The panic is exaggerated: The real danger to Israel-US relations is not the far-left | Shlomo Shamir

They are exaggerating. The reports, commentaries, and assessments published in the media in the country regarding the victories of candidates in the Democratic Party primaries, as candidates for membership in Congress in the midterm elections, are sometimes wildly exaggerated. These are exaggerations that harm the scope of attention that should be given to the real concerns regarding significant developments occurring recently in the internal political arena in the USA.

A prominent example of harmful exaggeration is the report, commentary, and assessment published following the victory in the Democratic primaries for the Senate in the state of Michigan of Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a physician by profession, who is considered a prominent voice in the American left. It is impossible and forbidden to ignore his victory, especially in light of the fact that he defeated House member Haley Stevens, who is considered to represent the party establishment.

The assessments that Abdul El-Sayed, if he is indeed elected as the Democrats' representative for the Senate seat of the state of Michigan, is expected to influence the Democratic Party's policy regarding Israel, and as someone known for hostile statements toward Israel will radicalize and escalate the criticism against it from the top of the Democratic Party — are more than exaggerated assessments. They are baseless.

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, if elected, will not have an influential presence, and certainly not a significant one, in shaping the Democratic Party's policy toward Israel. This is not a guess. This is a conclusion arising and implied from the degree of influence of members of Congress known as hostile to Israel on the policy of the Democratic Party leadership — an influence less than marginal. Negligible.

The elderly independent senator from the state of Vermont, Bernie Sanders, who is Jewish, is a hater of Israel and an antisemite to a level that under the Nazi regime he could have served in a senior position in the office of the Nazi propaganda minister Goebbels. Bernie Sanders, who does not stop attacking Israel, has zero influence in the Democratic Party leadership.

Also, the Congresswoman from New York, Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who enjoys speaking out against Israel and slandering it, holds zero influence in the Democratic faction in Congress. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a not insignificant part of whose election campaign in Michigan was expressed in condemnations against Israel, has no chance of achieving an influential status among senior Democratic Party officials on the subject of relations with Israel.

What should and must worry — to be more precise, seriously trouble official Israel — is the deterioration in support for Israel, which is felt and expressed practically and significantly among those who are counted among the heads and leaders of the Democratic Party, a body and framework that were known over the years for their reputation as supporters of Israel.

The latest discovery of the low point in Democratic support for Israel is, of course, the results of the vote in Congress on a bill against aid to Israel. The bill was indeed rejected and thwarted, but what is remembered from the results of the vote is the fact that 103 Democratic members of Congress supported and voted in favor of the amendment.

Also in recent public opinion polls held in the USA, it turned out that the decline in the scope of support for Israel is not limited to Democrats only, and it is expressed in a not insignificant rate also among Republicans.

From interviews, conversations, and reactions with veteran commentators in Washington and senior diplomats at the UN headquarters in New York, it can be concluded that the reason, the factor, and the motive for the ongoing and intensifying deterioration in the rate and scope of support for Israel among Democrats and Republicans is the policy of the Israeli government, and especially — as is emphasized in the conversations — the composition of the government: a full-right government. It is convenient and simple to define the harsh reactions against Israel as manifestations of antisemitism. In my opinion, this definition is also exaggerated. This is not antisemitism in the accepted and historical sense. In my assessment, it is more about anti-Israelism.

Hasbara (public diplomacy) will not help to curb the criticism and condemnations against Israel. What will restore Israel's status and return the support for the Jewish state, which was so accepted and solid in the USA for so many years, is a change in government in Israel — a new government that will represent the beautiful Israel.