Published: 6 March 2020
Last updated: 5 March 2024
ON MONDAY, ISRAEL HELD its third national election in less than a year, with Benjamin Netanyahu likely to continue as Israel’s longest serving prime minister. This week in Washington, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee — whose website urges visitors to become part of the “pro-Israel” community — held its annual policy conference, with over 18,000 participants.
These two mega Jewish happenings will invariably reduce every action or position to pro-Israel — or not.
Am I pro-Israel? Of course. I was a student there, I’ve travelled there countless times and as a rabbi I’ve led more than 20 congregational trips to Israel. I’m headed there in April with a group of inner-city youths of colour, having raised the money to make the trip possible.
But pro-Israel is a phrase I’ve come to abhor. Far from being useful or accurate, it’s meaningless, and even dangerous. How can one’s feelings about another country be reduced to a binary state? Is there really a line that, when crossed, transforms one from “pro” to “anti?” And who gets to decide where that line is?
FULL STORY Why ‘pro-Israel’ is a dangerous label (LA Times)
