- There is an amazing story in Ha'aretz today on the
"pro-Israel"
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- litmus test that determines who is permitted to serve
in the United States government. Here's the sort of lede you're not likely
to read in the New York Times or Washington Post: Every appointee to the
American government must endure a thorough background check by the American
Jewish community.
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- http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1132797.html
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- In the case of Obama's government in particular, every
criticism against Israel made by a potential government appointee has become
a catalyst for debate about whether appointing "another leftist"
offers proof that Obama does not truly support Israel."
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- The story goes on to rehearse what happened to Chas
Freeman
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- (whose appointment was derailed by the Israel lobby because
he voiced a few mild criticisms of Israel's behavior) and reports thatÂ
similar complaints are now being raised against the appointment of former
Senator Chuck Hagel. Even more bizarrely, the Zionist Organization of America
and other rightwing Jewish groups are complaining about the appointment
of Hannah Rosenthal to direct the Office to Combat and Monitor Anti-Semitism.
Why?
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- Apparently, she's been involved with J Street and other
"leftwing" organizations that ZOA et al deem insufficiently ardent
in their support for the Jewish state, and has suggested that progressive
forces need to be more vocal in advancing the peace process. One has to
feel a certain sympathy for Ms. Rosenthal, who is forced to defend her
own appointment by telling an interviewer:
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- I love Israel. I have lived in Israel. I go back and
visit every chance I can. I consider it part of my heart. And because I
love it so much, I want to see it safe and secure and free and democratic
and living safely."
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- These are fine sentiments, but isn't it odd that she
has to defend her qualifications for a position in the U.S. government
by saying how much she "loves" a foreign country? For an American
official in her position, what matters is that she loves America, and that
she believes anti-semitism is a hateful philosophy that should be opposed
vigorously. Whether she loves Israel or France or Thailand or Namibia,
etc., is irrelevant. (And yes, it's entirely possible to loathe anti-Semitism
and not love Israel).
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- But the real lesson of all these episodes is the effect
of this litmus test on the foreign policy community more broadly. Groups
in the lobby target public servants like Freeman, Hagel, and Rosenthal
because they want to make sure that no one with even a mildly independent
view on Middle East affairs gets appointed.
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- By making an example of them, they seek to discourage
independent-minded people from expressing their views openly, lest doing
so derail their own career prospects later on. And it works. Even if the
lobby doesn't manage to block every single appointment, they can make any
administration think twice about a potentially "controversial"
choice and use the threat to stifle open discourse among virtually all
members of the mainstream foreign policy community (and certainly anyone
who aspires to public service in Washington).
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- The result, of course, is the U.S. Middle East policy
(and U.S. foreign policy more generally) is reserved for those who are
either steadfastly devoted to the "special relationship" or who
have been intimidated into silence. The result? U.S. policy remains in
the hands of the same set of "experts" whose policies for the
past seventeen years (or more) have been a steady recipe for failure. If
a few more Americans read Ha'aretz, they might start to figure this out.
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- Stephen M. Walt is the Robert and Renée
Belfer Professor of International Relations at Harvard University.
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- ____________________________
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- The Outrageous Ha'aretz revelation...
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- American Jews Eye Obama's 'Anti-Israel' Appointees
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- By Natasha Mozgovaya
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- 12-11-9
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- Every appointee to the American government must endure
a thorough background check by the American Jewish community.
-
- In the case of Obama's government in particular, every
criticism against Israel made by a potential government appointee has become
a catalyst for debate about whether appointing "another leftist"
offers proof that Obama does not truly support Israel.
-
- A few months ago, boisterous protests by the American
Jewish community helped foil the appointment of Chaz Freeman to chair the
National Intelligence Council, citing his "anti-Israel leaning."
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- The next attempt to appoint an intelligence aide, in
this case, former Republican senator Chuck Hagel, also resulted in vast
criticism over his not having a pro-Israel record.
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- American Zionists are urging Obama to cancel Hagel's
appointment because of what they call a long and problematic record of
hostility toward Israel.
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- The president of the Zionist Organization of America,
Morton A. Klein, described Hagel's nomination as such: "Any American
who is concerned about Iran's drive to obtain nuclear weapons, maintaining
the Israeli-U.S. relationship and supporting Israel in its legitimate fight
to protect her citizens from terrorism should oppose this appointment."
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- Republican Jews have also protested Hagel's appointment,
citing an incident in 2004 when Hagel refused to sign a letter calling
on then-president George Bush to speak about Iran's nuclear program at
the G8 summit that year.
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- In August of 2006, Hagel refused to sign a letter requesting
the UN declare Hezbollah a terrorist organization.
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- In a speech at the conference of self-declared "pro-peace,
pro-Israel" lobby J Street, Hagel spoke about his views on the issue
of Israel and the Middle East.
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- "The United States' support for Israel need not
be - nor should it be - an either-or proposition that dictates our relationships
with our Arab allies and friends. The U.S. has a long and special relationship
with Israel, but it must not come at the expense of our Arab relationships,"
Hagel said.
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- The latest round of heated debate has been over the nomination
of Hannah Rosenthal to head the Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism
in the Obama administration.
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- Rosenthal, who is the daughter of a Holocaust survivor,
served as a Health Department regional director under the Clinton administration,
and held positions in different left-leaning Jewish organizations. Between
2000 and 2005, Rosenthal was the head of the Jewish Council for Public
Affairs; she was also the executive director of the Chicago Foundation
for Women. In recent years, she has served on the advisory board of the
J Street lobby.
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- The president of Americans for Peace Now lauded Obama's
appointment of Rosenthal. Even Anti-Defamation League chairman Abraham
Foxman came out in support of Rosenthal's appointment.
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- "This appointment signals the continued seriousness
of America?s resolve to fight anti-Semitism," Foxman said in a statement.
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- Shortly after the announcement of Rosenthal's nomination,
conservative Jewish web sites began to attack her, some of them declaring
that Obama appointed an anti-Israeli to fight anti-Semitism.
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- Rumors brewed that she had accused Israel of systemically
strengthening anti-Semitism. Bloggers argued that her appointment would
cause Jews and Israelis to cast doubt on Obama and his relationship with
Israel. In one of her articles, Rosenthal criticized conservative voices
in the Jewish community who she accused of taking over the discourse regarding
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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- "It's a scary time, with people losing the ability
to differentiate between a Jew, any Jew, and what's going on in Israel,"
Rosenthal said. In an interview with the new online Jewish magazine, Tablet,
Rosenthal said that she loves Israel.
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- "I have lived in Israel. I go back and visit every
chance I can. I consider it part of my heart. And because I love it so
much, I want to see it safe and secure and free and democratic and living
safely," Rosenthal said.
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- http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1132797.html
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