This Week’s ‘Misguided Jew Award’

Henry Roth

5-6 minutes

---

Please step forward, Senators Sanders and Feinstein, and accept this award in recognition of your unflagging efforts to damage Israel’s interests and reputation.

Guess I didn’t have to worry about finding worthy candidates for this prize.  Seems that every day, there’s a prominent pseudo-Jew determined to prove that we are not a monolithic bloc and that there are some amongst us who are prepared (and dare I say it, proud) to prioritize their progressive principles over any concerns for the welfare of their fellow Jews.

So without further ado, I’m happy to announce that this week’s prize will be shared by two Democratic senators, the venerable Bernie Sanders and Diane Feinstein. They, along with three of their non-Jewish colleagues, recently introduced a resolution in the Senate denouncing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to formally annex parts of Judea and Samaria. These all-knowing sages condemned the move, saying that it would “… harm Israel’s relationship with its Arab neighbours … threaten Israel’s Jewish and democratic identity and undermine Israel’s security.”

Let us now list the reasons why the senators are so wrong-headed and so richly deserving of this week’s award.

First, although the Senate does occasionally express opinions and criticisms of other countries’ policies or actions, it is exceedingly rare that any U.S. government branch or agency comments on, let alone criticizes, the decisions of a democratic ally. One also must question why the U.S. Senate would spend any time debating the policies of one of its strongest allies when there are a plethora of countries around the world whose actions pose a real threat to U.S. interests. Take Iran for example. Not only do these senators fail to support President Trump’s robust and long overdue actions against Iran, but Senator Feinstein actually had dinner recently with Iran’s foreign minister, no doubt to share her regrets over American sanctions and to promise that things would get much better for Iran when the Democrats take back the White House. How’s that for defending Jewish/Israeli interests?

Second, it is difficult to fathom how these senators could believe that Israel’s relations with its Arab neighbours depends on Israel’s actions in Judea and Samaria.  Perhaps it’s dementia (they’re certainly old enough) that explains the Senators’ ignorance of the facts on the ground, namely shifting alliances and collaborations in the Middle East due primarily to the Sunni-Shiite schism. Those Arab nations that are warming to Israel are not even remotely concerned about Israel’s handling of Judea and Samaria or, for that matter, its treatment of Palestinians.  And the Arab countries that are hostile to Israel are already at the top of the Jew-hatred scale, meaning anything Israel says or does has little impact on these non-existent relationships.

Third, do these senators truly believe they know better than Israelis how to best ensure their security?  It is not Israel’s low-impact decision to formalize their control of areas already inhabited by Israelis that undermines their security; it is rather the Democratic Party’s pandering to Palestinian wish-lists and their failure to support the U.S.’s one ally in the Middle East that endanger Israel.

Sheer Audacity

Lastly, and the principal reason these senators have earned this prize, is their sheer audacity in commenting on Israel’s “Jewish and democratic identity”.  There cannot be two less-Jewish Jews than Senators Sanders and Feinstein, hence they are hardly in a position to comment on what constitutes a Jewish identity. They also clearly have no understanding or respect for Israel’s robust and courageous democracy. No other nation on this planet is more committed and more successful than Israel in terms of upholding its democratic principles in the face of unending terrorism and existential threats.

It must also be noted that it is Israel’s democratically elected government, with the approval of most of its populace, that made the decision to formally annex parts of Judea and Samaria. It requires equal portions of hubris and irony for these Democratic Senators who had no problem with Barak Obama ignoring Constitutional limitations on his power to question how Israel practices democracy.

So please step forward, Senators Sanders and Feinstein, and accept this award in recognition of your unflagging efforts to damage Israel’s interests and reputation. Truly, you have earned this honor.