Micah Halpern
Jerusalem Post, May 2, 2023
“There is a reason for this stark disparity between the message and the reality. It is not simply a misread of the political agenda. It is a time-honored strategy of how to motivate and how to raise money for “the cause.”
On Tuesday April 25, when the United States House of Representatives passed H. Res 311, it was more than a salute to Israel on her 75th birthday. It was a solid, resounding, show of support for the Jewish state. It was the proverbial pat on the back from 400 US representatives.
It was a sign that things are not as bad as we are being led to believe between Jerusalem and Washington. A vote of 400 to 19 in support of Israel during these days of Israel bashing is as close to a unanimous vote as any lover of Israel could hope for.
Only one Republican voted against the resolution. A staunch isolationist, his name is Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky and he simply could not vote in favor of the resolution. The 17 other “nay” voters were, as expected, composed of the entire infamous Progressive Caucus, plus one other, Betty McCollum of Minnesota.
It is important to take in the enormity of a vote like this, especially in light of a very fractionalized Washington. It was just a few weeks ago when US President Joe Biden publicly dressed down Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that he will not invite the Israeli prime minister to the White House any time soon because DC disagrees with Netanyahu’s push for judicial reform.
And yet, soon thereafter, nearly the entire House of Representatives, including, of course, Biden devotees and die-hard Democrats – not just Republicans, signified their support for Israel.
Certainly, there are currents and pockets in the halls of US power where Israel is reviled like the Progressive Caucus. But at this stage, they are a small group with very little influence. They are colorful and they are loud and they speak in sound-bites, but they are not powerful.
Why do we think US support for Israel is in danger? … [To read the full article, click here]
