With politics in Israel and the US became so polarized, it seems impossible to be both an influential and bipartisan organization in Washington these days.
By OMRI NAHMIASThe packed hall of the AIPAC 2018 conference (photo credit: REUTERS)
WASHINGTON - Less than a week before AIPAC’s annual policy conference, it is still unclear from the event’s website who is going to address the confab. As of this writing, the website states only three senators will attend, alongside some 20 House members. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Democratic Senator Bob Menendez will be joined by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. Other high-profile House members such as Debbie Wasserman Schulz, Ted Deutch and Lee Zeldin, will attend as well.AIPAC has always been a meeting point for bipartisan groups of lawmakers from Israel and the US. But with the election in Israel taking place on Monday, the pro-Israel lobby finds itself between a rock (the elections in Israel) and a hard place (Super Tuesday which will take place the following day).Due to the election, there is currently no senior Israeli official confirmed as a speaker, although Israeli sources told The Jerusalem Post both Prime Minister Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz are expected to address the conference in a video speech. Most Knesset members are expected to stay in Israel.Similarly, there was no announcement of any White House senior official attending the event. Although Vice President Mike Pence was the keynote speaker last year and there is speculation he might be going this year, AIPAC has yet to announce who will represent the Trump administration in the event. It is also unclear if AIPAC reached out to Jared Kushner’s peace team with an invitation to attend the event or address the audience.From the left side of the aisle, things aren’t looking better for AIPAC. On Sunday night, the pro-Israel lobby clashed on Twitter with Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Democratic front-runner, who announced he will skip the conference, as did presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren.In the past, presidential hopefuls used to attend and speak at the conference. But this year looks different – both because of Super Tuesday and because of the refusal of some contenders to attend anyway.After Sanders claimed the organization gives a platform “for leaders who express bigotry,” AIPAC said his comments were “truly shameful” and considered as an “odious attack on this mainstream, bipartisan American political event.” This was an unusual reaction from a group that avoids public disputes with political leaders.One could argue that it’s not a big deal: Bernie Sanders has never attended an AIPAC annual meeting. But now he is the Democratic front-runner and could be the party’s nominee in the November elections. And with one possible nominee suggesting to cut military assistance to Israel and to move the embassy back to Tel Aviv, and a sitting president who supports Israel’s right to apply Israeli law to all the settlements and annexing the Jordan Valley – what is the middle ground between the two?During the Bush-Obama era, the two presidents had very different approaches to Israel. But their general vision about how to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was mostly similar. This is not the case anymore.With politics in Israel and the US became so polarized, it seems impossible to be both an influential and bipartisan organization in Washington these days. Many other political organizations that enjoyed strong backing on both sides of the aisle are struggling with this new reality. AIPAC will now have to learn from their experience.
Related TagsAIPACBernie Sanders
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