Progressives Speak Out On Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

This week there was new evidence that mainstream progressives are confronting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  After years of silence on the issue, progressives are coming around to understanding that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not just a "Jewish" or "Muslim" issue but one that affects all Americans. 

It was reported on Wednesday that Israel Policy Forum, where I worked for a decade before coming to Media Matters Action Network, is moving into the Center for American Progress, the progressive think-tank.

Israel Policy Forum was established in 1993 at the behest of then Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin because he did not trust the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) to support his efforts at achieving peace with the Palestinians.  He had a particular aversion to Steve Rosen, AIPAC's director of policy, who was (and is) an ultra-hawk and actually had the clout to thwart Rabin in Washington.  (Not anymore.  Rosen was indicted under the Espionage Act - charges were later dropped - and AIPAC fired him).

In any case, Rabin directed his American friends to support IPF, which promoted the peace process even during the dark years of the Bush administration when the United States gave Israel a blank check (literally and figuratively) to do whatever it wanted whenever it wanted. 

IPF's alliance with CAP follows my move from IPF to Media Matters Action, which is dedicated to combating the influence of the organized right by rebutting their myths with facts.  Like CAP, Media Matters Action wants to move the Israeli-Palestinian issue from a corner of the political universe to its center.

Traditionally, American liberals and progressives have looked the other way on Israel-Palestine out of fear of antagonizing the status quo lobby (not just AIPAC, but other organizations associated with it).  Liberals and progressives, who are outspoken about alleged crimes committed by the US forces in Iraq or Afghanistan,  rush to the unquestioning defense of Israel's conduct in the West Bank, Lebanon, Gaza or anywhere else.

For instance, just last month, Congress passed a resolution on war crimes in Gaza. 

Did Congress condemn Israel for its disproportionate use of force (1400 Palestinians killed including 320 children vs. 13 Israelis)?

Nope.  On the contrary, the House condemned the distinguished Justice Richard Goldstone, who wrote the United Nation's report on Gaza, for daring to criticize Israel's conduct. It called on the Obama administration to do everything it could to suppress the United Nations report! Only 36 representatives voted "no."

Nor are the liberals who voted for the resolution (or the dozens of other one-sided resolutions which pass every year) embarrassed by their votes.  They believe that shutting up and going along with the lobby is good politics.  As I learned during 20 years on Capitol Hill, Members of Congress think that most liberals and progressives are indifferent to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but the ones who do care (often donors) are hawks.

That may be changing now. J Street is organizing the majority of the Jewish community which, believe it or not, actually supports negotiations and not the status quo. And Media Matters Action and CAP are going to keep their followers (most of the progressive community) up to date on what is actually going on in Washington.

After all, if liberal and progressive voters know that their beloved senator or representative - who is so progressive on everything else - is an uber-hawk on Israel, the legislator might think twice about being a rubber stamp for the Likud party.

I am not criticizing the Republicans or the right in general.  Their support for horrific humanitarian disasters like the Gaza war fits in with their hawkish, belligerent worldview view.  Accordingly, they aren't hypocrites.  That label belongs to the progressives who exempt Israel from standards they apply everywhere else.

Bottom line, supporting the status quo is bad for America and it's bad for Israel.  Supporting vigorous US diplomacy to end the occupation and establish a Palestinian state not only helps secure Israel, it helps secure our own country from the blowback that could be produced by the fury our policies are creating worldwide.