The condemnation of Bezalel Smotrich by the pro-Israeli establishment in the US should not lead us to see Netanyahu as the lesser evil: it is he who brought us to this point in the first place.
The fascistic new Israeli government is a step too far for liberal Zionists; and segments of the pro-Israel community are calling on American Jews to criticize Israel, and bring the politicians. Some even say, It’s apartheid. Or “Jewish supremacy.”
Many in Israel approved of the settler “pogrom” against Huwwara because they regard Palestinians as “animals,” a leading Israeli reporter explained to American Jews last week.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken should publicize Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s call for a Palestinian village to be “erased” and use his global “megaphone” to discredit Smotrich, says Tom Friedman of the NYT. But Chuck Schumer is yucking it up with Netanyahu to please American Jews.
The media hypes threats by industry to leave Israel over Netanyahu’s “judicial coup.” But Palestinians have demanded divestment for years without press. The double standard shows anti-Palestinianism.
Israel’s new government has cemented apartheid with the annexation of the West Bank and Biden doesn’t care; but American Jews who thrive in a secular democracy should be outraged by what is done in their name.
The U.S. Ambassador to Israel says West Bank Palestinians can’t have equal rights because it would end the Jewish state, and his “biggest fear” is that Israel has “lost the narrative” on U.S. campuses.
The Israeli government’s moves to hamstring the judiciary and to steal more Palestinian land for Jewish settlements are causing further breakup in the pro-Israel consensus in the United States.
A new report from Americans for Justice in Palestine Action documents that the “rightwing Zionist” lobby spent $70 million in 2022 to knock off critics of Israel, and warn politicians “to not object to Israel’s crimes.” That big money explains why Joe Biden and Kirsten Gillibrand gush over Benjamin Netanyahu in the runup to 2024 reelection campaigns.
Danny Ayalon, a vigorous advocate for Israel and former ambassador to the U.S., says he is worried about the growth of Jewish anti-Zionism in the United States.