The results of the Democratic presidential primary in Michigan should send shockwaves through supporters of Israel. There was a campaign to have voters vote uncommitted as a protest to what they saw as President Biden’s pro-Israel policy concerning the war in Gaza. More than 100,000 votes, or about 13% of the total votes, were cast as uncommitted. The uncommitted slate obtained two delegates to the Democratic National Convention. It was the first time in the Democratic primary this year that delegates went to someone besides the president. The strongest support was unsurprisingly in Muslim communities. It was also strong in areas with universities, which is an indication that it is popular with students. Other areas also had numbers of uncommitted, but they were lower.
The response by Rabbi Schonfeld and others is to label all of those who are criticizing Israel’s actions in the war and showing sympathy for those who are displaced, injured, and killed - including women and children - as anti-Semitic, so why bother to be what they call “politically correct”? They also argue that this is a Democratic Party problem, and we should vote Republican.
They are wrong on both fronts. Sure, there are those who want Israel eradicated. The extremists who espouse such positions are our best advocates. We can argue that everyone who is criticizing Israel is part of that group. The problem with that approach is that the numbers of individuals who are criticizing Israel and supporting an immediate ceasefire has continued to grow day by day. It has included people who traditionally have supported Israel. Therefore, that approach lacks credibility. If we continue to continue with that approach, we are making a big mistake in that we are not addressing the cause and also demonizing those who have been supporters in the past.
There are many people who see the suffering of those living in Gaza day after day. They know that Israel went into Gaza and that Israel’s military is stronger than Hamas. They hear of situations like when more than 100 people died in the incident at the food convoy and hear the death toll of Palestinians reported by Hamas’ health ministry. It is not surprising that more and more people are changing their positions. They sincerely believe that this is a humanitarian crisis and blame Israel, which they feel is using overwhelming force,
Most people are not knowledgeable about the history of the conflict. They see what is in front of them and do not put it in context. This is not the only place where a terrorist organization has killed people in an area they claim is occupied. For example, ISIS is in Somalia; they’re called Al-Shabaab. If we saw day after day pictures of civilians in the areas under Al-Shabaab control being injured, killed, and not receiving enough food and water, maybe we would feel that the government is not properly conducting the war. We have no idea of the history of the conflict.
The war in Vietnam over 50 years ago shows the power of the picture. Day after day, the country was shown the injuries and deaths of American soldiers and civilian casualties and effects of American bombing campaign. Slowly the country turned against the war. That is what is happening in America as it relates to support for Israel.
Once we understand the problem, then there is a chance that it can be properly addressed. If we live in cocoons listening to people who agree with us and dismissively reject others as anti-Semitic, we are not going to be able to start to address the problem.
We have to acknowledge that mistakes are made. In war, soldiers get killed by friendly fire and innocent civilians get killed. It happens even more when one side is not a professional army and does not wear uniforms, which makes it difficult to tell the difference between an armed Hamas member and an unarmed civilian.
Also, Hamas uses hospitals and people as human shields. Israel needs to repeatedly show evidence of this. They remind people that Hamas has used funds for building a system of tunnels, which they have used to conduct the war. We need to remind the world that as in Ukraine, civilians are allowed to go into neighboring countries while the armies fight, but no other country is letting in the Palestinians, including Egypt, which is putting up a wall. Israel wants aid to go in but, thanks to Hamas, has had an issue getting it to the people who need it. The UN normally would be the one to conduct the operation, but it is tainted due to some employees being members of or supporting Hamas.
I do not like to criticize the Israeli government, but they have to do a better job of conveying their message. When the convoy situation occurred, various government spokespersons were giving contradictory explanations or trying to deflect while the other side was on message claiming it was a massacre by Israeli soldiers firing on unarmed civilians desperate for food.
Since its founding, Israel has always had bipartisan support. The advantage of bipartisan support is that you do not have to worry which party is in control of the White House or Congress. Also, you do not have to worry about a part of either party not supporting Israel, since they will have no power. This changes when support of Israel becomes a party dispute. You see what is happening with Ukraine funding, which at the beginning of the war had bipartisan support, and now many in the Republican Party, including Trump, are against it. It is now stuck in the Congress with little chance of success, while Ukraine is starting to lose the war due to its delay.
Even the Republican Party is not as pro-Israel as Rabbi Schonfeld and others claim. There is an isolationist part of the party, including many MAGAs, who are against giving foreign aid, including to Israel. Since the war started, Trump has been relatively silent in his support for Israel. They see the same polls as we do, with many communities such as the Muslim community starting to question their support for Biden. Trump only needs for some of these Muslims to change their vote from Biden to him or a third-party candidate or for them not to vote at all in order for Trump to win Michigan. Therefore, Trump will do what it takes to win, even if it would be to throw Israel under the bus. If you do not believe me, then believe John Bolton, whose support of Israel is known by all.
The bottom line is that these are challenging times for Israel. We need to thank those elected officials who are supporting Israel no matter which party. The fact that Biden is being attacked by a significant group because they perceive him as too pro-Israel should cause those who criticize Biden on this issue to reconsider their position. We need to be advocates for Israel, especially on social media, making arguments that are accurate and addressing the concerns of those who have an open mind. To take the position that we can say whatever we want since it does not matter because they hate us, is foolhardy and has no historical basis in the United States, where there has traditionally been great support for Israel.
Warren S. Hecht is a local attorney. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
