Over
the past few months, the Jewish state has been increasingly castigated
by U.S. President Barack Obama and his spokesmen as part of botched
efforts to bring about a settlement between Israel and the Palestinian
Authority. The tense relationship deteriorated further in recent weeks
when the U.S. ritual endorsement of Israel's right to self-defense was
linked to criticisms of its behavior.
The U.S. is
unquestionably Israel's principal ally. In contrast to most of the
world, the American public and a bipartisan Congress remain
overwhelmingly pro-Israel. Until this week, the U.S. has maintained the
military partnership with Israel and exercised its veto powers to defend
Israel from biased resolutions at the U.N. Security Council. Israel is
therefore reluctant to confront the offensive statements emanating from
the White House and has gone through the motions of minimizing
differences.
Under such
circumstances, one would have expected the American Jewish leadership to
actively express its concern. Yet, other than the hawkish Zionist
Organization of America, the Jewish establishment appears to have
burrowed behind a curtain of deafening silence.