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April 21, 2024
Key Takeaways:
- Pesach starts tomorrow night. Many of us will miss loved ones we used to celebrate with. All of us will think of the families who lost loved ones on October 7 and the more than 129 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.
- Hamas continues to reject deals that would free hostages, result in an immediate ceasefire, and allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza to avert the imminent famine (which is real and must be prevented). Getting the hostages out remains a prime objective of the Biden administration.
- President Biden is the only U.S. president to visit Israel during wartime and became the first to directly use U.S. military assets to defend Israel from a major military attack when Iran attacked last week. His support for Israel has been ironclad and unwavering.
- Republicans delayed and obstructed President Biden's emergency aid request for Israel and Ukraine for more than six months. Even after Iran's attack further depleted Israel's resources, the House GOP did not immediately call the aid package for a vote. Instead, they waited a week, broke it into separate bills, and only then, after Democrats bailed them out on a key committee vote, did the package that could have passed six months ago clear the House yesterday. Both parties overwhelmingly voted for aid to Israel. Most Republicans opposed aid to Ukraine, which passed with unanimous Democratic support. The Democratic-controlled Senate will approve the package early next week. It is unconscionable and unforgivable that House Republicans took six months to call this aid for straight up/down votes.
- If anyone tells you that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is a profile in courage for bringing aid to Israel and Ukraine to a vote, ask yourself what that says about today's Republican Party when supporting aid to Israel and Ukraine is a risky political move. On the Democratic side of the aisle, Leader Hakeem Jeffries fully supports aid to Israel and Ukraine with no political risk from dissenters in the Democratic Party.
- President Biden vetoed a UN Security Council Resolution that would have allowed a Palestinian bid for admission as a full member state from moving forward.
- We should treat Christians United for Israel (CUFI) as the bigoted organization that it is and stop inviting their speakers to our events.
Read to the end for corrections, what you may have missed last week, fun stuff, and upcoming events.
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Hi Steve,
Tomorrow night, Jews all over the world begin celebrating Pesach. Pesach is a festival of freedom marking our liberation from bondage in Egypt. On the border with Egypt, in Gaza, Hamas holds more than 129 hostages, more than half probably dead, some possibly pregnant, in terrible conditions.
On Pesach, we remember friends and family who no longer sit at our seder table. This year, we will also think of other seder tables, in Israel, America, and around the world, with empty chairs for those still held hostage and the 1,200 Hamas murdered 198 days ago on October 7, the most Jews murdered on a single day since the Holocaust. The words we say as we begin the seder will resonate strongly: Now many are still enslaved; next year may all be truly free.
On April 18, the Biden administration told the UN and the world that Hamas "continues to reject offers from Israel that would halt fighting and release hostages – over and over and over. If Hamas accepted the offer Israel has made, it would allow for an immediate ceasefire that would benefit Palestinians immediately. Hamas should take this deal. If not, they should explain to the world and to the Palestinian people why they have yet to do so, because right now, Hamas is the sole obstacle to a ceasefire in Gaza. ...
"It is extraordinary the extent to which Hamas has been almost erased from the story of what is happening in Gaza. None of what we have seen in Gaza would have happened had Hamas released the hostages, put down its weapons, stopped hiding behind civilians and in tunnels, and surrendered.
Hamas has an opportunity now to agree to the proposal on a ceasefire and on hostages. The ball is in Hamas’ court and the world is watching to see what it does."
President Biden and the Democratic Party are firmly committed to Israel. On October 18, Biden became the first U.S. president to visit Israel during wartime. Last weekend, when Iran launched hundreds of drones, unmanned aerial vehicles, and missiles toward Israel, Biden became the first president to directly use U.S. military assets to defend Israel from a major military attack.
Iran intended to cause major damage and kill as many Israelis as possible, but Biden's coordinated defense was a spectacular success--99% of Iran's incoming munitions were destroyed, only a handful landed in Israel, and no one was killed, although a young girl was badly injured. Israel's calibrated response on Thursday evening was designed to signal that further attacks on Israel will not be tolerated and at the same time to avoid further escalation.
Biden proved that the U.S. stands with Israel regardless of whatever disagreements we may have with Israel's government and that there is no question that America will come to Israel's defense.
When Biden was in Israel he said, "For decades, we’ve ensured Israel’s qualitative military edge. And later this week, I’m going to ask the United States Congress for an unprecedented support package for Israel’s defense."
Two days later, on October 20, Biden sent Congress the request for emergency aid to Israel and Ukraine. Six months later, neither Israel nor Ukraine has seen a dime of that money because of Republican obstruction.
Democrats bailed out Republicans on Israel. House Republicans never called President Biden's aid package for an up or down vote until yesterday. If Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) had been Speaker, Biden's package would have passed in a matter of days. But Democrats don't control the House.
Senate Democrats finally overcame Republican obstruction on February 13, 2024, when the Senate passed President Biden's emergency assistance package by a vote of 71-29 over Republican opposition. Of the 29 “no” votes, 26 were cast by Republicans — 90%. Whereas 94% of Senate Democrats supported aid to Israel and Ukraine (48–3), most Republicans, 55%, voted against aid to Israel and Ukraine.
The Senate bill then languished in the Republican-controlled House for more than two months. But after Iran's attack further depleted Israel's resources, House Republicans woke up and raced to pass the Senate bill immediately, right? Wrong. This emergency aid package should have been on President Biden's desk for signature on Monday afternoon.
Instead, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) broke the bill up into pieces, delaying voting until yesterday. Procedural votes are nearly always party-line votes but on Thursday, Democrats saved Republicans from themselves by supplying votes to overcome Republican opposition and gettin the aid package out of the GOP-controlled Rules Committee. On Friday, more Democrats than Republicans voted for the rule to consider the aid bills.
On Saturday, a majority of Republicans voted against aid to Ukraine but thanks to unanimous Democratic support, the bill passed 311-112. Aid to Israel passed 366-58, with 21 Republicans and 37 Democrats voting against. Both parties overwhelmingly supported aid to Israel--the difference is that Democrats would have passed the aid six months earlier if they controlled the House.
The Senate will vote on the package early this week (Johnson's failure to simply call a vote on the bill passed by the Senate in February necessitates another Senate vote). President Biden pledged to sign the package into law "immediately" upon reaching his desk.
The facts speak for themselves. Democrats are better than Republicans on Israel. And while we're at it, Democrats are better than Republicans on antisemitism.
President Biden vetoed a UN Security Council Resolution that would have allowed a Palestinian bid for admission as a full member state from moving forward. In explaining the vote, the administration reiterated that "President Biden has been clear that sustainable peace in the region can only be achieved through a two-state solution, with Israel’s security guaranteed. There is no other path that guarantees Israel’s security and future as a democratic Jewish state" and said that "this vote does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood, but instead is an acknowledgement that it will only come from direct negotiations between the parties." Secretary of State Blinken noted that passage of this resolution would have triggered laws requiring the U.S. to stop funding the UN.
Republicans unanimously voted to drop support for a two-state solution from their 2016 platform and nixed language supporting a two-state solution from the Israel 75th birthday resolution passed by the House last April.
The imminent famine in Gaza is real. This is not Hamas propaganda. It is a fact, and if it happens, it will be the third famine of this century. The previous famines (Somalia and South Sudan) were caused naturally. The responsibility for this famine will rest with Israel and the U.S. (for allowing it to happen on our watch). We cannot blame Egypt, Jordan, or Qatar. They did not attack Israel on October 7 and they did not invade Gaza.
The U.S. joined the G7 in stating, "We reiterate our opposition to a full scale military operation in Rafah that would have catastrophic consequences on the civilian population. We reiterate our call for a credible and actionable plan to protect the civilian population there and address their humanitarian needs. We are deeply concerned by the internal displacement within Gaza and the risk of forcible displacement from Gaza. Israel must act in compliance with its obligations under international law and treat individuals humanely and with dignity, and should thoroughly and transparently investigate credible allegations of wrongdoing and ensure accountability for any abuses or violations." How can anyone argue with that?
The entire statement, which reiterates support for Israel's security, that Iran must never develop or obtain a nuclear weapon, and calls on Hamas to "release all hostages immediately and unconditionally" is an excellent summation of intelligent foreign policy objectives and priorities.
There is no contradiction between living up to our values and preventing famine and helping Israel achieve its moral and security objectives. Providing humanitarian assistance will help Israel achieve its political and military objectives, not hinder it. Rabbi Yitz Greenberg makes the Jewish case for humanitarian aid.
CUFI is not our ally. Some would have us dismiss Christians United For Israel's theology on the grounds that we can worry about whether they are right when we see whose Messiah comes (back) and when you're as desperate as Jews in America are (!) you take your allies where you find them, even if they are bigots and haters. They can't explain how we can expect others to stand up for us when we excuse bigotry against them, nor can they explain how we can condemn other groups for including, say, Louis Farrakhan when we include John Hagee, CUFI's Bigot-in-Chief.
But it's worse than that. CUFI's theology and ideology lead to support for policies that are harmful to Jews and to Israel. Jay Michaelson documents not only the rampant bigotry and hatred within CUFI, including antisemitism, but CUFI policy positions that include opposition to a two-state solution, supporting West Bank settlement expansion, and funding Israel's extreme far right.
Hagee spoke at last November's March for Israel in DC, and a CUFI representative spoke at the rally for the hostages marking six months of their captivity. Enough already. We are better than that. So much better than that. John McCain rejected Hagee's support. So should we.
Corrections. I'm entitled to my own opinions but not to my own facts, so I appreciate it when readers bring errors to my attention. No one brought any mistakes to my attention last week, so it looks like last week's newsletter was perfect.
In Case You Missed It:
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Charlotte Clymer writes, "It is unequivocally wrong—flat-out immoral—to block traffic on a highway or roadway as a form of protest."
- Alon Pinkas explains that Qatar is part of the solution to the Gaza War, not the problem. Some background: Hamas's political wing is based in Qatar (better Qatar than in Iran). Hamas's military wing is based in Gaza. The military wing seems to think that it is doing all the fighting and taking all the risks while the political wing lives in luxury in Doha. It is unclear what, if any, influence the political wing has over the military wing, which means that Qatar has little, if any, influence over Hamas in Gaza. Qatar did fund Hamas--with Israel's approval and coordination. This has been an open secret for years and is now not a secret at all. Qatar's role as a mediator is important. It is unclear what more, if anything, it can do to release the hostages.
Tweets of the Week. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Nimrod Novik.
Quip of the Week. Joe Biden.
Twitter Thread of the Week. I'm seeing it again on social media so yes, Steve Sheffey.
Video Clips of the Week. Fauda Pesach shopping commercial and keeping kosher outside the house?
For those new to this newsletter. This is the newsletter even Republicans have to read and the original home of the viral and beloved 2022 and 2023 Top Ten Signs You're At a Republican Seder. If someone forwarded this to you, why not subscribe and get it in your inbox every Sunday? Just click here--it's free.
I periodically update my posts on why Democrats are better than Republicans on Israel and antisemitism and on the IHRA definition of antisemitism. My definition of "pro-Israel" is here (it's a work in progress, as am I).
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