r/JewsOfConscience • u/alexbkane • Jul 26 '24
AMA Hi Reddit and R/JewsOfConscience, I'm Alex Kane from Jewish Currents. AMA!
Hi , I'm Alex Kane, and I'm a senior reporter at Jewish Currents, where I cover the politics of Israel/Palestine in the US.
https://jewishcurrents.org/author/alex-kane
Ask me anything!
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u/ArmyOfMemories Jewish Anti-Zionist Jul 26 '24
Thanks Alex for being here.
Anneline Sheline was the second State Dept. official to resign in protest of the administration's blank cheque to Israel.
She pointed in particular to the Leahy laws, which forbid assistance to foreign military units implicated in atrocities, and section 620 (I) of the Foreign Assistance Act, which states that no assistance should be given to any government which “prohibits or otherwise restricts, directly or indirectly, the transport or delivery of United States humanitarian assistance”.
On Monday, the state department said it had received assurances from Israel officials and “not found them to be in violation of international humanitarian law”. But Sheline said: “The law is clear here and we do have evidence. But the specifics are just not being followed.”
Sheline cites the Leahy Laws and others, to explain why our aid to Israel could be 'illegal'. And yet, the Biden administration did withhold one shipment of weapons versus 100 deliveries at the time of your article:
- Jewish Currents - After More Than 100 Arms Shipments to Israel, Biden Withholds One
Question: What was the Biden administration's strategy here?
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u/alexbkane Jul 26 '24
The administration holding up one bomb shipment is telling Israel it is concerned for Palestinian civilians--and that it doesn't want to see any more 2,000-pound bombs dropped in dense Gaza neighborhoods. At the same time, the administration--first and foremost the president himself--has no desire to blow up the heart of the US-Israel relationship, US assistance to Israel. So it is willing to send piecemeal messages to try to convince Israel to follow a more prudent pattern, but it doesn't want to fundamentally change the nature of the relationship.
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u/ArmyOfMemories Jewish Anti-Zionist Jul 26 '24
Thank you Alex - I also noticed you retweeted the recent TNR piece on Kamala Harris's potential VP choice, PA Gov. Josh Shapiro.
How likely do you think it is that Harris picks Shapiro? On paper, he seems to be a good choice strategically-speaking since PA is the most important swing state. But as the article notes, it might demoralize progressives who are trying to give Harris a new look/chance.
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u/alexbkane Jul 26 '24
I can't say how likely or unlikely it is she picks Shapiro, but we know he's being considered. The decision on Shapiro is going to be a real test as to how Harris views the parts of the Democratic coalition that are intent on changing the US-Israel relationship. The same, by the way, goes for Mark Kelly, who's disliked by labor for refusing to sign on to the PRO Act. I think the smart choice for Harris would be to avoid Kelly or Shapiro; then again, Harris might see PA as so crucial she decides to piss off the avowedly pro-Palestinian part of the coalition to win PA, though that may endanger MI. There are other VP picks that are probably more amenable to wider parts of the coalition. Shapiro would be a slap to the Palestinian rights wing of the party.
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u/ArmyOfMemories Jewish Anti-Zionist Jul 26 '24
The decision on Shapiro is going to be a real test as to how Harris views the parts of the Democratic coalition that are intent on changing the US-Israel relationship. The same, by the way, goes for Mark Kelly, who's disliked by labor for refusing to sign on to the PRO Act.
This is very interesting. We had a community-member mention they felt Shapiro's stance on school vouchers alone disqualified him from their consideration. They're a public school teacher & part of the largest teachers union in PA.
Seems like both have flaws on major issues; Kelly's flaws on labor issues seems to be a big deal.
Shapiro would be a slap to the Palestinian rights wing of the party.
Agreed.
Thanks again Alex!
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u/NogenLinefingers Jul 26 '24
With the ICJ unanimously ruling that the entirety of Israel is an illegal occupation, what do you think the next steps will be for the countries primarily backing Israel (the US, UK, and Germany based on my understanding)?
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u/alexbkane Jul 26 '24
I think the ICJ ruling is going to be a powerful tool for social movements trying to shift their countries' positions, but, at least for the US, it's not going to change anything in the short-run. It certainly damages the occupation's legitimacy, and is more fodder for liberal voters who want to change the US-Israel relationship, but it's not going to automatically force any change in US policy.
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u/MooreThird Anti-Zionist Jul 26 '24
While I'm personally happy as a Muslim to see Jewish supporters for Palestine, the current conflict is still a contentious point between the Jewish and Muslim/Arab world. There's no denying that Jewish people have faced centuries of persecution, including the Holocaust, but so do the Muslims & Arabs who had suffered under Western colonialist rule, and are still oppressed today, from the pogroms against Rohingya & Uyghurs, to the mass shootings & violent discriminations against Muslim citizens in the West.
Considering the discrimination both of our communities have endured right now, how do we put the pressure down and discuss our similar centuries-old trauma between Jews and Muslims/Arabs?
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u/alexbkane Jul 26 '24
I think this community shows why we can't paint any ethnic or religious community with one broad brush. The "Jewish world" includes anti-Zionist Jews who support Palestinian rights and are concerned with the oppression of Muslims in Rohingya and China. Just like the "Muslim world" includes people with views I detest. It's really about principles and values, and Jews and Muslims can (and are) easily working in coalition if they share basic values, as we see in the Palestinian rights movement. So I don't really see a religious rift; I see a rift on values.
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u/werewolfcat Jul 26 '24
Is there anything in the context of the conflict, genocide, and events of the last 9 months where you find space for hope or optimism? Relatedly, how do you personally deal with the anguish, anxiety, and mental health overload of keeping informed about everything that's happened while being exposed to a constant flow of horrors day in and day out?
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u/alexbkane Jul 26 '24
Hm, well, not a whole lot, but it's been relatively heartening to see the number of Democrats speaking up, as well as the protest movement. Over half of the Democratic caucus boycotted Netanyahu's speech; some of that has to do with a hatred of Netanyahu (rather than a re-evaluation of the US-Israel relationship as such), but it is evidence that the space for criticism is opening up within the party, and that Israel cannot count on the Democratic Party of the future to give it a blank check, particularly if it continues to elect far-right governments. The most powerful Democrats are still quite pro-Israel, but the party as a whole is shifting. As for me personally, I have a 2.5 year old daughter who gives me a lot of joy in life. I always remind myself that when there's pain there's also joy, that I'm incredibly lucky on a personal level, and that wallowing in anguish doesn't really help anyone.
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u/werewolfcat Jul 26 '24
Thanks for your reply. Big fan and subscriber to JC. Keep up the great work.
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u/alexbkane Jul 26 '24
thanks for subscribing! tell your friends to subscribe! we need all the backers we can get.
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u/ContentChecker Jewish Anti-Zionist Jul 26 '24
Hi again Alex,
If you're ok with some personal question - I was just wondering what your 'journey' was to get to this political view-point?
Did you always have an interest in journalism and just followed your curiosity?
Thanks!
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u/alexbkane Jul 26 '24
Sure thing! I'll try to do this fast. I grew up in Westchester County, New York (suburb of NYC), in a Reform Jewish household. Zionism and Judaism were not at the center of my life. I went to Hebrew school, but my parents were extremely secular, we didn't keep kosher, most of my friends were non-Jews. Still, I was always very interested in history, and particularly antisemitism, the Holocaust and World War Two, especially because my great-grandfather escaped from Russian antisemitism to come to the US and because both of my grandfathers served in World War Two. When I was a teenager, I started to listen to a lot of punk, particularly folk-punk, and as a result was drawn to leftist politics. I started going to protest marches against the Iraq War and doing Food Not Bombs, and when I moved to Manhattan for college, I wanted to get involved in left-wing politics. I was trying to figure out where to intern. I had begun picking up a free lefty newspaper called The Indypendent, and called them up, and they had me come in and volunteer with them. One day, the editor asked if I wanted to write anything, and, despite my having no journalism experience, I did. I found that I was pretty good at it. To bring this back to Israel: I was already an obsessive consumer of news when Israel invaded Gaza in 2008-09 for its "Operation Cast Lead," and I remember being horrified, and transfixed. The next year I decided to travel to the Middle East, and began writing about Palestine. From there, I got involved with Mondoweiss, and began my journalistic career.
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u/ContentChecker Jewish Anti-Zionist Jul 26 '24
Thanks for sharing that Alex. We often have discussions here about how folks changed their views on Israel/Zionism and/or how their upbringing was, so it's always interesting to hear.
For me the intellectual moment was Lebanon in 2006 and watching Mark Regev get on international TV, talking about 'human shields'. I dug deeper into the issue henceforth.
Also, I love punk rock too and that attitude of being anti-Establishment etc.
Thanks again!
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u/_II_I_I__I__I_I_II_ Jewish Anti-Zionist Jul 26 '24
What was the last updates regarding the ongoing legal cases against Americans and Israelis complicit in the aiding and abetting Israel's war crimes in Gaza?
I believe last we heard, the Center for Constitutional Rights did bring a case agains the Biden admin. for complicity in genocide. I think the judge was sympathetic but ultimately dismissed it? Has this case hit a dead end or is it ongoing? Thank you
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u/alexbkane Jul 26 '24
Earlier this month, an appeals court affirmed the lower court's decision to dismiss the case. The courts said they can't rule on the petition because it's a foreign policy matter. It's very similar to how the judges ruled on a Center for Constitutional Rights lawsuit against Caterpillar for selling bulldozers to the Israeli army. “We cannot intrude into our government’s decision to grant military assistance to Israel,” a judge wrote in response to the Caterpillar suit. "Because that foreign policy decision [to sell bulldozers to the Israeli army] is committed under the Constitution to the legislative and executive branches, we hold that plaintiffs’ claims are nonjusticiable.” So, it's a dead end. But the CCR lawyers would say, no matter what happens, they had to try.
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u/_II_I_I__I__I_I_II_ Jewish Anti-Zionist Jul 26 '24
I remember reading an article that criticized a 3-judge panel on one of the follow-up cases. I can't recall the exact details, but I vaguely recall that during the case these judges were more concerned with optics.
If I find it, I'll post it here in case you're curious.
Thanks for that update Alex.
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u/NogenLinefingers Jul 26 '24
USA's neighbour, Canada, came out with a joint statement with Australia and New Zealand that essentially amounts to a weak admonishment of a small subset of the war crimes carried out by Israel in Palestine.
Do you see this as a shift in the tide against Israel or is it just another token lip-service by the West?
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u/alexbkane Jul 26 '24
I'm really not an expert on Canada, Australia or New Zealand, though I do know Canada suspended the sale of (at least some) weapons to Israel, which seems like a real shift! It's safe to say that the genocidal assault on Gaza has permanently poisoned Israel's brand among liberal voters, but the test is whether the top of those parties--who are very attuned to their relationships with the United States--will shift.
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Jul 26 '24
Through what avenues have you found Jewish community these days? Has your stance on I/P been detrimental at all in religious or communal settings, and if so how have you dealt with that?
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u/alexbkane Jul 26 '24
Not a detriment to me at all, but that's because I came to my politics relatively early in life (teenager, early 20s), and so the Jewish communities I am a part of share my basic principles, if not my exact politics. So, I'm a member of a progressive synagogue in Brooklyn that has what's called an "open tent" policy on Zionism, meaning liberal Zionists, non-Zionists, and anti-Zionists coexist. (There are of course those who want the congregation to take an avowed anti-Zionist position.)
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u/PercyQTed Jul 26 '24
Your reporting seems unbiased and fact-based. What kind of reaction do you get, professionally or in your personal life, from Zionist organisations like the ADL?
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u/alexbkane Jul 26 '24
Depends! I don't have access to centers of power within mainstream Jewish institutions. AIPAC or the ADL is never going to arrange the head of their orgs to sit down for an interview with me. But that's okay; I've found a way to report on these institutions from the outside via dissenting staffers or ex-staffers, particularly at the ADL.
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u/PercyQTed Jul 26 '24
I meant more along the lines of do you get death threats or have there been attempts at besmirching your work?
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u/alexbkane Jul 26 '24
Oh got it; no explicit death threats, thank god! Depending on the story, or the tweet, I'll get nasty emails, but nothing that concerning.
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u/NewserMane Non-Jewish Ally Jul 26 '24
Thank you for the work that you do. Can you elaborate a little more on the ADL ex staffers? I've seen some quotes in the past, but have you been able to go further in depth in terms of ideological capture etc within the ADL?
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u/PercyQTed Jul 26 '24
Do you think the oversized influence of AIPAC on US politicians will force a change in laws related to lobbying or PACs?
Alternatively, are there countries that will now try to buy US politicians to the same extent that AIPAC has?
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u/alexbkane Jul 26 '24
I think there's widespread, bipartisan disgust amongst Americans at how easily big money warps the political process. That's not just, or even principally, about AIPAC, though among some people, AIPAC is definitely in the mix. But the prospects for fundamental reform seem pretty bad, absent a constitutional amendment process that I can't see happening in this moment given how insanely polarized the political class is, even if large majorities of people support the idea to get big money out of the political process.
There's a very robust foreign lobbying operation in DC, and virtually every country in the world is involved. Just look at Egypt buying Bob Melendez (who was just convicted for taking bribes to help Egypt.) But the difference between AIPAC and others is that AIPAC is an American operation focused on Israel; it has a large, organic base of Americans raising money and lobbying to strengthen a foreign country, which is very different than Egypt or Saudi Arabia. So we can't say AIPAC is a foreign operation. It's very American. That's a real challenge for Palestinian rights supporters.
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u/ContentChecker Jewish Anti-Zionist Jul 26 '24
Hi Alex,
I completely agree with this except from your piece on Schumer's pronouncements about Netanyahu. I think Netanyahu is a way to criticize the Israel without explicitly doing so. Other times, our elected officials refer to the 'far right government in Israel'.
Instead of constituting a substantive shift in US support for Israel, experts say, Democrats’ emboldened critique of Netanyahu should be understood as an attempt to respond to growing voter frustration without changing policy, as the Biden administration remains unwilling to use US aid and arms exports to Israel as leverage to demand a change in behavior. In this context, the choice to focus on Netanyahu “is a political decision to avoid outright criticism of Israel’s war conduct,” said Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace.
But I have also heard this kind of criticism from Bernie. Bernie also focuses his critique on Netanyahu or the far-right government. As you write, Matt Duss, Bernie's former foreign policy advisor, thinks Gantz wouldn't have been much different than Netanyahu.
Questions: So I just wonder what the political calculus is here from Bernie? From Establishment liberals, I can understand wanting to address some concerns of the party base - but without changing anything. Bernie on the other hand supports conditioning aid to Israel at least.
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u/alexbkane Jul 26 '24
I think it's for two reasons: One is Bernie Sanders retains some affection for Israel on a personal level, having spent time there when he was younger. So Sanders is not about to condemn Israel as such; he clearly thinks there is a possibility for a more liberal Israeli government that would negotiate with Palestinians. Secondly, there is a political calculus: Netanyahu as a figure is simply detested by Democratic Party voters, and so Sanders is making a calculation that his most effective move is to focus the ire on Netanyahu. That way, he can advance his policy goals faster.
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u/Moostronus Jewish Anti-Zionist Jul 26 '24
Hi Alex - thanks for doing this! How do you think the campus movements have moved the needle on P/I and its perception within both the Jewish Zionist and broader American communities? Or have they at all? From my vantage point as someone with a university job, there's been very little movement among the universities' administrators beyond token concessions, but folks on the fence have also been able to more concretely say "wait, this reporting on the protests doesn't match what I'm seeing inside them, maybe I should broaden my news sources."
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u/alexbkane Jul 26 '24
Tough to say definitively without some polling; I'd surmise that, rather than the campus protests in and of themselves shifting perception, the broad street protest movement that the campus encampments were a part of have called more attention to the issue, and that the encampments were the most visible element of that movement. But it has also been turned into a domestic culture war issue, rather than something principally about Gaza. That's, unfortunately, unavoidable, given how police violence (or radical elements shouting unsavory things) turns the protests into a story about the police or "extremists," rather than the issue at hand. There's also a risk of backlash to the campus encampments, which we've seen already; the GOP is going to try to make this a campaign issue and tie it to the Democrats, despite the fact that campus encampments are protesting AGAINST the Biden administration. So, all in all, a mixed bag.
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Jul 26 '24
Hey Alex, fellow Westchester resident here. I remember before George Latimer ran for congress, my Reform rabbi was unfortunately among 25 westchester rabbis who petitioned him to oust Bowman. It seems that even in the most ostensibly progressive Jewish spaces around here, anything less than completely toeing the party line on the genocide of Palestine is seen as a shanda. Do you see support for Israel influencing the Westchester Jewish community in a more reactionary direction in the coming years, or is it more of a recent phenomenon related to the current moment?
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u/alexbkane Jul 26 '24
October 7th and the aftermath was a very reactionary moment for mainstream Jewry. Even critics of Netanyahu in these spaces defended the war (though some eventually called for a ceasefire). But I also think there's a real fracturing going on between defenders of Israel and human rights advocates. I can only imagine the fracturing is going to continue, leading to a very split Jewish community, especially the younger you get. But this also depends on which Jewish communities you're talking about. There's no such fracturing in modern Orthodox communities.
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u/PercyQTed Jul 26 '24
There was a bit of a brouhaha earlier this month when Wikipedia downgraded the ADL in terms of reliability as a source concerning matters of the Israel-Palestine war.
In your opinion was this way overblown? It seemed suspicious to me that matters of an online encyclopedia that anyone can edit would be worth such a big deal.
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u/alexbkane Jul 26 '24
I don't think it's overblown because of how singularly influential Wikipedia is. It's often the first Google result on any topic! As a result, what Wikipedia does really matters. That's why it garnered so much attention.
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u/ContentChecker Jewish Anti-Zionist Jul 26 '24 edited Jul 26 '24
Hi Alex!
Welcome to our community and thanks so much for doing this.
EDIT:
As of 2:30 PM EST, we are closing the AMA. Thank you for the excellent questions on a wide range of topics. We appreciate everyone for joining us today. Shout out to /r/socialism for allowing us to x-post the AMA and thank you to all the Discord friends who joined today.
Lastly, thanks Alex for doing the AMA. We appreciate you taking the time to do so! Have a great rest of your day, cheers!