Yep, great omen for Clinton’s presidential bid … no surprise here!
Jewish Republicans have never been a constituency Donald Trump could lean on for support. But recent comments made by the New York billionaire and what seems to be his unstoppable race to the Republican nomination, have led some Jewish Republicans to set off alarm bells.
“Trump promising he’ll be neutral when it comes to Israel is highly concerning,” said a Jewish Republican activist. “Jewish Republicans,” the activist who asked not to be identified because his organization does not endorse candidates, “are obviously troubled by these comments.”
Trump’s ascent has spurred an unusual Jewish political coalition. Pro-Israel Republicans, neo-conservative ideologues, and human rights activists have all been ramping up their criticism of Trump, in public and in private discussions. Some are actively calling for a joint Jewish effort to block Trump from becoming the GOP nominee.
Some, like historian Robert Kagan, who is considered among the fathers of American neoconservatism, have taken bold steps. Kagan, announced in a Washington Post article that Trump’s emergence as the most popular Republican candidate has led him to cross the political line: “For this former Republican, and perhaps for others, the only choice will be to vote for Hillary Clinton,” Kagan wrote. “The party cannot be saved, but the country still can be.”
Others have taken to an activist campaign in attempt to dissuade conservative voters who care about Israel and support a strong American international stature, from accepting the inevitability of a Trump candidacy. The Emergency Committee for Israel, a pro-Israel organization headed by leading neoconservative William Kristol, released on February 28 a video ad titled “Trump Loves Dictators”. The spot is compiled of clips in which Trump speaks positively of ousted leaders Saddam Hussein of Iraq and Mouammar Kadhafi of Libya, as well as Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. “How can Trump make America great when he’s kissing up to anti-American dictators?” the ad concludes. Kristol, in a press release, said: “If you’re pro-Israel, you shouldn’t be pro-Trump. Apologists for dictators aren’t reliable friends of the Jewish state.”
Trump’s February 17 refusal, during an interview on MSNBC, to take sides in the Israeli – Palestinian conflict raised eyebrows among many Jewish Republicans. “Let me be sort of a neutral guy,” Trump said, explaining that only this stance could make him acceptable on both sides as an honest broker.
Sheldon Adelson’s Still on the Sidelines: The GOP Asks Why?
Other Jewish mega-donors have already lined up behind their candidates. On the Republican side, hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer is supporting Rubio, as is Florida car dealer Norman Braman. John Kasich has Abigail Wexner on his early mega-donor list.
But as the February 23 GOP caucus in Adelson’s home state of Nevada nears, Adelson and his wife, Miriam Adelson, are watching to see which of the candidates who personally pledged to them to support Israel will emerge as viable in the tight presidential field.
“There’s a certain advantage in waiting for things to clear up a bit, so you can be sure you’re going with a candidate who has a good chance to win,” said David Hopkins, a political scientist at Boston College. “But there’s also a risk, because Adelson could miss his chance to weigh in on the primaries if he waits too long.”
Adelson’s generous political giving has become somewhat legendary in Republican circles, as has his unique decision-making process: the pilgrimage of GOP hopefuls to the Venetian, his famed Las Vegas hotel and casino, for personal interviews; the final determinations on contributions made exclusively by Adelson and his wife with practically no input from other advisers; and finally, the massive flood of cash to the chosen candidate once a decision has been made.
ADL Enters BDS Fray With Hardline Partner
The Anti-Defamation League has announced its own new effort to oppose the boycott of Israeli goods, joining a plethora of Jewish groups that have launched similar efforts in recent months.
Calling efforts to boycott, divestment from and sanction Israel an “attack on Israel and the Jewish people,” the ADL said on February 29 that it would partner with the Reut Institute, an Israeli think tank, to produce a study of the BDS movement, as it is commonly known.
In the past, Reut has called for the use of aggressive tactics against pro-Palestinian activists. In a 2010 report, the group called for putting a “price tag” on criticism of Israel and for Israeli spy agencies to collect information on groups working to delegitimize Israel.
The ADL’s initiative is the latest in a string of new multimillion dollar efforts against the BDS movement. A long list of Jewish groups, including the Jewish Federations of North America, the Jewish National Fund, the Sheldon Adelson-backed Maccabee Task Force and StandWithUs, along with the Israeli government itself, have announced their own anti-BDS programs in recent months.
“There are many excellent efforts out there aimed at combating BDS and other delegitimization,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, the ADL’s national director, in an emailed statement about the new effort. “We hope our work will complement and reinforce these existing initiatives.”
Greenblatt, who succeeded longtime ADL national director Abraham Foxman in 2015, worked in the White House as a Special Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Social Innovation & Civic Participation from 2011 to 2014.
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The group also suggested what it called a “price tag” for people who are harshly critical of Israel to make “attacking Israel” a “more risky enterprise.” The report cited press attacks on two Human Rights Watch employees who had criticized Israel during the course of their work.Reut Institute report 2010 – The Delegitimization Challenge: Creating a Political Firewall
