Think the Netanyahu speech lead up is going well? Now even Abe Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), one of the oldest and most respected institutions of American Jewry, is saying the speech should be canceled. Foxman has run the ADL for almost thirty years. In the American Jewish community, it does not get anymore establishment than that.
There’s another element of this too. It is fair to say that over the course of his tenure Foxman has become increasingly known for speaking out against criticisms of Israel, even in cases where the criticisms are from Jews and focus on policies and actions that are the subject of political contention within Israel.
This is not meant as a criticism, or at least not raised as such in this context. And plenty of people would dispute the contention. But I raise the point because if anyone was going to suggest that Netanyahu was being unfairly treated, if anyone was going to buck the trend of criticizing this stunt or saying the speech should be canceled, it would be Foxman. His saying this makes clear that there’s simply no defending it. It makes equally clear that more than anything else this stunt is damaging to the US-Israel alliance, which is the lynchpin of the country’s security.
[Special thanks to TPM Reader CB for flagging this report.]
