Israel, homeland for a people marked by centuries of persecution leading up to the Holocaust, marked its 75th anniversary this week.
After more than six million Jews were systematically murdered by Nazi Germany’s regime, the world saw fit to reestablish the Jewish people in their own historic land. Thus, in 1948, the modern state of Israel was established with David Ben-Gurion serving as its first prime minister, realizing a goal declared in the British government’s 1917 Balfour Declaration. While this is a time for celebration and reflection, we can’t forget the trials and tribulations that the Jewish people endured for so long in order to bring about their current state.
The Six Day War, the Yom Kippur War and seemingly endless “intifadas” waged by Islamofascist terrorists in the area are just some of the violent episodes that have plagued Israel ever since. Its people are tough as nails, however, and they have persevered.
Looking at present-day Israel, divisions certainly remain within the Jewish state. Leaders such as Benjamin Netanyahu have worked to establish a Jewish-style conservatism that has maintained a sense of national purpose and focus, especially in relation to threats from Israel’s neighbors. Yet Netanyahu has recently faced protests at home over his proposal to reform Israel’s court system and allow lawmakers to overturn Supreme Court decisions.
Israel, like America, has been impacted by an increasingly activist, left-wing judiciary seeking to undermine religious conservatives. Supporters of the uprising against Netanyahu have resorted to all-too-familiar slogans about how the Israeli right is a “threat to democracy”.
Meanwhile, here in America, the divide over Israel runs deep.
That divide truly became apparent in 2017 when President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moved the American embassy there from Tel Aviv. Democrats were apoplectic even though they had called for the move for years. They just didn’t want Trump to do it.
Democrats decried Trump’s move to shift the capital of Israel to Jerusalem, claiming it would lead to widespread violence. But the only violence came from the Palestinians who have always denied Israel’s right to exist.
In recent years, Republicans have generally supported Israel while Democrats can hardly mask their anti-Semitism. A recent Gallup poll shows that 49 per cent of Democrats favor Palestinians, while only 38 per cent support Israel.
Republican support for Israel “changed as the Republicans elected the ardently pro-Israel Ronald Reagan and, by the 1990s, the GOP had become overwhelmingly pro-Israel,” explains political analyst Jonathan Tobin. “[Republicans] understood it was the sole democracy in the Middle East and shared common values with Americans. If anything, that support has only grown with Gallup showing that Republicans now back it by a staggering 78-11 per cent margin.”
“After the hostility of the Obama administration, which struck a nuclear deal with Iran that endangered Israel’s existence,” Tobin adds, “so-called progressives dominate congressional Democrats with the Marxist ‘Squad’ leading the way and being feted as the party’s rock stars. So, the poll numbers are no surprise.”
Of course, there are legitimate points of disagreement about America’s relationship with Israel and the extent to which our leaders should be involved in the complex politics of Israel itself, but there’s no doubt the chasm between Republicans and Democrats has further implications here at home.
One of these is foreign policy.
For example, “Iran has ramped up its nuclear activities while strengthening its conventional forces, threatening Israel as well as US interests in the region and beyond,” reports The Hill. “Tehran’s warming ties to Moscow and Beijing also complicate US interests – such as in Ukraine, where Tehran is supplying Moscow with drones.”
Paving the way for Iran to build a nuclear program is not pro-Israel, no matter how many platitudes Democrats offer the Jewish people.
Joe Biden offered warm remarks this week on the 75th anniversary of the Jewish state, but he’s made it clear that he’s firmly opposed to Netanyahu’s judicial reforms. He won’t even invite him to the White House.
Making matters worse, too many Democrats view the struggle of the Palestinians as a parallel to the civil rights movement in the United States, and they look at the Jewish state as a symbol of oppression. In other words, it’s Democrats who are trying to undermine democracy in Israel while claiming to be saving it. Sound familiar?
In the end, it would serve American national security interests to ensure that Israel sees another 75 years. Domestically, we can only hope Democrats come to their senses and realize that a strong, free Israel is good for the region and for the world.
Reprinted from PA Pundits – International.
