The Republican candidates have been weighing in all day on Belgium Ambassador Howard Gutman’s troubling remarks about anti-Semitism, but Democrats have been conspicuously silent. And it’s not just Democrats on the Hill. I called up the National Jewish Democratic Council to find out whether it would condemn Gutman’s comments. The response from NJDC spokesperson David Streeter: “We have no comment on it.”
That’s it? Let’s be clear about this: Gutman’s comments were indefensible. This isn’t about a policy difference between Democrats and Republicans. Both parties should be able to agree that blaming Israel for anti-Semitism is outrageous. If the NJDC can’t condemn something as cut-and-dry as that, then what can it condemn?
A pro-Israel Democrat, appalled at the NJDC’s silence, emails me: “Democrats should speak out and remind Ambassador Gutman that anti-Semitism existed long before the modern State of Israel. There is no room in our party for anyone — including ambassadors — who seek to find excuses for anti-Semitism and the deep hatred among some Muslims for the Jewish people and our country. Supposedly intellectual descriptions and justifications for root causes of bigotry and anti-Semitic violence is neither intellectual nor intelligent.”
The Republican candidates have been clear on this. And yet, not a single Democratic member of Congress has spoken out against Gutman’s comments. Not only does this indicate that President Obama has no plans to recall the ambassador, it’s also a depressing testimonial about the current state of the Democratic Party. If pro-Israel Democrats can’t stand up to Obama on an issue as unambiguous as this, then one wonders what else they would be willing to stay silent on.
The Israeli ad campaign begins to look more and more reasonable with every passing day, unfortunately.
anyone who's ever read the Koran knows that Muslims have hated Jews for centuries. n nthis is, sadly, a part of the greater delegitimization of Israel. if it's understandable why Arabs would hate Jews, then we can't very well blame them for doing so, can we? and therefore, the Arabs fighting back by slaughtering innocent children, shooting at schoolbuses, suicide-bombing pizza parlors is all ok. and Israeli self-defense is really just more oppression by the Zionists. n nyou'd expect a Hamas or al-Qaeda operative to believe these things. but an American ambassador? n nhow many times must the veil slip before American Jews understand that this president is not our friend?
I just emailed the NJDC (didn’t send a copy to myself, unfortunately, so I can’t excerpt it here). basically told them that it was incumbent upon them to call anti-Semitism wherever they saw it, even and especially when they saw it in the WH. it will be interesting to see if I get a response.
This incident tells you everything you need to know about the Obama Administration's attitude toward Israel (bitter hostitily) and toward American Jews (they'll swallow any insult for the sake of their liberal principles).