[Peace-discuss] HP: Pro-Israel [sic] Democrats Coach Presidential Candidates On Handling Left-Leaning Activists

[Robert Naiman]

1. This piece has a friendly theme, by a friendly reporter, in a friendly
outlet. And yet the headline embodies the framing of the adversary, like
"pro-life" or "death tax." "Pro-Israel Democrats" [sic] are worried.* But
the dispute described in the text is all about the occupation. *

2. Here's how the piece describes DMFI:

The Democratic Majority for Israel, founded in January
<https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/28/us/politics/democrats-israel-palestine.html>
by
*major donors to the party* and Washington insiders, gave the candidates
suggestions on how to answer questions about pressuring the Israeli
government to end its military occupation of Palestinian lands, which dates
to 1967.

A. If you had to guess, as members of which American ethnic group do you
suppose these "major donors to the party" probably self-identify?

B. Suppose it turns out that most or all of these "major donors to the
party" self-identify as Jews. Would it be "anti-Semitic" to note that?
Isn't that relevant information for understanding the world?

C. The co-chair of DMFI associated with money is Todd Richman. Here's how
JTA describes Todd Richman
<https://www.jta.org/quick-reads/leading-dems-launch-centrist-pro-israel-faction-to-counter-lefts-influence>
:

"Todd Richman, a J.P. Morgan executive who is also a major donor to the
party"

Here's how JNS describes Todd Richman
<https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/jns/new-group-of-democrats-aims-to-counter-anti-israel-trend/article_4739e336-af76-53c0-92c0-e2db726f0197.html>
:

"acclaimed Democratic fundraiser and activist Todd Richman"

Here's his bio
<https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/all-the-aipac-bashing-is-just-not-fair/>
on his blog at the *Times of Israel* [defending AIPAC from criticism for
hosting Trump]:

"Todd Richman is a financial advisor and managing director with a firm
based in New York City. He is active in several pro-Israel and Jewish
organizations most notably AIPAC and UJA-Federation of New York. He
previously worked as a non-profit executive for such organizations as the
American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the American Jewish
Congress. In the 1990s he was a Democratic consultant running and raising
money for Congressional campaigns. For his commitment to Jewish life and
community service, he was recently honored with the Robert S. Boaz Award by
UJA-Federation of New York."

Here's his bio at DMFI <https://demmajorityforisrael.org/todd-richman/>:

"Todd Richman is a top Democratic fundraiser raising money for several
Members of the House leadership and several US Senators including; Sherrod
Brown, Amy Klobuchar, Joe Manchin, and Jeanne Shaheen. Richman served as a
Democratic political consultant and worked for numerous elected officials,
including: Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Congressman Steve Rothman
(D-NJ), NY State Attorney General Robert Abrams (D-NY) and Congressman
Stephen Solarz (D-NY). Currently, Richman is a Managing Director and
Financial Advisor for a firm in New York City. Richman has served as a
delegate to the Democratic National Convention and was a John Kerry Trustee
in his 2004 bid for the Presidency. He has also led and participated in
several missions to Israel with elected officials."

These descriptions of Todd Richman are all coming from Jews who like Todd
Richman well enough, *especially Todd Richman himself*.

How can it be "anti-Semitic" to describe a man *as he proudly describes
himself*?

11/07/2019 00:52 BST | Updated 11/07/2019 08:03 BST
Pro-Israel Democrats Coach Presidential Candidates On Handling Left-Leaning
Activists
Some in the party are spooked by efforts to get the candidates to commit to
pressuring Israel to end the occupation of Palestinian lands.
By Daniel Marans, HuffPost US

A newly formed group that aims to stem growing pro-Palestinian sentiment
among Democrats sent a memo
<https://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/athena/files/2019/07/10/5d264c26e4b0583e482b67d3.pdf>
to
the party’s presidential contenders on Tuesday blasting a left-leaning
Jewish group, IfNotNow, and advising the candidates on how to respond to it.

The Democratic Majority for Israel, founded in January
<https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/28/us/politics/democrats-israel-palestine.html>
by
major donors to the party and Washington insiders, gave the candidates
suggestions on how to answer questions about pressuring the Israeli
government to end its military occupation of Palestinian lands, which dates
to 1967.

Rather than focus on the occupation, Democratic Majority for Israel advises
candidates to stick to formulations that emphasize the responsibility of
both sides, including the occupied Palestinians, to act to defuse the
Israel-Palestinian conflict.

One sample answer it offers is as follows: “I strongly support a two-state
solution to the Israeli Palestinian conflict. That solution must give
Israelis security and Palestinians a state, but it must also be negotiated
directly by the parties, not imposed by outsiders.”

The incident that prompted the group’s alarm is a viral video of a
conversation between IfNotNow activists’ and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of
Massachusetts at one of her presidential campaign events Monday in New
Hampshire.

Two activists, Becca Lubow and Ella Parker, broached the Palestinian issue
with Warren as they waited to take a photo with her after her speech.

“We’re American Jews. We really love the way you’re fighting corruption,”
Lubow says. “We’d really love it if you pushed the Israeli government to
end the occupation.”

“Yes, yes. So I’m there,” Warren replies, before shaking both women’s hands
and posing with them for a photo.

In its memo, Democratic Majority for Israel says Warren was a “victim of
[a] hit-and-run” tactic

IfNotNow contends the Israeli government will not extricate itself from the
occupation if the U.S. government and American Jewish institutions do not
exert greater pressure on it to do so. But with most U.S. politicians in
both parties beholden to groups fighting against any additional pressure on
Israel and with American Jewish institutions responsive mainly to older,
more conservative community members, the young, liberal Jews mobilized by
IfNotNow believe that public protest is a critical way to flex the muscles
of their untapped constituency.

Democratic Majority for Israel, by contrast, touts a scenario where the
Israeli government, backed by U.S. financial aid and diplomatic cover, and
stateless Palestinians can negotiate a two-state solution on their own.

It’s memo said IfNotNow “wrongly suggests Israel alone is responsible for
the current impasse in negotiations, ignoring the fact that the Palestinian
leadership has consistently refused offers for a two-state solution.”

In seeking to discredit IfNotNow, the Democratic Majority for Israel calls
it “strongly anti-Israel organization” and insists that the group “has
refused to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist at all.”

IfNotNow leaders say they focus on ending the post-1967 occupation,
allowing its members to decide whether they believe the best approach to
ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a two-state solution where
Israel remains majority-Jewish, the creation of a bi-national state or some
other formulation.

The memo also accuses IfNotNow of a number of extreme tactics, including
prohibiting the use of a Jewish pride flag at the LGBT-rights focused D.C.
Dyke March in Washington and blocking the entrance of a synagogue at the
University of Texas.

IfNotNow leaders told HuffPost the group is a decentralized organization
that does not control the tactical decisions of individual activists and
local chapters.

Members of its Washington chapter supported a decision
<https://www.jta.org/2019/06/07/united-states/the-controversy-over-the-dc-dyke-march-jewish-stars-and-israel-explained>
to
bar the Jewish pride flag, since the march banned nationalist symbols and
the flag resembles the Israeli flag. And members of its Austin, Texas,
chapter who engaged in a song-filled protest at the university of a
Saturday event touting the morality of the Israeli military deny
<https://twitter.com/IfNotNowATX/status/1099783422388723713> that they
blocked the entrance to the gathering.

The IfNotNow leaders say the group had nothing to do with other incidents
cited in the memo, such as a demonstration at the recent conference held by
the right-wing group, Christians United for Israel, and an arrest-provoking
disruption of the Celebrate Israel Parade in New York in June. (Jewish
Voice for Peace, which takes a more hardline, left-wing approach to the
Palestinian issue, was behind the civil disobedience incident
<https://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/breaking-7-jewish-activists-arrested-disruptions-celebrate-israel-parade-calling-justice-palestinians/>
at
the parade.)

Asked about the memo, Democratic Majority for Israel spokeswoman Rachel
Rosen told HuffPost, “America should not make foreign policy in response to
five-second hit-and-run questions. The memo is proof of (IfNotNow/s) callow
tactics. This group does not recognize the right of Israel to exist, in any
borders. Until they meet that very minimal threshold, they do not deserve a
place in the conversation.”

Emily Mayer, a spokeswoman for IfNotNow, said the memo was a sign that the
group’s tactics were having an impact.

“The memo made clear to me how terrified the Democratic establishment is,”
she said. “They know they are completely out of touch with the opinions of
the Democratic base on the question of Israel’s military occupation and
Israel-Palestine more broadly.”
===

Robert Reuel Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
(202) 448-2898 x1
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