J Street has betrayed Israel

In the aftermath of the presidential election results, I am not sitting shiva or joining the “resistance.” I respect the decision of 76 million Americans of all social classes and races. They rejected the cumulative effects of high inflation, open borders with an influx of millions of illegal immigrants arriving in their cities and neighborhoods, and woke policies by which parents are excluded from decisions regarding projected sex changes of their minor children or having males at birth compete in women’s sports.

I’m a patriot first and wish that our new administration will do the best for our country and hope we keep it accountable for mistakes it makes, or for unacceptable policies.

At the height of the Civil War, when hundreds of thousands were already killed, Abraham Lincoln began his second inauguration address affirming “with Malice to None, and Charity for All.” Perhaps that sense of love of country over partisanship will prevail at least for the next few months for the new administration.

Speaking of the current administration, the U.S. was the sole dissenting vote at the U.N. Security Council, which called for an immediate ceasefire without including the release of hostages as a prerequisite. So France and Great Britain, which rhetorically called for the release of hostages since October 7 last year, went along with this heartless resolution. So much for the backbone of our allies.

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But it gets worse. That same week, 19 Democrats voted against providing offensive weapons to Israel, including kits that enhance the precision of bombs, which would reduce “collateral” damage. This was based on the false claim that Israel hindered humanitarian relief and the reality of tens of thousands of civilian deaths. The State Department earlier had provided clearance for continued aid to Israel, based on the aid provided to civilians, with much of it looted by Hamas and rogue gangs. And the IDF used unprecedented means of either warning civilians to leave or evacuating hundreds of thousands of them to safe spaces.

Considering that by design Hamas is embedded within civilian areas, including hospitals, schools, mosques, UNWRA headquarters, and tunnels beneath them, the IDF should be commended for having the lowest ratio of civilian to combatants deaths in the history of modern warfare. (This is according to leading military experts.)

The Biden administration lobbied senators to vote against the resolutions proposed by that great Jew, Bernie Sanders. Every leader in Israel’s body politic, including Netanyahu’s bitter opponents, deplored these resolutions, particularly as Israel was fighting a seven-front war.

But the so-called “pro-Israel” J Street supported and applauded the resolutions. “J Street is asking senators to send a message of disapproval of Netanyahu’s conduct of the war in Gaza, and the disrespect it has shown to the Biden administration and international law,” its statement read. “The vote, while symbolic, would indicate disapproval of the U.S. administration’s failure to enforce American laws and use leverage to rein in Netanyahu’s policies and actions.”

J Street noted that the resolutions would “in no way impact Israel’s ability to defend its citizens,” noting that the Iron Dome would not be affected.

This is J Street’s agenda. To create a wedge in the Democratic party between the Bernie Sanders wing and more mainstream Democrats.

They use Netanyahu as the bogeyman, when major Israeli party leaders from both the left and right and President Herzog opposed these resolutions.

As to limiting the boycott to offensive weapons, J Street ignores the fact that wars and successful diplomacy emanate from strong offensives.

Would Hamas have released more than 100 hostages late last year if military pressure wasn’t applied? Why is Hezbollah ready to negotiate if not for Israel’s relentless offensive against it. What message does this softening of U.S. support send to Hezbollah?

How will the 70,000 internal refugees from Northern Israel return to their homes? Running to their shelters because of endless missile attacks? Prorated for our population, that’s the equivalent of Bergen, Essex, Passaic, and Union County residents dislocated from their residences. How long would we tolerate this?

Let’s look at our own experience. Did we rely only on defense after we were attacked on 9/11 or December 7?

In fact, West Point’s expert on urban warfare, John Spencer, believes that if the Biden administration hadn’t handcuffed Israel from entering Gaza, particularly Rafah, and slow-walked the delivery of weapons, Israel could have finished the job more quickly and potentially rescued more of the hostages.

Then there’s J Street’s response to the ICC’s warrants of arrests against Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, which President Biden called “outrageous” in making any equivalence between Israel and Hamas.

Aside from the fact that Israel was not given a fair hearing, the bias of the judges, reliance on information of questionable sources, and Israel has its own judicial system and is not a member of the ICC, its decision is a danger for all democracies that defend themselves against terror groups or states. For example, President Trump sanctioned some ICC officials for lawlessly investigating U.S. troops, and the court backed down.

Why didn’t this esteemed court indict Bashar al Assad of Syria, who presided over the deaths of more than 500,000 Syrians? Or the Iranian regime for wreaking havoc throughout the Middle East and among its own population?

Fortunately, Congress and the president will sanction the ICC in the months ahead.

While expressing sorrow at the ICC’s decision, J Street exulted in the fact that “the warrants came on the heels of a landmark vote in the United States Senate in which a record 19 Democratic senators publicly sent a message of disapproval of the conduct of the Gaza War…and…14-1 Security Council vote to stop its military campaign in Gaza.”

J Street concluded that “calls to penalize or intimidate court officials undermine our values and do not serve the American interest in a stable world rooted in order.” In other words, do nothing.

With friends like these, Israel doesn’t need enemies.

Bernard-Henri-Levy’s new book is titled “Israel Alone.” That is an apt description. Israel is the tip of the spear against Islamic radicalism, and as such is a defender of Western civilization and moderate Islam.

Israel needs champions to defend it in the Diaspora, not fair-weather friends or organizations that cling to today’s fashions.

We must ensure that Israel is not alone, and we must each do our part.

Educate yourselves and your children, advocate for Israel, and support authentic pro-Israel organizations that support it as it faces a seven-front war.

Now, more than ever.

Max Kleinman of Fairfield was the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest from 1995 to 2014. He is the president of the Fifth Commandment Foundation and consultant for the Jewish Community Legacy Project.