Are American Jews an Obstacle to Peace?

In his latest column, the New York Times' Roger Cohen accuses Israel's American Jewish supporters of delaying peace in the region. But is his charge valid?

Are American Jews who support Israel responsible for the lack of peace in the region? Reflecting long-standing “group think” among journalists and other Middle East pundits, New York Times columnist Roger Cohen wrote last week:

The view that American Jews supportive of Israel but critical of its policies are not ‘real Jews’ is, however, widespread. Israel right-or-wrong continues to be the core approach of major US Jewish organizations, from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) to the Conference of American Jewish Organizations.

Cohen and Israel’s other critics portray Jewish settlements on the West Bank as the principle obstacle to peace. They’ll tell you that Israeli democracy is endangered, and that the country is on the verge of fascism, because individual politicians vaguely threaten to expel some potentially violent Arabs from Israel. On the other hand, it’s positively progressive to champion the Palestinian demand to ban all Jews from their future state.

Along with endorsing Palestinian anti-Semitism, Cohen also ignores the absence of real democracy within the Palestinian Authority. He never mentions that internal discourse is effectively suppressed by the Palestinian Authority’s gun-carrying leadership. The Wall Street Journal’s Bret Stephens recently wrote about a West Bank Palestinian, Walid Hussayin, who is suspected of writing a blog where he calls Islam “an authoritarian religion." For this, Hussayin is in detention. He can’t receive visitors, consult with a lawyer and he could face the death penalty. Don’t expect Richard Cohen to tell you about the persecution of people like Hussayin.

Cohen comprehensively elucidated his “blame Israel only” views during a televised debate last February.  He pictured Israelis “Blackberry-ing away” in their “fast cars” down “super-highways”; while Palestinians “on their donkey carts make their way on dirt tracks, if they can get there, to their orchards”. Not surprisingly, according to Cohen, it’s Israel’s West Bank security fence and roadblocks that prevent the Palestinians from quickly reaching their destinations and thus earning a gainful livelihood. Cohen didn’t tell his audience that the roadblocks and the security fence were established to prevent Palestinians from getting into Israel’s cities and towns to kill Israelis. He said nothing about internal corruption which stifles political and economic development within the Palestinian Authority.

By failing to scrutinize the Palestinian Authority’s rulers, Cohen also hurts Palestinians. Such scrutiny from Cohen and other journalists might have by now goaded them into making a genuine peace with Israel, creating a civil society and becoming more democratic and less corrupt.

Also in last week’s column, Cohen decried  that fact that representatives of J Street -- which calls itself a pro-Israel lobby that does not hesitate from criticizing Israel’s West Bank occupation – have gotten a cold shoulder from many Jewish organizations and donors to Jewish causes.  This is entirely appropriate. Since J Street and writers like Roger Cohen consistently take up the cause of those who have for decades conducted an existential war against the Jewish State, Israel’s true supporters need not bestow any legitimacy on them.