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๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Israel /Elections & Politics

Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu: Leave American Jews out of your campaign - opinion

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Opinion Named sources Context piece
  • An opinion piece criticizes Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's Likud party for using a poster that included New York City Mayor Eric Adams alongside leaders of Iran and Hezbollah.
  • The author argues this tactic inappropriately conscripts American Jews and institutions into Netanyahu's campaign, crossing a boundary previously understood by Israeli leaders.
  • The piece contrasts Netanyahu's approach with past Israeli leaders like David Ben-Gurion and Yitzhak Rabin, who affirmed American Jews' allegiance to the U.S. and advocated for government-to-government diplomacy.

An opinion piece strongly criticizes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party for a campaign poster that placed New York City Mayor Eric Adams alongside leaders of Iran and Hezbollah. The author, Dov Bleich, expresses shock and dismay at the poster, which featured Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, Iranโ€™s Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip ErdoฤŸan, with Adams among them under the slogan "They want Netanyahu to lose. Donโ€™t let them win."

For one impulsive second, my reaction was pure Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars, and you were Chris Rock. Then I remembered that this is not an awards-show spectacle. Your words and images can carry consequences far beyond that.

โ€” Dov BleichReacting to the Likud party's campaign poster featuring Mayor Adams.

Bleich argues that while using figures like Hezbollah or ErdoฤŸan as props in an Israeli election might be one thing, including a sitting mayor of New York, a democratically elected official with growing influence in American politics, is a "new low" and a "sinister" tactic. He questions whether Netanyahu has "lost his mind" for crossing this boundary.

It is one thing to use Hezbollah, Iran, or perhaps ErdoฤŸan as props in an Israeli election. It is another to place a sitting mayor of New York - a democratically elected official whose influence in American politics is only growing - beside the leaders of Iran and Hezbollah. Are you shameless? Have you lost your mind?

โ€” Dov BleichCriticizing the inclusion of Mayor Adams on Netanyahu's campaign poster.

The author contends that Netanyahu's actions inappropriately conscript American Jews and American institutions into his personal campaign. He draws a contrast with previous Israeli leaders. In 1950, David Ben-Gurion affirmed that American Jews owed political allegiance to the United States and that Israel did not speak for them. In 1992, Yitzhak Rabin rebuked AIPAC for needlessly inflaming a dispute with the Bush administration, insisting on government-to-government diplomacy.

American Jews owed political allegiance to the United States and that Israel did not speak for them.

โ€” David Ben-GurionAffirmed principle regarding American Jews' political allegiance.

The core principle, according to Bleich, was always clear: American Jews and American institutions should not be used by an Israeli leader's campaign. The piece concludes by stating that history will judge Netanyahu's role in turning support for Israel into a partisan American issue.

The principle was always clear: American Jews and American institutions should not be conscripted into an Israeli leaderโ€™s personal campaign.

โ€” Dov BleichSummarizing the historical stance on Israeli leaders involving American Jews in campaigns.
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Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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