Congress and the Shaping of the Middle East by Beattie Kirk

Author:Beattie, Kirk [Beattie, Kirk]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Israel lobby, Congress, government, Mid East politics, Washington, Netanyahu, Abbas, zionism, Middle East, Mearsheimer, foreign policy
Publisher: Seven Stories Press
Published: 2016-05-02T21:00:00+00:00

“On a lot of this stuff, the difference between Israelis and Palestinians, it’s like cowboys and Indians. You’re always going to root for the cowboys.”

—former, longtime staffer for a leading “light blue” House member

Many House members in this “strong supporter” category are from Jewish backgrounds. There were 26 Jewish House members in 2005–2006 and 27 in 2011–2012. Like most American Jews, Jewish House members are disproportionately liberal in their political orientation; 24/26 were Democrats in 2005–2006 (with one R, and one I), as were 26/27 in 2011–2012. The one R was House Majority Leader Eric Cantor; the Independent was Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who is a socialist. Many of these individuals are not heavily religious in their disposition or practice, but their Jewish identity is strong, heartfelt, and translates into a fundamentally solid commitment to Israel’s welfare. Individuals who most quickly come to mind, some of whom have retired since 2005–2006, are/were House members Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-New York), Howard Berman (D-California), Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts), Nita Lowey (D-New York), Adam Schiff (D-California), Allyson Schwarz (D-Pennsylvania), Debbie Wasserman-Shultz (D-Florida), Henry Waxman (D-California), Robert Wexler (D-Florida), and others. Several are/were recognized as among the “best and the brightest” in the House. Most certainly “care” about the IME issues, but they are not uniformly knowledgeable about them.

There are/were also many non-Jewish House members readily identified by staffers as “very strong supporters” of Israel, people such as Reps. Dennis Cardoza (D-California), Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), Ric Keller (R-Florida), Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts), Doris Matsui (D-California), Dutch Ruppers-berger (D-Maryland), Steve King (R-Iowa), and many others. Indeed, this cluster is the biggest of the five groups, or at worst in a tie for first place with the “Steady Supporters, but Why?” group. From staffers associated with and/or knowledgeable about such individuals, I collected the following comments.

“She has a background as a strong supporter of Israel and its right to exist. [She has close family members] who fled the Holocaust. She sees clearly the need for a secure Israel and strong US-Israel relations.”

“As for [the boss’s] attachment to Israel: I don’t have a sense that it’s strategic. It can’t not be emotional; but mostly it’s from a moral perspective—what Jews went through, yes, but they’re a shining example of democracy in the area. They had their leader assassinated [Rabin] and there was still stability. You can be fully critical of your own government in Israel; not in the Arab countries. This is a compelling moral reason for supporting Israel. My view of the Middle East has been shaped by [the boss’s] eyes.”

“The congressman is obviously far more concerned with [another committee’s] issues, but his commitment to Israel is strong and based in a strong moral and ethical obligation to protect Israel as a democracy. He takes his cues from NORPAC on how to size up appropriations for Israel. He also refers heavily to the party conference and HFAC staffers. The Arab-Israeli conflict is a peripheral issue for Armed Services—where he invests most of his efforts.”

“He has a strong connection to Israel from birth.

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