search
David Meyers

About Israel I Worry

About Israel I do everything I can. For Israel, I am voting for Kamala Harris

At a dinner to honor him on his 75th birthday, then Prime Minister Golda Meir said of my grandfather and his partner, “…about Israel they worry. About Israel they do everything that they can.” Spanning four generations, in Israel, post-war Europe, and the United States, my family has done everything that it can for Israel.

Last Tuesday, I saw the Arrow missile defense system protect Israel from a barrage of ballistic missiles, exactly as envisioned when, as an IDF Naval Officer, I participated in testing the system more than thirty years ago. Now, I live in the US and, four days after October 11th, was on my way to Israel to support my family in the Gaza Envelope and Negev, and to volunteer with ‘Brothers in Arms’ providing logistical support in the region. I have since advised the IDF on matters of global maritime transport.

Today, and for the next 30 days, “doing everything that I can for Israel” means talking with voters about why it is so important that we elect Kamala Harris.

My grandfather worked closely with Ben Gurion, Weizmann and Eben to acquire ships for ‘illegal immigration,’ weaponry for the War of Independence, and support to secure recognition for the State. The story of ‘Jewish geography’ that led Truman to meet with his business partner and, eventually, with Chaim Weizmann to hear his pitch for recognition was the lore of family gatherings. The other side of the family is ‘boots on the ground’ – smuggling survivors through Europe to board ships to pre-state Israel, running the 1948 embargo on a tanker, settling the Negev and Ashkelon, serving in the IDF, and working for co-existence even through the Intifada. 

The Israeli American experience is characterized by a lot of ‘back and forth,’ often without much prior planning. So, four times in Israel’s history my parents or grandparents voted in a US election not knowing that, by the time the next election rolled around, one or more of their children would head East and be embroiled in combat, patrolling enemy territory or in the heart of a wave of terror attacks. 

And so, for us, every US election determines the president who will be in the Situation Room when the call comes from Tel Aviv.

Fortunately, for most of Israel’s history, all of the presidential choices were reasonable. I do not think that George McGovern or Bob Dole would have failed to step up when Israel needed them. But this time is different. The clearly visible and murky ties that Trump has to Putin, who is allied with Israel’s enemies, and to Arab dictators, make it likely that he will abandon Israel in its hour of need. He has shown that he talks tough but acts weak, such as when Iran attacked US forces in Iraq with missiles. 

Beyond a president’s stance on the Middle East, it is the United States’ strength and leadership in the world that makes the relationship so important in the first place, and Trump openly seeks to withdraw from that role and isolate the United States, diminishing its ability to serve as a counterweight to declining support for Israel around the world. As one example, in May, only 14% of Britons supported continued arms sales to Israel, just one month after the UK joined in combatting the Iranian missile strike. This gap is largely due to the ability of the United States to influence European allies, from whom Trump will disengage.

We must heed the screaming alarm about Trump sounded by Middle East hawks like VP Cheney, Liz Cheney, and John Bolton, every Trump national security advisor and defense secretary, and seven hundred senior security officials of the ranks and roles that have maintained the US-Israel relationship over the years.

On the other hand, Vice President Harris is not just an acceptable alternative but a strong supporter of Israel who stands by her conviction in the face of political convenience. Despite the election-related fog in the media, Israeli security officials and experts overwhelmingly laud the unprecedented support that the Biden-Harris administration has offered to Israel since October 7th and, with a significant majority of the Israeli public, agree with the administration’s strategic vision for returning the hostages, concluding the war, rebuilding Gaza under new Palestinian leadership on a path to self determination, and joining forces with regional and global allies to confront Iran. 

Vice President Harris has maintained this position, and strong advocacy for the victims of atrocities and sexual violence on 10/7, at the cost of potentially critical support from the far left. She has faced numerous calls to bend her position to swing a few votes in the critical state of Michigan, and she has remained consistent, a strong indicator of how she will lead as president.

As an Israeli American in the US, antisemitism and anti-Zionism are front of mind for me too, with sons studying at UC Berkeley and UCLA. With hate and bile from the far left rocking our sense of belonging and safety, it is tempting to ‘go right.’ But illiberalism from the left and from the MAGA right are two sides of the same coin, and the antidote is not to fight “their racism” with “our racism.” The answer is mainstream American leadership in our best traditions, that has room for Kamala Harris and Liz Cheney under the same tent.

With all the pain and fear of the last year, I am optimistic that Kamala Harris brings new leadership that is both deeply rooted in what is best about America and exceptional in the strength and achievements  that she brings to the table. 

About Israel, I worry and for Israel I will vote for Kamala Harris for president.

About the Author
David Meyers began his career as a naval officer in the IDF, where he served on a variety of combat vessels and was responsible for launch platform operations in early testing of the Arrow missile system, rising to the rank of Captain. He was a global maritime consultant, advising clients on shipping operations and economics, before embarking on his current career as a CleanTech executive and entrepreneur. He is active in Israel's pro-democracy movement as a member of Brothers and Sisters in Arms and of the leadership team of UnXeptable, and is a co-founder of Israeli Americans for Kamala. He lives in Silicon Valley, California with his family.
Related Topics
Related Posts