Israel is under siege.
I can’t recall a time when the reputation of the world’s only Jewish state has taken such a beating. Recent polls show that for the first time, young people are more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause than to Israel.
It’s now normal, even cool, to bash Israel. It’s even good for your career.
This has made things ever more challenging for a lobby group like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), whose very mission is to strengthen the U.S.—Israeli relationship. The genius of AIPAC has always been its ferocious focus on making support for Israel a nonpartisan issue.
But with the Democratic party moving sharply to the left, and Israel’s image in the dumps, more Democrats than ever are flaunting their opposition to Israel, and that includes opposition to AIPAC.
“A growing number of Democratic primary challengers are making opposition to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee a campaign issue as they seek to unseat party incumbents backed by the influential pro-Israel advocacy group,” Reuters recently reported. “The trend reflects divisions over U.S. policy toward Israel as the wars in Gaza and Iran deepen intraparty tensions ahead of November’s midterm election.”
AIPAC is a savvy group that knows how to make the best of tough situations. But what they could use right now is a boost to Israel’s image, and the pro-Israel community can help.
We’ve allowed Israel’s image to deteriorate to the point where words like “genocide” and “apartheid” are routinely velcroed to the Jewish state.
As if that weren’t enough, the false narrative that Israel has coaxed America into the war with Iran means that every time someone fills up their gas tank, guess who they’re likely to blame for the sticker shock?
To counteract this precipitous decline, it’s not enough to play defense and “correct the lies.” We must aim higher.
If your image is that you’re bad for America, the only remedy is to show that the very opposite is true.
Fortunately, the truth is on Israel’s side: Israel is indeed good for America.
A good starting point is this message on AIPAC’s home page:
“Israel is a strong, self-reliant nation that shares [America’s] democratic values and advances our strategic interests — an innovation powerhouse that helps strengthen our military, bolster our economy, and promote peace and stability in an unstable region.
“The Jewish state — a capable and determined ally that embodies our values of freedom, democracy, equality and pluralism — is on the front lines defending Western values against dangerous groups and nations that are committed to destroying both it and the United States.”
There’s plenty more where that came from. If we hope to persuade people that Israel is synonymous with America’s interests, we must inject credible facts into the media ecosystem and blanket every platform and social media channel with that message.
Emphasizing Israel’s value to America must become a community-wide effort. From the ADL to the AJC to the Federation system to Hillel and every pro-Israel group in the country, the collective priority must be to strengthen the U.S.—Israeli relationship.
Israel’s enemies have invested enormous time and resources smearing Israel as an evil force that is bad for America and the world. If we don’t counteract that canard with a case of our own, Israel’s image will become the Titanic after it hit the iceberg. We’re close to that status already.
Yes, we should denounce the alarming turn against Israel, from both the left and the right. Too many Democrats are shamefully silent when antizionism comes from their side, just as too many Republicans shut down when Israel-hatred comes from their “America First” wing.
The only truth that can cut through those libels is that “pro-Israel” and “pro-America” are virtually one and the same. When AIPAC says it strengthens the Israel-U.S. relationship, it is also saying it strengthens America.
In short, to rescue Israel’s image from the clutches of Jew-haters, we must show America that American Jews are also America first.
That is why they’re pro-Israel.
