Eroding congressional support for Israel is cause for alarm

With instability and political unrest roiling the world stage, it is more important than ever for America to have solid allies in the Middle East, a dangerous region historically rife with conflict and dysfunction. 

Americans know and understand almost innately that Israel’s values mirror our own: Israel champions democracy and the rule of law, has a strong judiciary, and demonstrates freedom of religion and the press.

However, our recent hurried withdrawal from Afghanistan and the ensuing chaos illustrates how quickly fortunes can change in this volatile region. The resulting pandemonium underscores how much we need a steady and strong ally such as Israel in the raging sea of despotism and autocracy that is the Middle East. 

Regardless of which poll you cite, support by Americans for our vital ally never truly wavers because Israel, as a democratic nation, stands in stark contrast to the hateful and controlling regimes run by the region’s autocrats and despots. 

Backing for Israel historically has been constant and bipartisan, even among Americans who are usually woefully divided on a whole range of topics.

That is why it is so jarring and shocking to witness eroding support for Israel among political leaders who are not showing the same commitment to Israel that most Americans continue to feel. Nowhere is that change more obvious than within the Democratic Party. 

It is more than past time to sound the alarm on holier-than-thou members of Congress who reflexively side with the Palestinians over Israel. What once appeared to be a flickering trend appears to be becoming a pervasive view within a party that is going shockingly astray from the values that it professes to champion.

It is stunning to see progressive American policymakers bending over backwards to invoke pronouns to refer to someone’s gender identity, while showing support for a reactionary Palestinian regime that does not allow for homosexuality and systemically discriminates against women. It makes no sense. 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) recently burst into tears on the House floor and had to be consoled by Democratic colleagues when the House voted in favor of authorizing the defense bill that included funding for Israel.

AOC, as she is known, is part of a group of progressive legislators who have been increasingly critical of U.S. support for Israel. She has called Israel an “apartheid state,” and blasted the Jewish state’s efforts at self-defense during the most recent military flareup between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas in Gaza. She has loudly and repeatedly urged President Biden to dial back support for Israel.

Why was AOC weeping about the passage of a bill that she ultimately reversed course upon and chose not to oppose? She was taking a stand against funding for the Iron Dome, a defensive military system designed to intercept Palestinian-fired, short-range rockets and artillery shells lobbed into Israel.

Why would any member of Congress vote against or lament America’s helping to defend the lives of men, women and children in a pro-American nation who are targeted in their homes by terrorist groups that deny their right to exist? Is it better to stand with an organization that embraces tactics of mass shootings, car rammings, suicide bombings and widespread rocket terrorism against innocents?

The leadership of the Democratic Party owes it to America to rein in their misguided members and halt the staggering slide toward the party’s abandonment of Israel. This is a serious issue that demands immediate attention. We can’t allow this to be glossed over by a mainstream media quick to ignore the stark and stunning trend. 

Support for Israel should remain bipartisan and strong, and Democrats should not jettison support for a true and longstanding American ally in favor of a terror-sponsoring regime that employs violence in the cause of destroying Israel.

Armstrong Williams (@ARightSide) is the owner and manager of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Television Stations and the 2016 Multicultural Media Broadcast Owner of the Year. He is the author of “Reawakening Virtues.”