Chicagoland Pro-Israel Political Update
A newsletter for people willing to think for themselves
November 18, 2018
Last week, Hamas fired more than 400 rockets into Israel. No country on earth would tolerate missiles raining down on its citizens from outside its borders, yet Prime Minister Netanyahu exercised restraint.
Have you noticed that we don't hear much anymore about Iran being weeks or months away from acquiring nuclear weapons? Thanks, Obama.
The Blue Wave was real, and the more we count the votes, the realer in becomes. We have much to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving!
Don't miss Ambassador Stuart Eisenstat at NSS Beth El on December 4. Details beneath the Video Clip of the Week.
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Friends,
Last week, Hamas fired more than
400 rockets into Israel from Gaza.
President Obama said in 2012 that "There's no country on Earth that would tolerate missiles raining down on its citizens from outside its borders." To his credit, Prime Minister Netanyahu exercised restraint and as a result,
his defense minister resigned. Thousands of Israeli lives were saved by Iron Dome, and not for the first time.
Thanks, Obama. I wonder how many lives were saved by Trump's embassy move.
There is no contradiction between understanding that improving conditions in Gaza can enhance Israel's security and unequivocally condemning Hamas attacks on innocent civilians and supporting Israel's right to self-defense.
This is not about the occupation; Hamas does not accept Israel's right to exist within any borders. These rocket attacks make it very difficult politically for Israel to lift restrictions on Gaza. Those who are genuinely concerned about Palestinian suffering--which is real--should ask Hamas to declare an end to armed struggle and give Israel the political space to improve conditions in Gaza (which does not absolve Israel of the responsibility to alleviate suffering to the extent it does not impair security).
Ilan Goldenberg succinctly analyzes what can be done in the short-term, since a comprehensive peace agreement leading to a two-state solution, to which Hamas would have to either be a party or be stripped of power, is not happening anytime soon.
Why don't we hear that much about Iran anymore? The best proof that the Iran Deal worked is that Bibi no longer talks about it incessantly and pro-Israel groups no longer feature dire warnings about an Iran only months away from breakout.
Maybe that's because to get sanctions relief, Iran removed two-thirds its centrifuges, including the disconnection of every single nuclear enrichment centrifuge at the Fordow facility. Iran reduced its vast stockpile of up to five percent enriched uranium from over 12,000 kilograms, enough for numerous nuclear bombs, down to under 300 kilograms, far less than the amount needed for even one nuclear bomb--a reduction of 98 percent. Iran also removed the core of the Arak reactor and filled it with cement. Iran was forced to redesign that facility to ensure it cannot be used to produce weapons-grade plutonium. All of Iran’s pathways to nuclear weapons were blocked before Trump withdrew from the JCPOA, which is why--even though no deal could erase Iran's knowledge--Iran is, for the time being, less of a threat.
Trump violated the JCPOA while Iran was still in compliance through the imposition of sanctions that we had agreed to lift in return for Iranian compliance. We have not yet felt the repercussions because Europe is working with Iran and Iran is remaining in compliance.
Philip Gordon and Robert Malley
explain that Trump's new sanctions are unlikely to change Iran's behavior, but could destabilize the region and eventually force the U.S. to choose between a nuclear-armed Iran or military action against Iran.
Gardiner Harris writes that not only do sanctions rarely work, but when they do, they are effective only with the international cooperation that Trump disdains. Moreover, "
while Iran’s economy will suffer in the short term [from Trump's unilateral sanctions], the new sanctions will spur the creation of financial mechanisms that exclude the United States, undermining American power, economic might and ability to track and contain terrorism in ways that could far outlast the Trump administration."
Let's end with some good news. The more we count the votes, the better it is for Democrats. The Blue Wave was real.
Hanukkah came early this year. Not since the post-Watergate election have Democrats done so well in a midterm. As of Friday, Democrats had turned
33 House seats from Red to Blue, with seven more seats--all currently Republican--yet to be decided. In addition, Democrats made
massive state-level gains, including a net gain of about 300 legislative seats and taking at least seven governorships from the Republicans.
The
latest analysis shows that Jewish voters gave 82% of their two-party U.S. House vote to Democrats. The Democratic Party remains the natural home of American Jewry, and more and more Jewish voters know it.
Halie Soifer, Executive Director of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, is right: "Jewish values are Democratic values--socially progressive and pro-Israel. Not only did Republicans lose ground with Jewish voters in this election, but the Jewish vote in key districts was decisive in helping Democrats win back control of Congress."
This will be a tough two years, but we proved in 2018 that we can win despite gerrymandering, despite voter suppression, and despite Republican appeals to bigotry and hate. We didn't win 'em all, but we won a lot of them. Stay energized, don't give up, and be thankful this Thanksgiving for all we have achieved.
See Ambassador Stuart Eisenstat on December 4. He will be discussing his new book on Jimmy Carter at 7:45pm at NSS Beth El in Highland Park.
Details here.
The Fine Print (in regular type)
: This newsletter usually runs on Sunday mornings. Unless stated otherwise, my views do not necessarily reflect the views of any candidates or organizations that I support or am associated with. My views might not even be my views tomorrow; I reserve the right to change my mind as I learn more, and sometimes I make myself mad too. Intelligent, well-informed people may disagree with me; seek out opposing views and decide for yourself. When I link to an article, it doesn't mean that I agree with everything its author has ever said or that I even agree with everything in the article; it means that the article supports or elaborates on the point I was making. Advertisements reflect the views of the advertisers, not necessarily of me, and advertisers are solely responsible for the content of their advertisements. I read, value, and encourage replies to my newsletters, but I don't always have time to acknowledge replies or to engage in one-on-one discussion. Don't expect a reply if your message is uncivil or if it's clear from your message that you haven't read the newsletter or clicked on the relevant links.