This Never Happened To A Republican President
By Steve Sheffey
Let’s start with the good news: The U.S.-Israel relationship is stronger than ever. President Biden said upon landing in Israel last week that “every chance to return to this great country, where the ancient roots of the Jewish people date back to biblical times, is a blessing. Because the connection between the Israeli people and the American people is bone deep.” Biden said, “you need not be a Jew to be a Zionist” and he reiterated his support for Iron Dome and for Israel’s new laser-enabled system, Iron Beam.
Biden visited Yad Vashem and became the third president and the 26th person in history to receive Israel’s Presidential Medal of Honor, an honor no Republican president has ever received.
Biden told Israel’s Channel 12 that “there’s no possibility, I think, of the Democratic Party or even a significant portion of the Republican Party, walking away from Israel.” That’s why most Americans, including the vast majority of Jewish Americans, do not vote on Israel even though they care about Israel: They correctly perceive major, including existential, differences between the parties, but Israel is not one of them.
Democrats in Congress, including progressive Democrats, overwhelmingly support Israel (roughly 96% of all Democrats, including 90% of the 95-member Progressive Caucus, voted for the $1 billion emergency Iron Dome supplemental in September).
Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed the Jerusalem U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Joint Declaration, which reaffirms “the unbreakable bonds between our two countries and the enduring commitment of the United States to Israel’s security. Our countries further reaffirm that the strategic U.S.-Israel partnership is based on a bedrock of shared values, shared interests, and true friendship. Furthermore, the United States and Israel affirm that among the values the countries share is an unwavering commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and the calling of ‘Tikkun Olam,’ repairing the world.”
Unfortunately, one of our major parties, the Republican Party, does not share an “unwavering commitment to democracy” or to rule of law, which is why it is short-sighted for any person or organization who supports Israel to contribute, directly or indirectly, to any Republican who does not call out the sedition of Donald Trump and his Republican allies, especially the 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the 2020 election hours after Trump’s armed insurrection failed.
The Jerusalem Declaration reiterates our commitment to maintaining Israel’s qualitative military edge, never allowing Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, full compliance with the Obama-Biden Memorandum of Understanding, and “while fully respecting the right to freedom of expression,” firmly rejecting the BDS campaign against Israel.
President Biden reaffirmed in the Declaration his “support of a two-state solution” and added in Bethlehem that he envisions two states “along the pre-1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps.” Lapid separately reiterated his commitment to a two-state solution, saying that “a two-state solution is a guarantee for a strong democratic state of Israel with a Jewish majority.”
Support for Israel does not preclude support for Palestinians. That’s a false dichotomy. President Biden met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. support for a two-state solution means strengthening Palestinian institutions and providing humanitarian assistance. It’s also the right thing to do.
Biden announced a number of initiatives to support the Palestinian people, called for a full accounting of the shooting of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, and said that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital and that its final boundaries must be determined through future negotiations. None of this should be controversial. It’s common sense.
Biden ruled out removing the IRGC from the list of foreign terrorist organizations. The IRGC was not on the list until Trump added it for the sole purpose of derailing subsequent efforts to return to the JCPOA. During his trip to Israel, Biden made clear that he will not remove the IRGC from the list of foreign terrorist organizations, primarily because the U.S. has made clear (to both Iran and Republicans in Congress) that the Iran Deal is a nuclear deal and is not designed to address non-nuclear issues. Biden also made clear that he continues to believe diplomacy is the best option and that the ball is now in Iran’s court.
Trump not only brought Iran to the brink of breakout by withdrawing from the JCPOA, but by listing the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization, he inserted a poison pill that complicates return to the JCPOA. If Iran wants us to delist the IRGC, then Iran needs to offer non-nuclear concessions in return, which it has failed to do. But even if Iran did, and even if Biden delisted the IRGC (which is purely symbolic and carries no practical consequences), some Democrats fear the Republican campaign ads, which would write themselves. A nuclear-armed Iran would be a terrible result, but losing our democracy as a result of losing control of Congress and then the presidency would be a worse result. Nevertheless, most Americans pay little attention to foreign policy when they are in the voting booth, and if delisting the IRGC were the sole obstacle to Iran’s signing the deal on the table, then delisting would be a hard but easy call.
Iran and the U.S. are holding their cards close to their vests. Biden has made clear that the U.S. will only accept a deal on our terms — neither Russia nor our European allies are driving these negotiations — and that the option of military force remains on the table.
Returning to the JCPOA remains the best option for curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions. If that is not possible, the question will become whether Biden can assemble an international coalition willing to ratchet up sanctions (Trump proved that unilateral sanctions are not effective) or whether Israel and/or the U.S. will initiate military action, which will delay Iran in the short-term but which will almost guarantee that Iran will have nuclear weapons prior to when certain provisions of the JCPOA would have sunset because Iran would then deem nuclear weapons a defensive necessity.
Voting Republican means voting to keep assault weapons legal, voting to make abortions illegal, and surrendering our democracy. Those are the three key differences between Democrats and Republicans — not Israel. Now is the time to focus on winning elections in November, not contacting legislators with whom we have no relationship to vote for legislation that Republicans will block in the Senate. Members of Congress listen to their constituents, their major donors, and those with whom they have personal or professional relationships. Don’t waste your time contacting members who don’t fall into those categories.
If you want to change the laws on gun safety and abortion, spend your time and money electing Democrats in November. To change the laws, we have to change the lawmakers. That means maintaining or increasing the Democratic majority in the House and increasing by at least two the Democratic majority in the Senate so that we can abolish the filibuster. Instead of spending your time making phone calls in support of legislation that Republicans will filibuster in the Senate, spend your time — and money — supporting Democrats in close elections. If you don’t know where to start or if you have any questions, Sam, let me know and I’ll help — that’s what I’m here for.
Nothing matters more than which party controls Congress. I’d rather have an anti-choice Democrat in the House (currently only one) who helps create a Democratic majority than a pro-choice Republican in the House (currently none) who helps create a Republican majority because the party in power sets the agenda, and the Republican agenda is keeping assault weapons legal and making abortions illegal — even if democracy must be subverted in the process. That is no exaggeration.
Update on Roe v. Wade: The protections of Roe v. Wade will not be codified into law until and unless Democrats win in November. On Friday, the House passed the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA) and the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act with near-unanimous Democratic support and near-unanimous Republican opposition. Both will die in the Senate because we have two fewer Democrats than we need to abolish the filibuster and allow the bills the pass with a majority vote. Republican policies mean that 10-year-old girls who are raped will be denied abortions. But instead of defending their horrific policies, Republicans deny the facts.
Update on gun safety legislation: Congress will not ban assault weapons or enact additional gun safety measures until and unless Democrats win in November. As of July 14, there have been 23,653 gun deaths this year in America, including 337 mass shootings.
Steve Sheffey has a weekly newsletter called the Chicagoland ProIsrael Update. You can sign-up here.
The views represented here are those of the author, and not necessarily those of JDCA.
