Why I am proud to be an ‘Israel Firster’

The term “Israel Firster” is almost tantamount to accusing a supporter of America’s military as being a “Troops Firster.”

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Updated: AUGUST 23, 2017 15:10
US Israel 521 (photo credit: Avi Katz)
US Israel 521
(photo credit: Avi Katz)
Among others, liberal poster child and at times valiant Israel defender Alan Dershowitz recently strongly objected to the use of the term “Israel Firster,” applied notably by M.J. Rosenberg, an employee of President-Obama-affiliated watchdog Media Matters.
Fox News pointed out that the term “Israel Firster” is an “epithet that implies somebody’s loyalties are to Israel before America.” As Dershowitz explained in an interview with the news station, “When you accuse Jews of dual loyalty, you invoke a canard that goes back hundreds of years and falls into the category of anti-Semitism.” The inherent problem with the objection to the use of the term is that in order to accept its “negative connotation,” one first has to accept the false premise that American and Israeli interests are fundamentally at odds.
Yes, of course Israel and the United States won’t agree on all the details, but these are only policy differences, in the same way as Americans among themselves will disagree. As a whole, Americans overwhelmingly agree that support for Israel is in America’s interests, and Israel’s and America’s global objectives are about as perfectly aligned as possible with any other sovereign nation.
A March 2nd 2012 Gallup poll showed that 71 percent of Americans view Israel favorably, as opposed to 19% for the Palestinian Authority. For the sake of reference, this figure is higher than the favorability rating of both the president and congress combined. In 2010 another Gallup poll showed Israel to be the fifth favorite foreign country for Americans, following Canada, Germany, Great Britain and Japan.
Ratings like this are not the result of some collective charitable complex that has been sweeping the nation since the birth of polling on this subject, nor could they possibly be the result of some sophisticated marketing campaign. Quite simply, public opinion is formed by a collective perception of interests and allegiances, and America recognizes that Israel essentially serves as its Middle East beachhead. If Israel were to fall, the United States and the free world would be significantly weakened, and its interests in the region would be in dire jeopardy.
CONSIDER FOR a moment a world without Israel. Once the “small satan” is gone, the enemies of freedom in the Middle East would increasingly shift focus towards the “big satan” and its interests, starting with Saudi Arabia. Producing almost 10 million barrels of oil daily, more than double Iran’s output, the impact of instability in Saudi Arabia on oil prices and Western economies would be unimaginable.
On the rare occasion that American administrations have taken significant anti-Israel positions, it has been against the will of the American people.
An Associated Press article published last week indicated that President Obama himself had acknowledged as much.
The article cites the Palestinian foreign minister Riad Malki saying that “Obama has told the Palestinians to sit tight during a US election year, while holding out the promise of a serious push for Palestinian statehood if he wins a second term,” Adding that the reason is “because the president will be focusing on how to be re-elected.”
Now, if the kind of “serious pushing” that the Obama administration has been engaged in before the “re-election” concern came to the fore was in accordance with the will, interests and priorities of the American people, he would be upping the tempo during election year, and not sitting out the round.

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M.J Rosenberg wrote, “There is no need here to describe who the Israel Firsters are. They are those people (of whatever ethnic background) who invariably support Israel’s policies over those of the United States.” His premise is false. Those who support Israel’s policies believe that they conform to the interests of the United States, and in America they are the vast majority.
In truth, the term “Israel Firster” is almost tantamount to accusing a supporter of America’s military as being a “Troops Firster.” It is Rosenberg and his academic cohorts like Walt and Mearsheimer that have been working so diligently to undermine the dovetailing of the United States and Israel’s foreign interests by injecting their “Liberal Firster” agenda. As such the “Israel Firster” term should be proclaimed as a badge of honor by those who refuse to accept their dishonest narrative.
The writer is the director of the Algemeiner Journal and the GJCF and can be emailed at defune@gjcf.com. Please visit www.algemeiner.com for more information.


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