Pressuring Israel Leads to Congressional Discontent
Dovish liberals like myself were a little surprised when Obama took a hardline on settlement expansion, rejecting the loopholes that Bush Administration privately inserted into declrataions against settlment activity, and when pro-Israel members of Congress appeared to be on board with a real freeze on expansion.
Well, the honeymoon is (sorta) over. Ben Smith has a good piece getting a lot of Congressional Democrats complaining about Obama pressuring Israel too publicly and not doing enough criticizing of Palestinian rejectionists and terrorists.
“There’s a line between articulating U.S. policy and seeming to be pressuring a democracy on what are their domestic policies, and the president is tiptoeing right up to that line,” said Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), who said he’d heard complaints from constituents during the congressional recess. “I would have liked to hear the president talk more about the Palestinian obligation to cut down on terrorism.”
“I don’t think anybody wants to dictate to an ally what they have to do in their own national security interests,” said Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.), who said he thinks there’s “room for compromise.”
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The pro-Israel lobby AIPAC last week got the signatures of 329 members of Congress, including key figures in both parties, on a letter calling on the administration to work “closely and privately” with Israel — in contrast to the current public pressure.
This was to be expected. AIPAC and the Israel Lobby’s greatest influence is in Congress, and AIPAC is especially proud of the number of liberal Democrats they have on board with their program.
But as far as Congressional opposition to a relatively dovish executive branch Israel policy goes, this is pretty weak stuff. The article also says that “few [Congressional Democrats] will defend illegal Jewish outposts on land they hope will be part of a Palestinian state.” Without that, one could think that these Democrats were just giving lip service to supporting Obama’s settlement freeze but actually didn’t want to see any real pressure on Israel to do anything. Instead, it seems like they actually want to do the right thing, but have to cover their right flank and maintain their pro-Israel bona fides. In the case of Ackerman, Wexler and Weiner, three Jewish Congressmen who represent districts with sizable Jewish populations, it was almost inevitable that they would have to put up some token opposition to the tenor of Obama’s settlement policy.
