American Jews divided on US role in anti-Israel UN resolution

LAHORE: While a good number of Jews living in America think the Obama administration's recent confrontation with Israel was nothing less than an astonishing turn taken by a President who had enjoyed support from many adherents of Judaism in the United States, there are many who have backed the world super power's decision of not blocking a recent United Nations Security Council resolution that had condemned the construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

With between 14.5 and 17.4 million followers worldwide, Judaism is the world's 10th largest religion, having a history of more than 3,000 years.

In 2012, demographers had estimated the core American Jewish population to be 5,425,000 (5.425 million) or about 1.73 per cent. Other sources say the number is around 6.5 million.

However, despite being in fairly small numbers, the vocal American Jews know the art to be counted and heard, wherever they reside on the planet.

The "New York Times" states: "For Rabbi Gerald Sussman of Temple Emanu-El on Staten Island, the Obama administration's recent confrontation with Israel was a stunning turn for a president who had enjoyed support from many members of his congregation. "The word 'betrayed' would not be too strong a word," he said. But in Los Angeles, Rabbi John L. Rosove of Temple Israel of Hollywood, who is the chairman of the Association of Reform Zionists of America, felt differently. He applauded the speech delivered by Secretary of State John Kerry explaining the decision by the United States not to block a UNSC resolution that condemned the construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Rabbi Rosove also suggested that many American Jews were broadly supportive of the Obama administration."

Rabbi Rosove of Temple Israel of Hollywood was further quoted as saying: "I felt Kerry was exactly right. The people who will criticize him will take a leap and say he's anti-Israeli, just as some American Jews are saying Obama is an anti-Semite. This is ridiculous. They recognize and cherish the state of Israel."

The "New York Times" has gone on to write: "The relationship between Israel and the United States, historically the Jewish state's closest ally, has seen periods of strain and tension almost from the day of Israel's creation in 1948. But rarely has the situation between the two countries been this stressed, with President Obama under attack not only from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but also from President-elect Donald J. Trump."

The newspaper viewed: "This is a community that is hardly monolithic. For one thing, younger Jews are seen as less likely to identify themselves as religious or supportive of Israel, and do not share memories of the Holocaust or the wars with Israel's Arab neighbors. American Jews are also overwhelmingly Democratic; Jews voted for Hillary Clinton over Mr. Trump, 71 per cent to 24 per cent, according to exit polls. Yet the most influential and vocal organizations that represent Jews in Washington tend to be more conservative and supportive of Netanyahu, who has had a combative relationship with Obama, and has made little secret of his happiness over the changing of the guard that is about to take place in Washington. Trump has signaled that his administration would upend the nation's policies toward Israel, promoting rather than discouraging settlement construction and moving the American embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv."

The "New York Times" maintained: "Steven M. Cohen, a research professor at Hebrew Union College and a consultant to a recent Pew study of American Jews, said that Kerry's speech represents the viewpoints of most American Jews. "On survey after survey, American Jews are opposed to Jewish settlement expansion. They tend to favor a two-state solution and their political identities are liberal or moderate," he said. Some Jews said they thought Kerry's speech, even if delivered in harsh terms, actually reaffirmed the best hope for a lasting peace in Israel: a two-state solution. "This administration has been pro-Israel," said Paula Greene, 65, a retired nurse in Hollywood, Fla. "Like Kerry said, you can still be friends, still be allies and still have disagreements."

It added: "But for others, even those who support a two-state solution and object to Israeli settlement policy, the decision by the United States not to shield Israel at the United Nations - which is widely viewed among many American Jews as hostile to Israel - was a mistake. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, a Democrat with a large Jewish constituency, called the Security Council action unnecessary and inappropriate, adding: "I don't think you can solve a problem with a friend by flogging them publicly."

The "New York Times" asserted: "The Security Council's 14-to-0 vote a week ago condemned Israel's construction of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as a "flagrant violation under international law" and an obstacle to peace in the region. The United States chose to abstain rather than use its veto, as it has done in the past to quash resolutions it considered anti-Israel."