Nancy Jacobson, Founder and CEO of the No Labels political organization in the United States and co-chair of the Jerusalem Post Miami Summit, told conference attendees that bipartisan support for Israel has decreased dramatically in recent years and discussed ways to restore it.
Jacobson, who has been active in Washington politics for almost four decades, said that in the past, support for Israel from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers had been constant and unquestioned. “It wasn’t always perfect,” she said, “but both parties found a way to come together.” Jacobson cited numerous instances in which US administrations worked together with bipartisan Congressional support to achieve numerous goals that supported Israel, such as the US–Israel Free Trade Agreement, the co-development of the Iron Dome missile-defense system, expanding long-term security arrangements after 9/11, helping broker peace with Jordan, and ensuring the mass immigration of Soviet Jews.
In recent years, she pointed out, the bipartisan consensus for Israel has come under historic strain, from both the right and the left. “Israel doesn’t just need American power. It needs American bipartisanship,” she observed.
Jacobson, who founded No Labels together with her friend and mentor, the late Senator Joseph Lieberman, said the organization is built on the idea that the center in both political parties still exists, but it must be organized and protected if it’s going to hold. “No Labels works within Congress to find, support, and convene leaders of courage—and we are the only ones doing this work across both political parties,” she stated.
In the coming months, Jacobson said that No Labels will convene a working group on Middle East policy whose purpose will be to strengthen economic ties between the US and its allies in the Middle East, including Israel.
“Rebuilding the bipartisan consensus around Israel may require rethinking old narratives and recasting the debate,” she said. “It may require a new policy paradigm—one less about providing aid, and more about embracing Israel as a partner in innovation.”
Jacobson added that No Labels supports leaders and helps create the space for them to come together and work out the way forward. “I am confident that if we do that, leaders of courage will help rebuild the bipartisan consensus toward Israel,” she concluded. I know those leaders are out there because I work with them every day. Leadership matters. Unity matters. And the work of bringing people together—especially when it’s hard—matters more than ever.”
This article was written in cooperation with No Labels