Washington — In April, the Association of State Green Parties (ASGP), an umbrella organization for Green politicians and election efforts, stated its unequivocal support for a rally for “Palestinian refugee rights.”
“The Green Party continues to be the only American political party to unequivocally support Palestinian human rights, including the right to repatriation and restitution as the unconditional premise on which peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians must be based,” the ASGP trumpeted in its press release.
Honoring Palestinian rights, we are told, “is a matter of political will of the international community, especially the U.S., which provides Israel with billions of dollars in aid annually.”
These are some of the most controversial words ever expressed about Israel by a significant American political party. They call for clarification or denunciation from the party’s most visible political personality.
Yet as of this writing, the ASGP’s two-time presidential candidate, Ralph Nader, has been conspicuously silent. Nor is this the first instance.
Last October, when the ASGP encouraged the Palestinians, “in response to provocations like those by Ariel Sharon and Israeli settlers,” to “protest their injustice by mass nonviolent civil disobedience and non-cooperation,” Nader was once again mute.
Indeed, the man who last year demanded that he participate at the presidential debates alongside major party candidates Al Gore (D) and George W. Bush (R) to enunciate his policies is now abstaining from a serious discussion of foreign policy and international conventions.
Why is this important to the Jewish community? After all, the chances of Nader ever becoming president of the United States are negligible.
He failed to carry a single state in November, and, according to a Washington Post poll, he received only one percent of the Jewish vote. Besides, the next New Hampshire primary is still three years away.
Blames Israel
The answer is that somebody who fancies himself a national political figure, who has dedicated himself to building his political party into a significant electoral force, needs to be held accountable for the ASGP’s statements and actions. And the Jewish community should demand accountability from those who court our vote.
The Jewish community constitutes less than three percent of the American population, but Jewish voters make up a significantly larger percentage of the general electorate. Because we are more likely to vote than our neighbors from other ethnic communities, the Jewish vote, if solidified, can determine the outcomes of several local and even state elections.
Today, most candidates for political office make noticeable efforts to court the Jewish community. It is rare for a political party with serious national aspirations conspicuously to ignore or alienate the Jewish vote. But this is indeed the case with the ASGP.
ASGP media advisories have compared the situation of the Palestinians to those of the Kosovars, Rwandans and East Timorese. The ASGP places blame for failure of the peace process squarely on Israel, with no mention of legitimate Israeli security concerns, or of the failure of the Palestinian Authority to curb violence within the ranks of its supporters.
Nader is never mentioned in reference to these statements. So where does he stand?
If he disagrees with his own party about its Middle East positions, he has ample opportunity to tell the nation of his misgivings. If he happens to agree with the party apparatus, then he should publicly stand by these statements. We may not like his stance, but he would certainly be within his rights to vocalize his opinions on this important foreign policy matter.
Instead, Nader has chosen to stand on the sidelines and let the Jewish community conjecture over his true positions toward Israel. The man who declared he was bringing attention to issues neglected by the major parties has refused to open up and let the Jewish community know how a theoretical Nader administration would affect our relations with our nation’s longtime strategic partner and sole democracy in the Middle East.
Nader has vowed to shake up the balance of political power and introduce the country to new ideas. He fancies himself as a latter-day Moses, leading the Greens towards major-party status, with the ability to field candidates in more and more local and statewide races.
But before he can make such claims, he needs to demonstrate that he is knowledgeable about critical foreign policy questions. To him, we say: Let the Jewish community know where you stand, and we will give you a fair hearing. The podium is yours, Mr. Nader — we’re all ears.
Jason B. Silberberg is political director of the National Jewish Democractic Council.
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