Presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Thursday that she would not attend the annual American Israel Public Policy Conference in March. “For America to be a good ally of Israel and the Palestinians, we need to get both parties to the table. We’re not getting that if we just stand with one party,” Warren said.
While seeking to set herself far apart from the pro-Israel stance of President Trump, Warren should beware of believing that turning away from Israel will create peace in the Middle East. She may also want to examine the repercussions our ally Israel is facing as a result of good-faith attempts to strike a solution for peace in its region.
Since the White House’s announcement of the plan for a two-state solution regarding Israel and Palestine on Jan. 28, Palestinians have rejected the deal, despite refusing to be involved in its creation. While the Palestinian Authority called for resistance by “peaceful, popular means,” the proposed deal made Israel the target of renewed terror attacks, including volleys of rockets and “explosive balloons,” from Palestinian militants as well as mortar attacks from Gaza.
The past two days have seen a stark increase in terror attacks by individuals on Israeli targets. A Palestinian teenager who threw a Molotov cocktail at Israeli forces in Hebron was shot and killed on Feb. 5. On Feb. 6, a terrorist shot an Israel Defense Forces soldier in Dolev, while another terrorist shot at Israel Border Police in the Old City of Jerusalem before being killed. Also on Feb. 6, 25-year-old Sanad al Turman from east Jerusalem rammed his car into a group of Israeli soldiers in Jerusalem, wounding 12. “Whoever seeks peace with the enemy is living under an illusion,” al Turman wrote on Facebook before his attack. “Never surrender.”
In response to these escalations in violence, the IDF has deployed additional forces around the West Bank and around the Temple Mount, where Palestinians recently have been “chanting ‘nationalist’ slogans, including references to killing Jews” after morning prayers.
A Hamas spokesman praised these “resistance” operations as a “practical response by our people to Trump’s announcement of the liquidation deal.” Palestinian Islamic Jihad called the violent attacks “proof that our nation rejects the ‘Deal of the Century.’” The United States has designated both Hamas and PIJ as foreign terrorist organizations.
Working with the U.S. toward peace has had consequences for Israel. Politicians should continue reaching out to Palestinian groups that desire peace but never waver in their support of our ally, particularly as it faces terror attacks from groups who do not wish to see peace in a region that includes the Jewish State of Israel.
As the 2020 elections approach, Americans should be wary of Democratic presidential candidates looking to garner favor by turning away from Israel due to its willingness to work with Trump or by allying with proponents of far-left, anti-Semitic, and anti-Israel movements.
Pulling support away from Israel gives legitimacy to the terror groups that put Israeli lives in danger each day. It brings us no closer to a solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Warren, and all Democratic hopefuls, should beware before their hatred of Trump leads them into alliances with anti-Semites and terrorists.
Beth Bailey (@BWBailey85) is a freelance writer from the Detroit area.
