Israel must 'open its eyes' as House votes on US-Israel aid, JCFA pres. tells 'Post' - interview

Israel faces significant challenges from both major US political parties, according to Dan Diker, President of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. This assessment follows a US House of Representatives vote on an amendment to cut aid to Israel. While the measure was defeated 314 to 104, 103 Democrats and one Republican supported it, marking a sharp contrast to previous votes that typically passed almost unanimously.

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It's clear that the Democratic Party has moved consequentially to the left, and that they are much more heavily influenced by people on the progressive flank.

Diker observed that the Democratic Party has moved leftward, influenced by its progressive flank. He also noted a division within the Republican Party regarding its identity. Diker pointed to the Vice President's appearance on a podcast, where he allegedly made "unfounded aspersions" against Israel, as an example of troubling trends in Washington.

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It’s a troubling direction that we see now in Washington, not only in the Democratic Party, but also in the Republican Party, because the Republican Party is split about its own self-understanding.

The vote's outcome indicates that Israel must "open its eyes" to these evolving political landscapes. Diker identified a convergence between the isolationist wing of the Republican Party and the left wing of the Democratic Party. Despite the US remaining Israel's "greatest, most dependable ally," Diker emphasized the critical need for Israel's independence in military security and defense capabilities.

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The indications from this vote is that Israel should open its eyes very, very widely and understand that it has major challenges. There’s a lot of – there’s a convergence between the isolationist wing of the Republican Party and the left wing of the Democratic Party.

He stated that the October 7 massacre taught Israel the necessity of self-reliance in arming and supplying itself. This lesson underscores the importance of not depending on any single supplier for defense needs. Diker concluded that Israel must fundamentally be able to arm and supply itself to ensure full security and defense independence, a lesson drawn from these political developments.

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The October 7 … massacre taught Israel that it must become independent in terms of supplying its own military security and defense capabilities, and we cannot be dependent on anyone as a supplier.