Bernie Sanders Is Smart to Keep His Mouth Shut About Israel

[King_David]

The U.S. presidential candidate has the Democratic progressive vote in his pocket and is wise not to reveal that, on the Middle East, he stands more to the right than his fans would like him to.


Don’t get me wrong. There’s probably nothing I’d rather hear now than Bernie Sanders, the first Jew to be a serious contender for the presidency, discuss his views on U.S. policy toward Israel at a time when the relationship between their leaders is colder than a frosty February New Hampshire evening.

I’d especially love to hear what he thinks of Netanyahu’s latest demonstration of chutzpah - stating that if Israel isn’t satisfied by the new American military aid proposal, he’ll simply put off signing it - and what kind of a deal Bibi should expect from a President Sanders. 

Unfortunately, there is no reason to expect that Sanders is going to break his silence when it comes to Israel - and the Middle East as a whole - anytime soon. Not when keeping quiet has worked extremely well for him so far. 


read more: http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.702148

[King_David]

1. more

Overall, the Sanders camp has decided that silence is golden at a time when he has much of the Democratic progressive wing in his pocket. There is no reason for him, they figure, to risk alienating the crowds of enthusiastic progressive supporters who are “Feeling the Bern” by reminding them of an issue on which it seems he is much closer to the “establishment” than they are - and would probably like him to be. 


read more: http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.702148

[6chars]

9. ironically, politically conservative Jews are not feeling the Bern

[Mosby]

2. i think his kibbutz experience

Is going to hurt him if he makes it to the GE.

It's just such an easy smear for the Republican candidate to make regardless of the length of time since, "once a communist always a communist" or some such nonsense.

[branford]

3. If Bernie is the Democratic nominee,

he'll need to discuss Israel because the Republicans, who are nearly unanimous of the issue, will do so again and again.

As a native New Yorker where Israel is a big issue among key Democrats, I can only imagine what would happen in the state in a Bernie vs. Trump presidential race where Bernie did not offer a very strong pro-Israel position. If New York went Republican, a very distinct possibility under such circumstances, a President Trump would be inevitable.

[mikehiggins]

4. Oh BOY oh BOY oh Boy!!! Can we beat up the Jew now?

Of course, anyone who criticises the Anointed One must be a sexist.

Can't we also consider a post like this as being Anti-Semitic?

Does Sanders have a YUGE relationship to the present leadership of Israel? Is that why he wasn't around when the GOPukes embarrassed us, and themselves, by bringing him to the US to criticize Obama?

Nah, I guess its just that someone, somewhere, nothing to do with anybody in the race, decided it'd be a good idea to claim Sanders is hiding his opinions on Israel.

Move along folks. Nothing to see here.

[geek tragedy]

5. Trump doesn't really give a rip about Israel, so that would be an interesting debate nt

[Little Tich]

6. It seems as if the OP is accusing Bernie Sanders of being a "PEP".

I think Bernie Sanders is not a "PEP" in any way. The OP is very unconvincing and the argumentation is weak. There's nothing in the OP that can convince me that Bernie Sanders is anything else than a morally upright man who will stand up for his principles.

[King_David]

7. You're using the acronym PEP wrong, and certainly does not apply to Bernie

PEP means "Progressive except for Palestine " meaning one is progressive but gives Palestine a pass in progressive values such as LGBTQ rights or Women's rights for example, where Palestinian statelets, especially Hamas' Gaza, are in the same league as Russia, Islamic State, Iran , Uganda and other regressive homophobic , culturally backward , gay hating places.....

That is certainly not Sanders....

[Little Tich]

8. Apparently, it's possible to take a self test for PEP:

Get tested! Are you a PEP? (Progressive Except on Palestine?), by KATIE HALPER
Source: Raw Story, 30 JUL 2014

Yesterday, I wrote about the phenomenon of PEP (Progressive Except on Palestine) a condition, in which victims are liberal on every issue except the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Some PEPs diagnose themselves with the syndrome, openly embrace it and identify as PEP-Positive. These PEPs will declare with pride that they line up ideologically with liberals except for when it comes to supporting the government of Israel. Some of them will claim that supporting Israeli policy is a liberal position and that their stance is consistent with liberal values. So, they are aware that they disagree with liberals but see their fellow liberals as not understanding that unquestioning support for Israeli policy is a liberal value. They would accuse others of being PEI, Progressive Except on Israel. The other population of self-diagnosing PEPs are those who say they are liberal almost always but that their Zionism is the one thing that trumps their liberalism.

But what about the countless people suffering from PEP without knowing it? Well, here is a handy PEP Diagnostic Test (PTD). You can take it yourself or administer it to someone else.

1. Are you a registered Republican?

2. Are you a registered Democrat who votes for Republicans because of Israel?

3. Are you a registered Democrat who is tempted to vote for Republicans because of Israel?

4. Do you do the following two things?

a. Vote for Democrats, The Working Families Party, The Green Party or any left of center party but never, ever for Republicans?

b. Support the Israeli government whether Likud or Labor is in power?

The rest of the test here: http://www.rawstory.com/2014/07/get-tested-are-you-a-pep-progressive-except-on-palestine/

We seem to disagree on what being "PEP" means.

[King_David]

10. It's not a matter of disagreement,

The way PEP is used there makes no sense.

If one is progressive and gives a pass to or turns a blind eye to the most hateful homophobic gay hating regime that tramples on minorities rights such as Gays,Wonen,Christians,Jews on a daily basis in the most violent of ways.... With only 2 such extremist right wing ,strictly Shariah regimes in the area and one being IS and the other Palestinian- Hamas.... You can only in such a situation be considered progressive except for Palestine.

[Little Tich]

11. It seems as your interpretation of what PEP means is only your own.

I couldn't find anything on Google that would support your interpretation:

Progressive Except on Palestine: Activists Target Center for American Progress
Source: Counterpunch, 11 Nov 2015

The decision by the Center for American Progress, which calls itself progressive, to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu serves as another example of a phenomenon endemic in mainstream American politics called “progressive except Palestine,” observed Josh Ruebner, policy director of the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.

DC protests mark the end of PEP era — progressive except Palestine
Soucre: MondoWeiss, November 12, 2015
(snip)

“The picket was a success,” said Ruebner. “We made it quite clear that it is unacceptable to be ‘progressive except for Palestine’ [PEP] any longer. It is imperative that organizations continue to deny legitimacy to Israeli policies in progressive circles.”

Netanyahu is arguably the most far-right leaning prime minister in Israel’s history. He is also probably the most divisive. Yet his antics also serve to galvanize the activist community. Among the 300 people protesting Monday night across the street from the National Building Museum, where ball gown- and black-tie-clad guests waited in the rain for their chance to rub elbows with the man who unapologetically supports racist policies and apartheid, there was a general sense of victory. Sure, Netanyahu got his platform at CAP and soon the US and Israel will begin to discuss in earnest his request for $5 billion per year in military aid.

Read more: http://mondoweiss.net/2015/11/protests-progressive-palestine/

Progressive except on Palestine
Source: The Hill, September 12, 2011
(snip)

The $3 billion per year that Israel receives in military aid from the United States, especially during an era of staggering domestic needs, merits open challenge, especially since Israel uses it to perpetrate a military presence that directly contradicts our stated policies. Remarkably, most deficit hawks protect spending for Israel more vigorously than vital domestic programs.

True to the standard U.S. political parameters, “Progressive-Except-on-Palestine” Weprin will battle it out tomorrow with “Protect-Aid-to-Israel” Turner. Our political discourse will be the poorer for it. More importantly, Palestinian and Israeli lives will be the worse for our inability to say no to Israeli wrongdoing.

Read more:

http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/180961-progressive-except-on-palestine

I think it will be difficult for you to reclaim the PEP...

[King_David]

12. Counterpunch and Mondoweiss?

Last edited Sat Feb 20, 2016, 10:11 AM - Edit history (1)

That's your authoritative sources?


LOL

[Little Tich]

13. Hey, I Googled, and that's what came up... n/t