For those interested in the J Street vs. professor Alan Dershowitz debate that reached a climax earlier this year at the AIPAC conference, the feud has been elevated to new heights, with both groups chiming in to lambaste one another.
Dershowitz threw the latest punch, alleging that J Street could no longer claim to be pro-Israel, noting that the group’s executive director has used language that does not equate Israeli and American interests. He wrote:
“Although Ben-Ami doesn’t explicitly make a direct connection between Israeli actions and American casualties, his use of the phrase “critical to…American strategic interests,” is a well-known code, especially these days, for the argument that there is a connection between Israeli actions and American casualties.”
Ben-Ami counters, saying that Dershowitz’s tactics are pushing away young American supporters of Israel. He writes:
“Your tactics are what makes being “pro-Israel” so unattractive that college students who do love and support Israel are afraid to be labeled “pro-Israel.” They are not running away from Israel. They are running away from you.
Alan Dershowitz, you are wrong on the merits of America’s strategic interest in making peace in the Middle East. You will lose in the court of public opinion and in the national policy debate.
But more important you are wrong to press the “case for Israel” in this way. Engaging in these sorts of attacks will not only set back the cause of peace and security for Israel, it will ultimately undermine the strength of the U.S.-Israel friendship.”
Bother have interesting points. I have to take issue with Ben-Ami’s comments. The court of public opinion and the national policy debate are not always correct. Misinformation and prejudice can infuse itself into both, with antisemitism capable of creeping into the debate. The measure of an arguments strength or whether it wins should not hinge on those two factors, and instead on the arguments intellectual merits. And, because of its merits, the case for U.S. support for Israel is a clear winner.
I also take issue with Dershowitz’s remarks. He jumps to a conclusion that is inaccurate. Referencing U.S. strategic interests, of which supporting Israel is one, is a tool to galvanize public and official support here. For example, two countries ally to oppose terror, which is killing and targetting both Israelis and Americans overseas.