Israel has been a sacred cow in American politics since its founding. Republicans and Democrats have even disagreed on providing millions in food assistance to poor Americans. But they have never disagreed on providing billions in foreign aid to Israel.
Criticizing Israel
No politician would ever dare criticize Israel. That is, if they have any ambition beyond representing their safe district. The bipartisan bludgeoning Rep. Jayapal is suffering for daring to do so explains why.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, apologized Sunday for characterizing Israel as a “racist state.”…
Jayapal’s comments were swiftly met with backlash on both sides of the aisle after a video of her remarks was widely circulated on social media. Jayapal later walked back her remarks Sunday, issuing a lengthy statement to clarify her remarks while defending the sentiment behind them.
(NBC News, July 17, 2023)
Remarkably, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY., leader of the Congressional Democrats, seemed even more outraged than his Republican counterpart. Indeed, Jeffries led his caucus in criticizing Jayapal nearly as harshly as she criticized Israel.
But the irony seems completely lost on Democrats and Republicans. And, to expose it, I need only paraphrase Stephen Decatur’s famous jingoistic expression. Because, in effect, they are saying:
- Israel, right or wrong; if right, hail as a beacon of democracy in a stormy sea of autocracy; if wrong, hail it just the same.
Like saying the n-word
In American politics, criticizing Israel is like saying the n-word. Namely, just as Blacks are the only ones who can say that word, Israelis are the only ones who can criticize Israel. That’s the only way to understand the political pass Israel gets.
I have decried Israel’s antic entitlement in this regard in many commentaries. But I’ll cite only three of them:
- Was Hagel Nominated as “Defense Secretary for US or Israel?” on January 31, 2013
- “American Jews more Pro-Israel than Jews in Israel?” on February 6, 2013
- “Netanyahu Says Israel Is for Jews Only. And Rep Omar’s the Problem?” on March 12, 2019
Of course, Jayapal was only doing what Americans do – speaking truth to power. Indeed, the reason for the prevailing affinity between America and Israel is that Israelis are just like Americans in this regard.
More to the point, Jayapal calling Israel a racist state is genteel compared with what millions of Israelis themselves have called it. For example, Israeli human rights groups have routinely likened Israel to Apartheid South Africa. And that was one of the most racist states in history.
Professor Yuval Noah Harari, the author of Sapiens and Homo Deus, is arguably the most well-known Israeli in America. Yet even he has warned about Netanyahu turning Israel into an apartheid state.
I, too, have warned of this fateful analogy in commentaries like “Human Rights Watch: Israel Is a De Facto Apartheid State” on April 28, 2021, and “Netanyahu Forms Israel’s New Apartheid Government” on December 29, 2022.
Israelis criticizing Israel like Jayapal did
Headlines about Israel today show why Jayapal’s criticism was wholly justified. Here too, I’ll suffice to share only three of them:
- “Israeli protests return as Netanyahu restarts judicial overhaul,” The Washington Post, on July 11, 2023
- “Protests swell in Tel Aviv for 28th week as anti-government movement vows more ‘days of disruption,'” Associated Press, on July 15, 2023
- “Protests swell in Israel as Netanyahu advances judicial plan,” Al Jazeera, on July 16, 2023
The first of those, from The Washington Post, framed the protests as follows:
Israel’s far-right ruling coalition preliminarily voted to limit the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review Tuesday, sparking street protests and threatening a return of the upheaval that has buffeted the country for months. …
But opponents, including tech workers and other educated professionals in coastal cities, see the sweeping revisions as a threat to judicial independence that would push Israel toward autocracy.
In other words, the hundreds of thousands of Israelis protesting in the streets lend credence to Jayapal’s criticism. But you don’t have to take the provocative analogy I devised to explain that criticism. Because no less an American Jew than the celebrated Professor Alan Dershowitz offered a more American explanation nearly 20 years ago.
The occasion was a televised debate between Dershowitz and the equally celebrated Professor Noam Chomsky. They debated the question: “Israel and Palestine After Disengagement: Where Do We Go From Here?” Yes, the very question that incited Jayapal’s criticism on Sunday.
I not only watched but commented. And what animated my commentary was the prevailing sense that American supporters of Israel (like Dershowitz) tend to be more Jewish than Israelis.
That explains the disconnect afoot: Americans are criticizing Jayapal for calling Israel a racist state, while Israelis are protesting because Israel is becoming even more of a racist state.