New York — Seven years ago, after the signing of the Oslo Accord, President Clinton appealed to American Jewish and Arab American leaders to seek cooperative projects to enhance Mideast peace that also could strengthen Jewish-Arab ties in the United States.
It didn’t happen. With few exceptions what has emerged is increasing competition for the hearts and minds of the American political establishment.
The Arab and Muslim lobbies aim to reduce U.S. foreign aid to Israel, de-emphasize Israel’s strategic importance for the U.S., redefine American notions of terrorism and end sanctions against Iraq.
That effort, which has received too little attention, lends new urgency to efforts to invigorate the tie between Israel and American Jewry and boost American Jewish political activism for Israel.
Arab and Muslim American leaders recognize the critical role Jews play in the special relationship between the U.S. and Israel. They have concluded that reducing the relative power of the American Jewish community is central to accomplishing their goals.
They haven’t yet mustered sufficient strength to take on the Jewish community. But the Arab and Muslim populations are growing, as is their political savvy and self-confidence. Political candidates come to their organizations’ meetings; the news media seek their communal views.
The Arab challenge began in the late 1980s, during the first intifada. Arab American organizations orchestrated anti-Israel demonstrations across the U.S. They’ve since vigorously pursued the goal of building the Arab American community into a political force approaching the influence and standing of the Jewish community.
Votes are courted
Meanwhile, Muslim organizations have perpetrated a myth that the Muslim American population is “over six million.” Professional demographers dispute that figure. The researcher who performed a survey for the American Muslim Council later admitted he was pressured by the group to arrive at that figure, implying that the actual count is much lower.
But six million has a special resonance: It would mean Muslims outnumber Jews in the U.S. and it would buttress calls for a redefinition of America’s heritage as “Judeo-Christian-Muslim,” a stated goal of some Muslim leaders.
Over the past several years, a new generation of activists have formed a coalition, American Muslims for Jerusalem, which often parrots the views of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Its first major campaign was an anti-Israel boycott of the Disney Company’s international millennium exhibit, in protest against an Israeli portrayal of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
American Arab and Muslim groups have targeted other companies. In July 1999, Sprint Communications was attacked for using the Dome of the Rock in an ad for cheap phone rates to Israel — the argument being that its status as part of Israel was still under international discussion.
In response to the “Al-Aqsa Intifada,” Arab and Muslim groups have initiated a sophisticated, well-funded PR campaign in the U.S. Hoping to take maximum advantage of the news media beating Israel has taken, they’ve sought to portray the Palestinian struggle as akin to the American Revolution. Another series of newspaper ads conjures up Tienanmen Square, with a picture of a Palestinian youngster facing an Israeli tank.
U.S. Arab and Muslim communities are increasingly active in politics. Though so far their fundraising abilities and political influence are limited, their vote was courted by the presidential candidates last year.
On Oct. 5, George W. Bush held a closed meeting with Arab American leaders in Michigan, most of whom went on to endorse him. Al Gore met with Arab American leaders a week later in Michigan, the state with the largest proportion of Arab American voters.
On some domestic issues, notably government intrusion in religion, these communities and American Jews share a common ground. But on U.S. support for Israel and the U.S. fight against terrorism, their positions sharply diverge — and that is the heart of the emerging challenge to long-standing U.S. support for Israel.
To meet this challenge, U.S. Jews must keep advocacy for Israel high on the list of communal priorities. Another voice is seeking the ear of lawmakers and officials, and we cannot afford to go silent.
>But Israel must also wake up. Too often, Jerusalem has underestimated American Jews’ importance in the U.S.-Israel equation, or simply taken American Jewish political advocacy for granted. That is a big mistake.
On this point, the Arab and Muslim lobbies are right. American Jewish support is critical to maintaining Washington-Jerusalem ties. Anything that might diminish that support — such as alienating Reform and Conservative Jews — could over time negatively affect the U.S.-Israel relationship. Conversely, programs such as Project Birthright that enhance the ties between Israel and American Jewry are likely to bolster that relationship over the long run.
We dare not underestimate the Arab and Muslim lobbies or delude ourselves as to their ultimate objectives. The stakes are too high. The call for action by American Jewry, together with Israel, is clear.
David A. Harris is executive director of the American Jewish Committee. A version of this article appeared in the May 21 Jerusalem Report.
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