In Washington, lawmakers can no longer agree on many issues. Polarization and partisan division are so entrenched that, as one congressman recently admitted to CNN, they can’t agree “on what the weather is like today.”
Of course there are issues that are traditionally considered supra-partisan. One of them is support without asterisks for Israel. However, the crisis in Gaza brings to the fore a more complex picture that reflects the new realities of the American political scene.
On the surface things continue as they are with the White House fully supporting Israel. This support has fatally led his government Joe Biden in a politically awkward position, creating problems with the party’s progressive base and also with Muslim communities in some critical states.
The “back and forth” of Kamala Harris
Even though we are in a difficult election season, Joe Biden has never given the impression that he is having second thoughts. As long as he was a candidate, he did not take a single step back and appeared determined to take, without any hesitation, all the political costs upon himself. When finally Kamala Harris took the reins of the campaign, well aware that this is a problem that could cost her Michigan, one of the swing states she must hold. For this very reason he met with a delegation of activists, wanting to send the message that he listens to them.
What followed, however, shows the difficult balances he must maintain. After the meeting, word began to circulate that Harris favored an arms embargo on Israel. While it seemed like an over-the-top position, many wondered if it was actually some kind of shift. The response came in record time from her campaign staff, who made it clear that Harris is following in Biden’s footsteps and opposes such an embargo.
The American vice president has certainly shown greater mobility in winning over the young and progressive public. What she appears poised to do is a shift in rhetoric that will show greater sensitivity to the plight of the Palestinians and more openly condemn some of Israel’s practices.
All of this, however, is a far cry from the demands he heard in Michigan. The activists were well aware of what they wanted and did not appear particularly willing to compromise. The divide between the two sides became visible at a campaign rally in Michigan where protesters interrupted Harris with slogans. The vice president answered them visibly annoyed “if you want Trump to win, say so”. The answer was not long in coming. A little later a representative of those organizations practically begged Harris not to push Arab-American voters to indirectly help Trump by abstaining.
The steadfast power of the Jewish lobby
One explanation for this unwavering and electorally risky support for Israel is the “fear” of the power of the Jewish lobby. Already two congressmen from the left wing of the Democrats found themselves facing in the internal elections against opponents who were supported with multi-million dollars by the organization AIPAC. In both cases sitting MPs who had been highly critical of Israel were defeated.
However, the “fear” about the power of the Israel lobby is not limited to Jewish organizations. Many may not know this, but perhaps the strongest pro-Israel lobby is evangelical Christian organizations. As a senior colleague of a Greek-American parliamentarian used to say, if you want to do something in Washington, the best way is to convince the evangelicals. So what is certain is that evangelical and Jewish organizations are a duo that no one can easily ignore in Washington.
Support without asterisks for Israel may remain bipartisan, but it is no longer universal. At the State Department, there was a mutiny of sorts, with some diplomats resigning in protest, while a leaked internal document revealed disagreements and anger among diplomatic staff over the administration’s stance.
Republicans and evangelicals
Finally, many analysts question whether the new Republicans’ isolationism but adherence to the doctrine of “America First” is consistent with the policy they have inherited and continue to pursue on Israel. In their case, however, it seems that we should first see the evangelicals “change” and then the Republicans to change their stance.
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