Bipartisan support greets Israel on Capitol Hill

by Robert Wiener
NJJN Staff Writer

With a bipartisan spirit rarely seen on Capitol Hill, members of Congress rallied in support of Israel’s war against Hamas and Hizbullah, with Democrats and Republicans praising the Bush administration for resisting calls for ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon.

“Israel has the right and the obligation to defend itself as a sovereign state, and its citizens,” said Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), in a July 19 conference call with reporters from Jewish newspapers.

“If rockets were raining down on New Jersey or New Hampshire or New Mexico, if U.S. soldiers from our northern border or southern border had been taken by any of those neighboring countries, we would expect the United States to protect its citizens and to act vigorously in doing so,” added Menendez.

In remarks that echoed others heard from lawmakers, Menendez dismissed criticism that Israel’s military response, including shelling that had killed more than 300 Lebanese civilians by week’s end, was disproportionate to the attacks from its Arab enemies.

“It is always important in any conflict to protect civilian lives,” said Menendez. “But we have to blame those who put them in harm’s way in the first place, and that’s Hizbullah. Hizbullah put rockets and launchers in civilian areas, and it’s Hizbullah that uses citizens in a way that puts them at risk in places you would never want to harm.”

His remarks corresponded with those of Frank Lautenberg, NJ’s Democratic senior senator, who spoke to several thousand pro-Israel demonstrators at a United Nations rally on July 17. “We cannot listen to those who define how strong Israel’s response ought to be,” said Lautenberg, who served as chairman of the United Jewish Appeal in 1972. “It is up to Israel to decide how strong her response ought to be. Israel has had a knife at its throat.”

Despite his intense campaign to unseat Menendez, his Republican rival, State Sen. Tom Kean Jr. urged bipartisan support for Israel. “The United States should put all politics aside and stand with the people of Israel. And if we are united in supporting the president and standing up against terrorist organizations and the havoc that terrorist organizations play, I think that’s the right thing to do,” Kean told NJJN.

To Kean, President Bush “is one of the few world leaders who is standing up, defending a country which is defending herself against terrorism.”

Kean’s fellow Republican, U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett (R-Dist. 5), issued a statement on the conflict on July 20. “We must stand by the Israeli people as they battle terrorist attacks against their home soil,” he said in his statement. “Israel has been one of America’s closest allies. We rely on their friendship and assistance in the War on Terror. Israel is engaged in defensive measures against the terrorist organizations Hizbollah and Hamas. These fanatical fringe associations threaten peace in the Middle East and security for both Israeli and Arab peace-loving people.”

Backing Bush for his firm support of Israel’s actions, Garrett said, “Israel should not be forced to prematurely halt its campaign against the Hizbollah militia.”

Lack of responsiveness?

While neither Lautenberg nor Menendez would criticize the president’s support of Israel, Menendez was sharply critical of the delayed evacuation of 25,000 U.S. citizens from wartorn Lebanon.

Menendez said that “at least two dozen” New Jerseyans were among those seeking evacuation after the Israeli bombardment began. “I am amazed at our country’s lack of responsiveness in getting its citizens out while other countries’ evacuations were already under way, sending either naval ships or chartering major liners that could take people out. We were woefully behind, and other countries were already ahead in evacuating their citizens. That is simply not acceptable.”

Among the Jewish leaders welcoming the overall bipartisan backing of Israel’s battle was Max Kleinman, executive vice president of United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ. He joined a July 20 mission to Washington of 40 Jewish leaders who heard briefings from administration officials and congressional leaders.

Interviewed by phone, Kleinman told NJJN he was especially impressed by a briefing the leaders received from Elliott Abrams, deputy assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser for global democracy strategy.

“He indicated that Hizbullah and Hamas are proxies of Iran and Syria,” said Kleinman. “Syria is a way station for transmitting arms to Hizbullah in Lebanon, and diplomatic as well as other pressure has to be exerted on Iran and Syria to prevent this.”

Kleinman said briefers from the White House and State Department “indicated to us that Arab country heads and others stated off the record they want Israel to erode Hizbullah, because Hizbullah is a very destabilizing influence. They are also concerned about Iran and Iran’s Islamic revolution, which might be a threat to their own regimes.”

According to Kleinman, Abrams said that “the major thrust right now is to have a robust international force that would have firepower, and when conditions are right, it would possibly be an option for protecting the borders and not be a threat to Israel. This would not be the United Nations guys with the blue helmets, who stand as passers-by.”

But Kleinman said he didn’t know “whether enough governments are willing to do that. Hizbullah are a bunch of nasty people. They are proxies for Iran, and now that we are negotiating with Iran and trying to stop nuclear weapons, it is really important that there be resolve on the part of the Western powers.

“It is going to take weeks to eradicate Hizbullah.”

Kleinman and his colleagues took part in more than five hours of meetings in Washington, visiting separately with Republican and Democratic congressional leaders after briefings from the administration.

Kleinman said he “came away with the idea that this is a war that has to be fought. It was going to happen sooner rather than later. It is better to have this war now rather than later, particularly when Iran has nukes.

“You can’t negotiate with these terrorists,” he added. “It’s like Hitler in the 1930s. You have to show resolve, because when the French and then the Brits did not show resolve during the 1930s. Hitler took it as a message of weakness, and Iran is looking for signs of weakness.”