Biden's Campain and the DNC Make a Mockery of Jews, Israel, and of Course,
Joe Biden
Reading through the Biden campaign's website, one wonders if the leader of
the Democratic Party is in touch with the rest of the country, not to
mention the rest of the world when it comes to Israel.
by Miko Peled
August 28th, 2020
By Miko Peled
Joe Biden still carries his support for Israel as though it was a badge of
honor. Reading through his campaign's website, one wonders if the leader of
the Democratic Party is in touch with the rest of the country, not to
mention the rest of the world. We are fast approaching a world where support
for Israel is viewed as shameful. Being recognized as a supporter of the
violent, apartheid regime known as Israel, should no longer be a source of
pride, but rather seen as an accusation. "Israel Supporter" is synonymous
with narrow-minded politicians who stick to the archaic notions of
legitimizing and supporting the so-called "Jewish State."
Joe Biden
Under the title of "Joe Biden's record of unstinting support for Israel,"
Bide's campaign website features a list of policies and actions that
represent his, "stalwart support for Israel." Other statements that can be
found regarding this issue on the site include, "Vice President Joe Biden
has consistently made solidarity with Israel."
He made what with Israel? How does one make solidarity with another country?
The site goes on to say that, "As President, Joe Biden will continue to
ensure that the Jewish State, the Jewish people, and Jewish values have the
unbreakable support of the United States."
Is there anyone in the Democratic Party who can explain what this sentence
means?
For starters, the so-called "Jewish State" is not Jewish and hard as Israel
may try to hide it, being "Jewish" is not a nationality but a religion. Most
Jewish people live in other countries and the majority of the people who are
governed by the State of Israel are not Jewish but Palestinian Muslims.
Under the Israeli apartheid system Jewish people do enjoy privileges that
others do not, so one could say it is a state that provides privilege to
Jewish people at the expense of others. That hardly qualifies it as a
"Jewish State."
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Someone in the Democratic Party might also want to explain the "Jewish
values" that are referenced here. There are no values that are uniformly
espoused by all Jewish people. Some Jewish people are religious, others are
not. Some are racists and support Zionism and others are not. Some Jewish
people are fine people, some are not. And finally, it would be nice to know
who the ignorant fool is who wrote this stuff for the Biden campaign.
Democratic National Convention
As one reads through the Democratic National Convention platform under the
section titled, "RENEWING AMERICAN LEADERSHIP," and the sub-section titled
"The Middle East," there is an entire segment on Iran. Iran, which certainly
has influence in the Middle East, is not even part of the Middle East.
This reminds me of the Israeli police officer who questioned me after the
Israeli authorities learned of my visit to Iran. The questioning began with:
"Have you visited any hostile Arab countries lately?" When I replied "no,"
the officer angrily asked, "Don't you consider Iran to be a hostile Arab
country?" Again I replied, "no." Can it be that both the Israeli authorities
and the Dems don't know where Iran is located geographically? It is neither
Arab nor is it in the Middle East.
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When it comes to Israel, the DNC platform is full of contradictions.
Following Biden's personal commitment to Israel, the platform says, "Our
commitment to Israel's security, its qualitative military edge, its right to
defend itself, and the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding is ironclad." The
"Memorandum" is the foreign aid agreement signed in 2016 which promises
Israel an unprecedented $38 billion over ten years.
The platform then goes on to say, "Democrats recognize the worth of every
Israeli and every Palestinian." As the past one hundred years in Palestine
have shown, support for Israel comes at the expense of Palestinian lives. No
one can honestly care for the lives of Palestinians and support Israel's
"qualitative military edge." It is that very military that is used by Israel
to kill Palestinians. The Israeli military is part of a larger "security"
apparatus that is devoted to the oppression of the Palestinian people and
the protection of the apartheid regime.
What is perhaps the most foolish statement made in the platform, and the one
the Dems will likely come to regret more than anything is the following: "We
oppose any effort to unfairly single out and delegitimize Israel, including
at the United Nations or through the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions
Movement." Opposing the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment, and
sanctions against the State of Israel is a mistake of historic proportions.
Rejecting BDS will be remembered as not only cowardly but also as an
unwillingness on the part of the Democratic Party to stand for justice and
freedom in Palestine. It is reactionary, short-sighted, and likely to have
serious political repercussions. For generations to come, the Democratic
Party of 2020 will be remembered as weak on human rights and its blind
support for Israel will be used as an accusation both against the
Biden-Harris ticket and the Democratic Party as a whole.
A difficult choice
The argument made by those who feel that progressives should vote for the
Biden-Harris ticket is that they are "pushable." In other words, if
activists on the ground and within the Democratic Party work to bring about
change from within, Joe Biden as president will listen. This argument makes
the claim that while Biden's record is clear, and while his entire career
demonstrates he always supported crimes committed against Palestinians, as
president, if pressured he may change.
Before every election, Americans are told that they face a tough choice.
Before every election, Americans are told that the stakes are high, that the
results will be close, and that they need to vote wisely. It may well be
that this time it is more true than ever. Particularly for progressives, the
choice between a far-Right neo-fascist and a middle of the road uninspiring
centrist career politician isn't easy.
Good luck to us all!