Congress is beyond reproach!
Alex Easton-Brown somehow believes that American supporters of Israel act against our country’s own interests. When you look around the Middle East, there’s only one true democracy. There’s only one country that supports women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom of the press. There’s only one country where dissident bloggers aren’t imprisoned, flogged or tortured to death.
Israel and its supporters don’t want either Israel or the U.S. to go to war against Iran, despite the Tehran regime’s weekly “death to America, death to Israel” rallies. What we do want is a deal that will actually prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, not a deal that will leave it one flip of a switch away from a bomb. Israel and her supporters also want peace, which is why a Palestinian state (with evacuation of all settlements within it) was offered in both 2000 and 2008. Sadly, the Palestinian leadership has repeatedly rejected living in peace and mutual recognition alongside the Jewish state.
Let’s abandon the canard of “dual loyalty” and the implication that our elected representatives in Congress are somehow also disloyal Americans. The simple truth is that Israel is our most important ally in a region of extremism. And while even allies can have disagreements, the fundamental interests of both countries are on the side of a genuine peace—one that is based on the realities of the region and the world.
Michael Harris, San Rafael
