Jeremy Ben-Ami ’84’s belief “that the single greatest threat to the future of Israel as a democratic home for the Jewish people is the failure to resolve the conflict with the Palestinians” (A Moment with, Oct. 7) is naive. A just resolution of this conflict in a manner that provides security for Israel is certainly very important to Israel’s future.
The single greatest threat to Israel’s future, however, is the acquisition of weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them by an Iran implacably and bellicosely hostile to Israel. Resolution of Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians to Mr. Ben-Ami’s satisfaction will not remove this threat. Moreover, his organization, J Street, consistently has opposed imposition of tougher sanctions on Iran.
Similarly, when Israel responded in force to repeated and ongoing terrorist rocket fire from Gaza into Israel by extremists acting for years with impunity, J Street demanded a cease-fire within a week of Israel’s initiation of Operation Cast Lead. This was well before Israel had time to conclude this justified act of self-defense. Narrowly constricting Israel’s right of self-defense in the face of the repeated killing, wounding, and terrorizing of its innocent civilians at the will of terrorists is inimical to Israel’s future. And it will not encourage Israel to reach a settlement with the Palestinians.
Mainstream Jewish organizations and friends of Israel, in contrast, rallied to Israel’s support in that hour of need. Even a well-known dove, supporter of a two-state solution, and J Street sympathizer, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, a leader of American Reform Jewry, severely criticized J Street’s weak statements in reaction to initiation of the Gaza operation. He called J Street’s posturing at that time “morally deficient” and “appallingly naive.”