Meretz USA was proud to promote Dan Fleshler’s recent speaking appearance, where he discussed his new book, “Transforming America's Israel Lobby: The Limits of Its Power and the Potential for Change” (reviewed on May 1, “Is AIPAC’s Clout Overrated?”).
Meretz USA believes that, just as Israel’s citizens enjoy the democratic right to debate the wisdom of Israel’s policies, so should American Jews pursue an open and honest discussion of how best to help Israel here in the United States. The stifling of this debate will continue to drive away young Jews who cannot understand why our Jewish community’s liberal values flounder only when the subject of Israel arises.
AIPAC is hardly infallible, and the role it plays must not be beyond the Pale of legitimate
discourse. Indeed, none other than the ‘infamous anti-Zionist’, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, sharply criticized AIPAC leaders for backing the pro-settlement line of Likud Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir against the first President Bush. “You waged lost battles… You created antagonism,” Rabin chastised AIPAC. “You caused damage to Israel.”
As President Obama moves determinedly ahead with his plan to bring peace to the Middle East, let us hope that AIPAC makes sure not to make the same mistake again.
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