3-31-2014 Republicans and Democrats Are Reversing Roles on Israel John B. Judis New Republic

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117214/republicans-and-democrats-part-ways-israel

 

…this week, CAP [Center for American Progress] will be hosting a conference in Jerusalem with Molad, a new left-center Israeli think tank. It was founded by Avner Inbar and Assaf Sharon, two peace activists from the Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement, which has been protesting the eviction of Palestinians in East Jerusalem. Inbar and Sharon have tried to do for Israel’s opposition in the Labor Party and Meretz what CAP’s founders originally tried to do for the out-of-power Democrats: build a political infrastructure for the opposition to challenge prevailing government policies. The conference will focus on the peace process and on U.S. and Israeli relations with Iran. The session on the peace process promises a “critical assessment” of the negotiations, which, judging from the panelists, is likely to be critical not just of Netanyahu, but of Kerry for demanding too much of the Palestinians and too little of the Israelis.

The rise of J Street and the emergence of CAP as an advocate for the peace process are part of a larger shift among liberal Democrats. It can be seen, for instance, in widespread Democratic support for the Obama administration’s negotiations with Iran, which the Israeli government has protested. J Street and CAP’s stands are certainly not anti-Israel. But they are opposed to the policies of Israel’s current government. By contrast, Republicans—including, it seems, the presidential supplicants at Adelson’s Venetian Hotel last weekend—are now headed in exactly the opposite direction. Polarization over economic and social policy has already crippled the parties; polarization over the peace process could have the same result.

 

Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

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