Here are the Three Sacred Commandments for Americans who shape the public conversation on Israel:
1. For politicians, especially at the federal level: As soon as you
say the word “Israel,” you must also say the word “security” and
promise that the United States will always, always, always be committed
to Israel’s security. If you occasionally label an action by the Israeli
government “unhelpful,” you must immediately reaffirm the eternal U.S.
commitment to Israel’s security.
2. For TV talking heads and op-ed pundits: If you criticize any
policies or actions of the Israeli government, you must immediately add
that Israel does, of course, have very real and serious security needs
that have to be addressed.
3. For journalists covering the Israel-Palestine conflict for major
American news outlets: You must live in Jewish Jerusalem or in Tel Aviv
and take only occasional day trips into the Occupied Territories. So
your reporting must inevitably be slanted toward the perspective of the
Jews you live among. And you must indicate in every report that Jewish
Israeli life is dominated by anxiety about security.
U.S. opinion-shapers have obeyed the Three Commandments
scrupulously for decades. As a result, they’ve created an indelible
image of Israel as a deeply insecure nation. That image is a major, if
often overlooked, f… >>>
