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"Jewish" - Not the Same as "Pro-Israel"

by Daniel Pipes
August 18, 2009

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Translations of this item:

It's an obvious point, but it needs stating:

Not all Jews are Zionist. Some believe in universal socialism, some support Palestinians, others hold that only God can create a Jewish state or have been disappointed since 1977 when the right first came to power in Israel. Some openly hate Israel, others pretend it does not exist, and the most crafty of them present themselves as Zionist.
Plenty of non-Jews are Zionist. Christian Zionism began in nineteenth-century Great Britain, included many leading American personalities, culminated with Lord Balfour and Harry S Truman, and today, as I put it in 2003, "other than the Israel Defense Forces, America's Christian Zionists may be the Jewish state's ultimate strategic asset."

Therefore, it's inaccurate to assume Jews support Israel. That assumption also has two regrettable implications: it privileges anti-Zionists among them ("I'm Jewish but … ") even as it marginalizes non-Jewish Zionists.

Jews are adherents of a faith, not a political movement. When speaking of politics, talk about the pro-Israel community or Zionists, but not about Jews. (August 18, 2009)

Sen. Joseph Lieberman speaking at the 2008 national meeting of Christians United for Israel.

Related Topics: Arab-Israeli debate in the U.S., Israel, Jews and Judaism receive the latest by email: subscribe to daniel pipes' free mailing list This text may be reposted or forwarded so long as it is presented as an integral whole with complete information provided about its author, date, place of publication, and original URL.