{"id":32256,"date":"2019-04-12T03:59:39","date_gmt":"2019-04-12T10:59:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=32256"},"modified":"2019-04-10T14:50:27","modified_gmt":"2019-04-10T21:50:27","slug":"politicians-speak-at-aipac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2019\/04\/12\/politicians-speak-at-aipac\/","title":{"rendered":"Politicians speak at AIPAC"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clockwise, from top left: U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence, Joe Lieberman, Senator Marco Rubio and Senator Cory Booker address attendees of last month\u2019s AIPAC Policy Conference. (photos by Dave Gordon)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence, in addition to other ranking American politicians, spoke of their unwavering support for the Jewish state to 18,000 people at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference, in Washington, D.C., March 24-26.<\/p>\n

Speech themes revolved around recent rocket attacks against Israeli civilians, the Golan Heights being recognized as Israeli sovereign territory by the United States, and sanctions against Iran. Every official who mentioned BDS, the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel, condemned it.<\/p>\n

Much was said about the Democratic congresswoman from Minnesota, Ilhan Abdullahi Omar. Her statements \u2013 including \u201cIsrael has hypnotized the world\u201d and that AIPAC has influenced U.S. policy through money \u2013 have been interpreted as antisemitic by some Jewish leaders.<\/p>\n

Pence said, \u201cHistory has already proven [Donald Trump] to be the greatest friend of the Jewish people and the state of Israel ever to sit in the Oval Office of the White House.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the pro-Israel bona fides of Trump, Pence said the United States shut down the Washington branch of the Palestinian Authority as a consequence for funding terror; ended tax dollar funding for United Nations-funded Palestinian schools; moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem; and recognized the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe stand with Israel because her cause is our cause, her values are our values,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In addition, Pence talked about the end of the \u201cdisastrous nuclear deal with Iran\u201d that has been replaced with \u201ca maximum-pressure campaign\u201d of sanctions, thereby causing Iran\u2019s economy to dip.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019ll be no more pallets of cash to the mullahs in Iran,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In a swipe across the political aisle, Pence said, \u201cIt\u2019s astonishing to think that the party of Harry Truman, which did so much to help create the state of Israel, has been co-opted by people who promote rank antisemitic rhetoric and work to undermine the broad American consensus of support for Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Without mentioning her name, he referred to Omar as \u201ca freshman Democrat in Congress\u201d who \u201ctrafficked in repeated antisemitic tropes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former U.S. ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley\u2019s first comments were about what she believes is the UN\u2019s hypocrisy.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, what\u2019s interesting is, at the UN, I can guarantee you this morning it is radio silent,\u201d she said, in reference to the rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel. \u201cThey are not saying anything about Hamas, they\u2019re not saying anything about the lives lost, they\u2019re not saying anything. But, if it was any [other] countr[y], they\u2019d be calling an emergency Security Council meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n

David Friedman, U.S. ambassador to Israel, claimed that Trump is \u201cIsrael\u2019s greatest ally ever to reside in the White House\u201d and, to those who think otherwise, \u201cplease, take a deep breath and think about it some more.\u201d<\/p>\n

How America is now sanctioning Iran was one example of an Israel-friendly policy. Friedman criticized the previous administration for paying the Islamic Republic $100 billion in the hopes that country would \u201cself-correct.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did Iran do with all its newly found treasure?\u201d he asked. \u201cDid it build up its civilian institutions? Did it improve the quality of life of its citizens?\u201d Instead, he said, it \u201cdoubled down on terrorist activity in Yemen, in Iraq and in Lebanon. It increased its stock of ballistic missiles and it invested in military bases in Syria, on Israel\u2019s northern border.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Protesters at this year\u2019s AIPAC Policy Conference, in Washington, D.C., last month. (photo by Dave Gordon)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu delivered an address via satellite, initially planning to take the podium in person, but returning to Israel to deal with the rocket attacks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Golan Heights is indispensable for our defence,\u201d he said of the recognition by the United States of the northern land seized by Israel in the Six Day War, in 1967. \u201cIt\u2019s part of our history. When you put a shovel in the ground there, what you discover are the ruins of ancient synagogues. Jews lived there for thousands of years and the people of Israel have come back to the Golan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Netanyahu said he thought comments like Omar\u2019s are antisemitic.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgain, the Jews are cast as a force for evil,\u201d he said. \u201cAgain, the Jews are charged with disloyalty. Again, the Jews are said to have too much influence, too much power, too much money. Take it from this Benjamin, it\u2019s not about the Benjamins.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the session Canada\u2019s Relationship with Israel, the panel included Liberal member of Parliament Anthony Housefather, Conservative MP Erin O\u2019Toole and former Conservative foreign minister John Baird.<\/p>\n

Housefather said he believes Israelis do not think there\u2019s a negotiating partner for peace, but they share some blame in the conflict: \u201cThe more they create settlements, the less likely there will be peace … they should think carefully before expanding settlements.\u201d<\/p>\n

A questioner asked him when the Canadian prime minister would do something \u201creal\u201d for Israel and Housefather noted that, in recent weeks, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau forcefully condemned the BDS movement in a town hall meeting.<\/p>\n

Another audience member asked why the Trudeau government continues to fund the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. While acknowledging that UNRWA has \u201ccurricula problems\u201d that involve \u201canti-Jewish, anti-Israel comments, misogynistic comments and anti-gay comments,\u201d he said that the $50 million in funding was just.<\/p>\n

Housefather said he had spoken with the head of UNRWA and voiced his \u201cconcerns at the slow pace they are making changes in the curricula,\u201d but added that their schools make children \u201ca lot less likely to become terrorists against Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes to helping them with UN aid programs; no to funding their schools,\u201d said O\u2019Toole. And Baird agreed.<\/p>\n

On the topic of a peace plan, O\u2019Toole said he \u201ckept hearing from Palestinians their want for a \u2018one-state solution,\u2019\u201d while their government \u201cexerts violence, and does not take care of the needs of their people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you\u2019ll see from Israeli leaders that they\u2019re prepared to experience real pain [in concessions],\u201d Baird said, but \u201cPalestinians have to stop the incitement\u201d and the \u201chate-mongering.\u201d<\/p>\n

While several candidates for the Democratic party\u2019s 2020 presidential nomination skipped the conference, leading Democratic figures were prominent at AIPAC, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who insisted no one will be permitted to make Israel a partisan wedge issue.<\/p>\n

Dave Gordon<\/strong> is a Toronto-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in more than 100 publications around the world.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clockwise, from top left: U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence, Joe Lieberman, Senator Marco Rubio and Senator Cory Booker address attendees of last month\u2019s AIPAC Policy Conference. (photos by Dave Gordon) U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence, in addition to other ranking American politicians, spoke of their unwavering support for the Jewish state to 18,000 people at the American […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":32257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[1034,4877,801,3555,4341,8862,1200,8860,4330,2297,8861,3597],"class_list":["post-32256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-aipac","tag-anthony-housefather","tag-antisemitism","tag-bds","tag-binyamin-netanyahu","tag-david-friedman","tag-diaspora","tag-erin-otoole","tag-israel","tag-john-baird","tag-mike-pence","tag-politics"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}