J Street: My Pro-Israel Political Home
After October 7, like many in the American Jewish community, I was shocked by some reactions on the far-left in the United States. Some were disappointingly quiet. Others, who received the most attention, misguidedly and disgustingly cheered on Hamas. It showed me that, yes, plenty of people are misinformed about Israel and its conflict with the Palestinians, and that the ongoing conflict is also poisonous—certainly for those on the ground directly impacted, but also for American politics.
To be clear, I am unabashedly pro-Israel. By that, I mean that I support a secure, Jewish, democratic state of Israel that adheres to its Declaration of Independence. That also means that I support a strong US-Israel relationship, which, for it to endure, requires bipartisan support. So as much as I would like to dismiss the growing animosity toward Israel, I must acknowledge that the post-October 7 trends we have seen in America, combined with the ongoing Gaza war, have made it politically more difficult for our progressive elected officials to support Israel.
That is why I as a mainstream Jewish American proudly support J Street and its approach to pro-Israel politics.
What makes me a mainstream Jewish American? Like 71 percent, I tend to lean Democratic. Like 69 percent, I feel connected to Israel. Like 92 percent, I believe one can be critical of Israeli government policies and still be pro-Israel. Like 63 percent, I disapprove of Prime Minister Netanyahu. Like a majority, I believe the Gaza war continues to be waged for political purposes (62 percent) and is likely to further imperil the remaining hostages (72 percent).
I’m able to put all of these views and my values into action by supporting political candidates via J Street. The pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy organization requires strong support for the US-Israel relationship and security assistance to Israel as its first endorsement criterion. It also requires opposition to unilateral actions that undermine a resolution to the conflict and support for a peace agreement that results in security for Israel, a demilitarized Palestinian state, and normalization of Israel’s relations with its neighbors.
These are clearly understood to be pro-Israel principles by the vast majority of Jewish Americans. And yet J Street has been attacked for endorsing candidates who don’t keep their criticisms of the Israeli government quiet. Yes, there are some who have accused the Israeli government of war crimes and ethnic cleansing–all of which, by the way, has been done without calling into question Israel’s right to exist.
What those attacks conveniently omit, though, is that prominent Israeli leaders are saying the same things. Former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon has accused the government of ethnic cleansing in Gaza. He has also criticized it for committing war crimes, as has former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Yair Golan, the former IDF deputy chief of staff who was heralded as a hero for his immediate action of rescuing survivors on October 7, claimed that Israel’s current government has “no morals.”
Where is the outrage? What American Jew is calling them antisemitic? What pro-Israel group is pointing to them as anti-Israel?
They are patriots speaking words rooted in love and concern for their country–wanting their government to be better, wanting a peaceful future for all Israelis and Palestinians. The same is true of J Street.
At a time when Israel needs all of the friends it can muster, it is a dangerous exercise to excommunicate from the pro-Israel camp those who express their support for the Jewish homeland differently than you.
Do I agree 100 percent with everything all J Street endorsees say or do regarding Israel? No. But if we are going to start having litmus tests, there are plenty of right-wing, self-proclaimed supporters of Israel who I can argue are enabling detrimental extremism in Israel and endangering Jews.
There is something very valuable about a pro-Israel organization whose endorsement is accepted by the likes of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and former Majority Whip Rep. Jim Clyburn, to Rep. Jamie Raskin, to Sen. Bernie Sanders. In fact, J Street endorsees account for over half of House Democrats and three quarters of Senate Democrats. Continued attempts to paint the organization as somehow fringe are demonstrably false.
J Street safeguards the progressive Israel space in the United States. It shows our elected officials that they can indeed stay true to their progressive values and support Israel simultaneously. Being pro-Israel doesn’t need to be as elementary as approving aid to Israel without being able to have nuanced conversations and critiques.
If we narrow the definition of pro-Israel, if we attack those who both support Israel’s right to exist and choose to publicly air their criticisms of its government with charges of antisemitism or incitement, we diminish the truly horrific antisemitic acts of violence. And, sooner than later, we will look back at the bygone era of bipartisan support for Israel and ask ourselves where we went wrong.
