Chicagoland Pro-Israel Political Update
A newsletter for people willing to think for themselves
August 26, 2018
Trump threatened that Israel would “have to pay a higher price” in return for moving the embassy to Jerusalem and said that the Palestinians “will get something very good next.”
Not only has Trump compiled a poor record on Israel since taking office, but he still not filled the position of Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, nor has he appointed a White House Jewish liaison. It’s almost like he just doesn’t care.
Trump's decision to cut $200 million in aid to the Palestinians will hurt Israel.
John McCain passed away yesterday. May his memory be for a blessing.
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Friends,
Are you nostalgic for the days when Republicans would become apoplectic because the president
wore a tan suit
or
put his feet on the desk
? If anyone tells you that party labels don’t matter, ask why so many Republicans are remaining silent about the corruption, incompetence, vulgarity, bigotry, and hatred permeating the Trump administration. If they are more afraid of their base than their conscience, then
perhaps Hillary was right
when she said “to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump's supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables.” But people who support Trump today? “Half” might be lowballing it.
Meanwhile, here in Illinois, not one Republican member of Congress or the General Assembly, nor Bruce Rauner, has endorsed Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL) over
Arthur Jones
or Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL) over
Bill Fawell
, who thinks that Israel was one of the “masterminds” of 9/11. The rotten apples don’t fall far from the old white tree. Still think there’s no difference between the parties? I don’t know exactly where the line is, but if Jones and Fawell are not on the wrong side of the line, I don’t know who is.
Trump said Israel will have to pay a “higher price” because of the Jerusalem embassy move
. Who didn’t see this coming?
Trump said last week
, “And you know what, in the negotiation Israel will have to pay a higher price because they won a very big thing, but I took it off the table. [The Palestinians] could never get past the fact of Jerusalem becoming the capital, but they will get something very good next because it’s their turn next.”
Trump again repeated his false claim that prior negotiations had stalled because of the Jerusalem issue. In fact, Jerusalem (and the so-called “right of return” for Palestinian refugees) had deliberately been left for last because negotiating such volatile issues upfront would have derailed talks.
As a result of a symbolic move that didn't make Israel any safer and that was never at the top of Israel's priority list--but which Israel had no choice but to gush over and which some in America and Israel said put
Trump on par with King Cyrus
--Trump is now seeming to suggest that in return for this gesture, Israel must make significant concessions.
When Trump
recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital
, Trump said that he was "not taking a position of any final status issues, including the specific boundaries of the Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, or the resolution of contested borders." That's why Trump never referred to Jerusalem as Israel's "undivided" capital. It’s also why
Chemi Shalev
called Trump’s claim that Jerusalem is now off the table “a mix of poppycock and balderdash wrapped in pure rubbish.”
Trump blundered by not timing his Jerusalem embassy move for maximum leverage in the context of peace negotiations
. A recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital toward the conclusion of a negotiated agreement by the parties to the conflict could have made it easier for Israeli leaders to sell a final status two-state solution to the Israeli public. That opportunity is now lost forever, and as we saw last week, thanks to Trump, the dynamic now is that Israel must give something in return without knowing what that something is.
Ron Klein,
Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) chairman, said that "threatening Israel – and offering vague promises to the Palestinians – will not bring peace to the Middle East, nor will it strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship. Instead, it further diminishes U.S. credibility in the region and breeds distrust among both Israelis and Palestinians."
Moving the embassy was always about politics. In 2007,
former AIPAC Executive Director Neal Sher
recounted the missteps that led to the enactment of the Jerusalem Embassy Act in the first place: It was enacted not at the behest of Israel, but to promote the presidential campaign of Republican Robert Dole. And now here we are.
Trump's decision to cut $200 million in aid to the Palestinians will hurt Israel.
Dave Harden analyzes
the decision.
The Fine Print (in regular type)
: This newsletter usually runs on Sunday mornings. Unless explicitly 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 I agree with everything the author of that article has ever said or even that I agree with everything in that 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.
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