The illusion that Israel will reform itself

Friday, 20 March 2015

The illusion that Israel will reform itself

The polls were wrong.

The election was decisive. A clear Netanyahu victory, fueled by a racist campaign–including race baiting President Obama by labeling him “Hussein Obama”–and Netanyahu’s pledge that there will never be a Palestinian state.

The only good news was that the combined Arab List did well (13 seats), a show of Palestinian electoral power that bodes well for the future although exercising that power in a government that is decidedly racist and rightist will be near impossible.

No, I correct myself. That was not the only good news. Perhaps even more significant is that given the Obama administration’s contempt for Netanyahu, it is likely that the U.S.-Israel confrontation will continue, over Iran and, now with the unambiguous rejection of two states, over the occupation.

This is good news because it is now clear that confronting Israel, essentially ending the special relationship and treating Israel like any other moderately friendly country, is the only way to save Israel from apartheid and fascism, and the Palestinians from Israel.

Unfortunately, there is no assurance that the Obama administration won’t flinch. With Congress firmly dominated by AIPAC, with candidates from both parties dependent on AIPAC-directed campaign contributions and with the GOP openly professing more loyalty to Netanyahu than to America, we could well see the United States working to get back in Israel’s good graces rather than the other way around. That is certainly what Hillary Clinton is hoping for.

What we have to hope for is that President Obama stands firm, that he achieves the agreement with Iran and then goes on to quietly (or loudly!) slow down the delivery of US aid, reduce strategic cooperation and use every lever in his power to tell the Israeli people that they cannot take our money and UN vetoes and spit in or face at the same time. Now that Netanyahu has ruled out a Palestinian state, we must stop using our veto to block it. Also, we should start talking to all Palestinian factions, including Hamas.

Why not? We are now free of the illusion that Israel will reform itself. The good Israelis can’t do it alone. They are dependent on U.S. pressure which we need to finally start using. As for the Palestinians no reason to trust us although, even if we refuse to be honest brokers, our pressure on Israel can only benefit them.

But that all requires the U.S. government breaking free of the AIPAC stranglehold. And that is hard to imagine although–given that its position on Iran exposes it not just as the “Israel lobby” but as the “loyal to Israel, not America” lobby, it is vulnerable. Younger Jews and Democrats in general (not elected officials but voters) have already turned away from Israel. This election will accelerate the process that will leave old Jews, crazy Christian rightists, and the Orthodox as Israel’s support base in America. Israel’s days as a consensus issue are over. And not just on campus.

As for individuals, we can’t do much although the BDS movement provides some leverage.

Mainly, however, it’s up to Obama. He needs to stand tough, along with our EU allies, and let Israelis feel their isolation.

Whether they in fact feel it or not, we can turn this situation around on our own. After all, we hold Israel’s mortgage. The banker can always decide what to do when the mortgage isn’t being paid. The threat of foreclosure does wonders.

Use it.

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