As we bear witness to the abrupt alteration of U.S. policy toward Israel, we question the wisdom in pursuing a path that disregards reality and that is doomed to inevitable failure because the Arabs simply will not recognize or make peace with Israel. How can the U.S., a country whose history has been molded by its Bill of Rights, ignore the Palestinian leadership’s continued infringement of basic human rights?
For example, the imposition of the death penalty on any Palestinian who sells or leases land to a Jew runs counter to every fundamental moral and humanistic code known to man. The blatant discrimination being perpetrated by the Palestinian leadership should make the Obama administration shudder and should repulse every American and every American political leader who champions the guarantee of equal protection under law.
Are these the “peace partners” the U.S. wants to work with? Is this the type of government the U.S. wants to entrust with statehood? This breach of human rights and basic decency should be met with outrage and disgust by the American government.
When the Obama administration and its emissaries advocate for an independent Palestinian state side by side with Israel, it discounts the legitimate security concerns raised by Israeli leaders. By placing undue pressure on Israel to endorse an independent Palestinian state, the U.S. is undermining Israel and essentially telling the world that Israelis, the only people in the Middle East who democratically choose their leaders, have no right to expect their leaders will carry out their election platforms unless they are pre-approved by the United States.
This is undemocratic and must not be tolerated. How can the U.S. compel Israel to accept another Arab state when the Arab nations persistently refuse to accept Israel as a state for the Jews? How can Israel be expected to live side by side with people who preach hatred in their schools and use textbooks containing racist material to incite their youth to rise up against Israel? Where is the evenhandedness in this endeavor?
The Obama administration must recognize the path it is presently pursuing is fraught with peril. Politically expedient sound bites delivered through the media that masquerade as diplomacy could have a devastating effect on a nation with which the U.S. has maintained a congenial and cordial relationship since its birth as a state.
The shifting political winds bring with them an icy breeze that is sending shivers down the spines of not just Israeli leaders but Jews and non-Jews throughout the world who care deeply about the future of the Jewish state.
As Americans, as voters, and, most important, as Jews, we have a distinct responsibility to make our voices heard and let our elected representatives know the path they’ve chosen on U.S.-Israel relations is heading in the wrong direction. With the threat of a nuclear Iran looming large, the Obama administration should be working to further solidify its relationship with Israel, its only true ally in the region, and not alienate its leaders.
The U.S. should reassess the long-term ramifications of an ill-advised, imprudent, and injurious approach. At this perilous time in world history, America must continue to work with Israel to further common goals and mutual interests.