Reclaiming the “Pro-Israel” Label

, by Danny Blinderman, Class of 2014

Many stances have been branded in unfavorable terms in order to limit the support that they can attract. The newest victim of this trend is support for Israel, which we are lead to believe entails support for territorial occupation and right wing policies. Being pro-Israel is supposedly antithetical to liberal values and only palatable to the most hard-hearted neoconservatives.

No characterization could be further from the truth. “Pro-Israel” encompasses a few simple and powerful ideas. It is the support of the right of the State of Israel and all of its citizens to live in peace and security. It is the belief that the state of Israel is a fundamentally positive entity in the world. It means supporting Israeli democracy, science, and achievement as well as a constant campaign to protect Israel from the scourge of terrorism. None of these things are antithetical to the best of liberal values. Supporting Israel can and should be a liberal cause. It certainly is for me.

We are told that being pro-Israel is the same thing as being pro-settlements and pro-occupation. This is not the case. West Bank settlements are not just an outrageous infringement on the rights of Palestinians and an unnecessary wedge issue in peace negotiations but also bad for Israel. Israel spends huge sums to build, subsidize, and protect these settlements, which are of dubious value and questionable legality. This money would be better spent bettering the lives of all Israeli citizens inside of Israel. Instead, the Israeli government continues to throw it away on an enterprise that does nothing but sully Israel’s good name and international standing.

There is not the slightest contradiction between opposing settlements and supporting Israel. Many ardent supporters of Israel, including myself, are fervent proponents of a two-state solution, in which the sovereign states of Palestine and Israel coexist.  Supporting the state of Israel in no way precludes support for a Palestinian state—the Palestinian people deserve a state of their own every bit as much as the Jewish people do. It offends my liberalism as well as my Zionism to see Palestinians languishing without the right to self-determination.

Many believe that those who are pro-Israel do not extend their support to the multiplicity of ethnic minorities that reside within Israel and are only concerned for its Jewish population. This contention is so false it’s insulting. The fact that Israel stands as a beacon of liberal democracy, diversity, and human rights in a region otherwise bereft of them is one of the central reasons for being pro-Israel. When I say that I support Israel, I mean the state of Israel and every single one of its citizens: Jewish, Muslim, or Druze, among others—it makes no difference. I believe it is an equally despicable breach of decency and law whether a rocket from Gaza hits a synagogue or a mosque.

Lastly, and perhaps most understandably, the belief exists that supporting the Israeli government and the state of Israel are one and the same. This association is understandable but foolish, similar to equating American patriotism with support for a particular American administration. The contention that supporting Israel is somehow exclusively a conservative position is very much analogous to the hurtful insinuation during the Bush Administration that only supporters of the president were supporters of America. I support Israel in spite of its current government, which I find rightist, imprudent, and shortsighted. A nation is far more than its government.

Support for Israel does not mean endorsing all of Israel’s actions. It is the belief that a nation that faces horrific violence and threats to its existence deserves support. It is a belief that the good that has come out of Israeli science and technology deserves to be preserved. It is the conviction that we ought to support free and democratic nations. I hope that support for Israel can one day be restored to its rightful place in the pantheon of liberal causes.

  • Heyhey

    OK this is sort of dumb. Are you arguing that people against the state of israel want people to live in terror? I don’t think this is the case. If Israel was in antarctica (anyplace that has no real value to someone already established there) no one would care.

    I think the argument you made blurs some issues, which is understandable because it’s a cluster fuck area. So this is sort of a pointless article. At least to the fundamental issues causing the problems in the middle east. Which are undeniably tied to location, location, location.

    I’m against the idea of occupation but like you have nothing against the idea of Israel. The problem is that this idea is linked to where it is… Soooo yah…

    fuck it all

  • S.Solomon

    Before 1967 six day war these so called Palestinians were Jordanian Arabs.This land is called Judea and Sumeria and belonged to Israelite Hebrew nation therefore they are the ones occupying Jewish land.
    They tried to get control of Jordan in the Black September Uprising and the Kings Bedouin army put to death approximately 15000 of them and many more injured so they did not try this again.From this you will understand they have a country call Jordan.Palestinian like West Bank is an invented name.Israel is trying to solve a problem for the Arabs that they deliberately do not want to solve.These so called invented Palestinian people is an Arab problemThey did not get a meter of land from Jordan and land is secondary to the destruction of Israel which is their aim.Israel is giving them plenty of Jewish land for Peace.Giving land for peace did not achieve anything in Gaza and not likely in Judea.Jordan is a large country and they should be the ones to give to these Jordanian Arabs who want a country of their own as they are not happy being the subjects of the king.Israel should not have to give land for Peace.
    You are blinded by the anti Israel propaganda of lies and deception.So wake up and learn about the facts before you make stupid comments about a democracy that shines and punch above its weight.
    May Israel be always be strong and vigilant.Its a great country with trecherous neighbours calling for its anihilation.They are a disgrace to humanity with no sense of shame.G-D Bless and watches over Israel.Shalom..S.Solomon

    • Heyhey

      You come off as an idiot.

    • Supportisn’tblind

      You spelled “annihilation” wrong. And he does not appear to be the only one who is blinded. Also, calling Israel a democracy “that shines and punch (it should be punches) above its weight” is a little extreme. But extreme seems to be a great way to describe you in general. No offense.

  • Jonah Thomas

    You have made a fundamental and important distinction.

    Since the current government of Israel is so very anti-Israel, Americans who are pro-Israel should oppose that government as much as possible.

    While this government is in place we should work to eliminate US military support for that government, and all cooperation with its military.

    While this government is in place we should work for sanctions against its economy.

    While the Netanyahu regime controls Israel, it would be appropriate to put in place a blockade to stop all oil imports into the country.

    It would not go too far to take covert action to destabilize the Netanyahu regime, including assassinations of government officials and important Israeli nuclear scientists and technicians, since after all these are not people who can be trusted with nuclear weapons.

  • S.Solomon

    Do you call the truth that you cannot face extreme or do you fear it? I have nothing to apologise for or defend I am proud of this vibrant democracy called Israel. Just look at those countries all around Israel where these Arab governments killing its own citizens all are ruthless dictators.When you can accept this truth then you may clamp your mouth shut! S.Solomon

  • Isaac

    I don’t support Israel because I don’t support genocide and war crimes, both of which Israel is committing on the Palestinian people. Israel is also the number one recipient of US aid and proves to be uncooperative. As a sovereign nation it absolutely requires the US aid to exist and I don’t want my money to pay for white-phosphorus to burn Palestinian civilians. It faces horrific violence and responds with its own brand of violence. I will never support targeting a population forced into ghettos with no real power structure.

Twitter