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GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
More than halfway through the first
term of President Donald Trump,
ZOA has accomplished more towards
its goals in a short time than anyone
could have expected. Unfortunately, a great
deal remains to be done, and there are indications
that the next two years will have many
minefields.
As these words were written, U.S. contributions
to the Palestinian Authority (PA)
have actually reached zero for the first time
this century. The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem
is open for business, and the PA mission in
Washington, D.C. has been closed. The U.S.
has withdrawn from the infamous and duplicitous
Iran Deal (JCPOA) crafted by President
Barack Obama and former Secretary of State
John Kerry. The U.S. stands behind Israel as
it conducts military operations in Syria to directly
challenge the Iranian presence there.
The Senate has just passed a law facilitating
the fights by U.S. states against the anti-Israel
boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS)
movement. The present is an almost unbroken
story of good news when it comes to U.S.
policy in the Middle East.
Unfortunately, the near future looks much
more difficult. The House of Representatives
is now controlled by Speaker Nancy Pelosi
(D-CA), and the new era in the chamber is
symbolized by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
(D-NY), one of the most uninformed members
of Congress, particularly on the issues
ZOA cares about most. There are two new
Muslim members of Congress, Rashida Tlaib
(D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN), both of
whom have made statements that are anti-Israel
at best, and anti-Semitic at worst.
The new reality in the Democratic Party
is that nothing pro-Israel can be taken for
granted. The rising level of partisan vitriol
has made it likely that the administration and
Congress will agree on very little in the next
two years. Some expect the Trump peace plan
for the Mideast region to be unveiled in the
near future, and there are indications that it
may have problematic elements. Iran has continued
to worm its way towards developing a
military nuclear capability, and to test ballistic
missiles whose only purpose is to deliver
nuclear weapons. Not enough attention has
been focused on Israel's northern border and
the very real possibility that Lebanon, controlled
by Hezbollah, may strike Israel at any
time with thousands of missiles, resulting in
a war with serious casualties for Israeli civilians.
(Worth noting: The U.S. continues to
supply the Lebanese Army with weapons and
support, even though this army is now closely
allied with Hezbollah and Iran.)
Partisan Gridlock in
Washington
ZOA’s Government Relations department is
experiencing both sides of this reality in our
nation's capital. Our relations with the administration
are quite good, however, the partisan
gridlock, which brought us the government
shutdown earlier this year, has challenges for
our congressional agenda.
The ZOA, like every pro-Israel group, would
be quite happy if support for Israel was truly
bipartisan. Unlike some Jewish organizations,
the ZOA does not alter its agenda to create superficial
results for an imaginary bipartisan consensus.
The truth is that there are elements of the
“Democratic” Party that have become hostile to
Israel in principle and in their votes. For example,
as the anti-BDS vote was taken in January,
every then-declared candidate for the Democratic
presidential nomination opposed the bill
on spurious First Amendment grounds. The
House Committee on Foreign Affairs includes
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who is an admitted
supporter of BDS and denier of Israel’s right to
exist. Traditionally pro-Israel Democrats, like
Chairman of that same committee Eliot Engel
Dan Pollak
Director, Government
Relations