Blinken’s ill-timed and highly flawed proposals only add insult to injury.
Lest we forget, it was the late Senator John McCain who, commenting on Blinken’s appointment as Deputy Secretary of State under the Obama administration, said bluntly: “Blinken is dangerous to the United States. Not only is he not qualified but, in my opinion, he is one of the worst selections of a very bad group that this president has chosen.”
Invoking Jewish heritage, but ignoring Israel when it is needed most
Although Blinken invoked his Jewish heritage on his first visit to Israel after the October 7 massacre, it was not long before his endearing personal ethnic identification morphed into the typically cold position of a political hack, advising the Jewish state to find a way to work together with the same neighbors who celebrated the atrocities committed against innocent Israelis by Hamas, the elected terrorist government of Gaza.
NEXT IS Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders, a self-described socialist who, despite having spent several months volunteering at Kibbutz Sha’ar HaAmakim in 1963, today has not lost his love for the Jewish State and openly supports protests against Israel as they defend themselves from continued Hamas attacks.
While doing his best to put all forms of intolerance on a level playing field, Sanders cleverly lumps anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and “other forms of intolerance” into the same basket, so as not to leave anyone out. But who is singling out Muslims on college campuses or proposing a boycott of those who adhere to Islam? The dissonance does not go unnoticed by those who recognize their false concern for “all” prejudices when in reality only one group is being persecuted.
Expressing great respect for Blinken, in a recent interview on NBC News about the Israeli raid on Rafah, Sanders unashamedly stated that Israel had violated international law and American law, and should not receive “another penny in American military aid.” .
On the one hand, Sanders describes Hamas as a “terrible, disgusting terrorist organization that started this war,” but then blames Israel for carrying out a full-blown attack on the Palestinian people. Absent from his analysis are the gory details of a savage massacre, the likes of which has not been perpetrated against the Jewish people since the dark days of the Holocaust. The Senator also fails to mention the fact that Hamas terrorists are embedded in their civilian population, using public schools, mosques and homes to store their weapons and as safe havens for themselves, knowing that if they are attacked, it will be death. of nearby civilians who will make scandalous headlines.
These are apparently minor details that Sanders apparently considers not worth listing.
It is truly sad to think that a man who once felt passionate enough to volunteer his service to the Jewish homeland now sees that same place as a rogue nation that violates international law and is responsible for perpetrating war crimes against the people who were both generously granted entry into their own southern communities to help them earn a decent living while making them feel valued.
Third on the list is Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who speaks of Israel’s “moral obligation” to do a better job, a superfluous statement in light of the gross immorality perpetrated by Hamas terrorists against entire communities that suffered the worst fate known to humanity. It was in the midst of Israel’s war with these barbarians that Schumer felt the need to express the urgency of new Israeli elections, making the bold judgment that somehow he knows better than the Israeli people which government should run the country.
If the Israelis were willing to overthrow their leaders, it is a decision that only they have the right to make, without interference from an outsider who has a specific agenda regarding how the war should be conducted.
Although he referred to himself as “the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in America,” Schumer used his ethnicity to lend legitimacy to why he has the right to recommend regime change. But it is one thing to invoke your Judaism and another entirely to physically make it your homeland. Schumer has yet to take that step, and until he does, he could leave our political future in the hands of the people who have the most to gain or lose.
Although he was honest enough to point out that the suffering of the Palestinians must be attributed to Hamas, he also joined the chorus of the “two-state solution,” which only served to confirm that he ignores the Palestinian aspiration to seize everything from Israel (“From the River to the Sea”) is either simply naïve in its illusion that a two-state solution will suddenly turn savage, bloodthirsty terrorists into friendly neighbors willing to live in peace. Either way, Schumer has nothing to do with the game and seems oblivious to a new generation of Palestinian children being trained for war with Israel.
Unfortunately, each of these three men could have made a big difference, given their sphere of influence. But, unsurprisingly, as political actors, they have chosen to put partisan considerations before the well-being of the Jewish homeland, a decision they may realize, albeit too late, was a big mistake.
The writer is a former principal of a primary and secondary school in Jerusalem. She is also the author of Mistake-Proof Parenting, available on Amazon, based on the proven wisdom found in the Book of Proverbs.
