Shalom Magazine

By Alexander Lewy
Exclusive for Shalom Magazine
You just woke up. It’s January 2013, a Republican is in the White House, and Congress is retaken by Democrats. Democrats made supporting Israel their top issue in the election and the Tea Party Republican President campaigned on vetoing the Foreign Aid bill, Israel’s lifeline for security investment. For the first time in your life, the United States stops foreign aid to Israel and withdraws from its involvement in the peace process.

You could have helped to stop this from happening. You could have taken a stand to prevent Israel from becoming a wedge issue in the 2012 elections. Why would I place this heavy burden at your feet? As a recently elected city official and someone who has been advising Members of Congress on Middle East policy since 2005, I know how important your voice is.

American politics have become so divisive, we risk labeling important issues that should be "All-American" as Democrat or Republican. With the 2012 elections about to kick into high gear, we need to be vigilant in order to spare Israel from these divisive politics. We’ve all seen the deterioration of civility in political discussion. We’ve seen one party calling the other party un-American. And just as we have a responsibility to restore civility in the political discussion, those of us with a passion for Israeli security have a responsibility to prevent Israel from being used as a wedge issue.

Many of you will have the opportunity to engage candidates throughout the 2012 elections. Whether you choose to show up and have a voice is your choice. You would be surprised to know how much a local activist or supporter influences our approach towards issues and campaigning. The pro-Israel community in America needs to ensure we don’t hear comments like "the Tea Party will cut funding for Israeli security," or "Obama will destroy Israel." This does nothing to further our cause or win favor in the long term. The pro-Israel community (and you as its conduit) can’t be short-sighted and alienate one party or another. Enabling the most staunch right-wing conservative and the proudest left-wing liberal to shake hands and agree that they both support Israel can be our goal.

David Harris wrote recently in the Jerusalem Post, "President Bush was a great friend of Israel, but his administration pushed for the inclusion of Hamas in the 2006 elections, and that was no small error. The repercussions are felt to this day. It merited speaking out, but in a measured way that sought to persuade, not in an all-out assault that lambasted the president from here to eternity, closing doors in the process when they needed to be kept open."

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates spoke before the Defense Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee in March 2011 and confirmed that "in terms of concrete steps to improve the security relationship between the two countries (Israel and the U.S.), more has been done in the last two years than in any comparable period in my entire career. " There was Secretary Gates, a lifelong Republican, who served under Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, testifying under oath to the unparalleled prioritization of Israeli security and cooperation under the current administration.

We are fortunate to have built a strong foundation for bipartisan support for Israel. But we must not allow the current political climate to threaten that foundation. I would say to you that we must encourage both conservatives and liberals to compete for the support of the pro-Israel community. However, it is equally if not more important to dissuade any candidate for office from negatively attacking the opposing party for not being "strong enough" on Israel.

You can help by calling your Member of Congress’ local office or by visiting a federal candidate at a town hall. You should also respect their staff as much as the elected official, since they are often the ones helping to develop policy. Many candidates will not have a firm grasp on these issues nor the time to develop an opinion of their own regarding Israel or the peace process. If you are able to reach the candidate, explain that support from both parties is vital for a long-term, dependable, pro-Israel American foreign policy. It’s important not to accept "I don’t have enough information to make a decision" from a candidate for federal office.

As a pro-Israel member of the community it should be easy for you to explain your love and passion for our only democratic ally in the Middle East. Yet I would warn you against making Israel out to be without faults. No government is perfect and the Israeli government has admitted they made mistakes over the years. Sharing those human flaws along with Israel’s compassion and great accomplishments will go even further towards making the case.

Thank them for their support of Israel and let them know that if they respect our voice, they will not let Israel become a wedge issue. Then hold them accountable, if not for our sake but for Israel’s sake.