Israel lobbyists are thrilled by Bernie Sanders’s recent stumbles at the polls. A Democratic Party Israel lobby group spent $1.4 million against Sanders, and Obama’s former ambassador to Israel writes, “No issue brings out [Joe] Biden’s passion more than his commitment to the U.S. partnership with Israel.”
The Shift is a weekly politics newsletter from Michael Arria taking you to the front…
Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden told the Israel lobby group AIPAC this week that it is “dangerous” for Israel to become “another issue that divides Democrats and Republicans.” But he warned that Israeli moves to build more settlements and annex occupied territories were threatening that divide by alienating young Americans.
The 2020 elections pose a daunting question for Democrats – will they go with a progressive candidate or a moderate one? In helping to decide which way to turn it could be helpful for the Democrats to consider the history of the Israeli Labor Party, which faced a similar crossroad and took a direction which led to its demise.
AIPAC ceo Howard Kohr implicitly describes Bernie Sanders as a “radical” who is trying to undermine U.S. support for Israel and aid Israel’s enemies. “Israel cannot afford a single minute where America’s friendship with Israel at the highest levels either wavers or skips,” Kohr said.
Concerns about Russia’s impact on U.S. elections have generated countless articles and wall-to-wall cable news coverage, however blatant election interference from other countries is certainly not treated in the same way. This contradiction was on display over the weekend, when Benjamin Netanyahu bashed Democratic frontrunner Bernie Sanders during AIPAC’s annual policy conference.
Democratic frontrunner Bernie Sanders was asked about the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, but still wouldn’t commit to moving it back to Tel Aviv.
On Sunday, Democratic frontrunner Bernie Sanders confirmed that he would be skipping this year’s AIPAC conference and attacked the pro-Israel organization on his Twitter page.
Should billionaires exist? Phil Weiss says the question of the day echoes and exposes the famous question, Does Israel have a right to exist? “The issue ought to be dealt with in the same detached manner as Sanders and others have handled the billionaire question,” Weiss writes.
The Shift is a weekly politics newsletter from Michael Arria taking you to the front…