NJDC: Don’t Make Israel a Wedge Issue in Florida’s 25th Congressional District

David Streeter — September 13, 2010 – 9:20 pm | Election 2010 | Foreign Policy | GOP Hypocrisies | Israel Comments (0) Add a comment

National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) Chairman Marc R. Stanley, Immediate Past Chair Michael M. Adler and Vice-Chair Stephen Bittel today jointly issued the following statement:

As we have unfortunately seen in so many other places across the country, it now appears that some Floridians are trying to make the U.S. - Israel relationship a wedge issue in the race for Florida’s 25th Congressional District. NJDC strongly opposes such actions and along with Ambassador Michael Oren and others, we have fought against the growing trend of politicizing Israel during this campaign cycle. While it should be noted that the GOP has led the charge to politicize the issue, it is always unacceptable to make Israel a wedge issue, regardless of who is doing it.

Joe Garcia has clearly and robustly presented a platform to help protect Israel’s future. From supporting sanctions against Iran to committing to the preservation of Israel’s security, he is undoubtedly in line with the thinking of the pro-Israel community. We are sure that the Republican candidate also stands in support of the Jewish state. However, much is at stake in this election, and while both candidates have pro-Israel positions, they certainly do not see eye-to-eye on so many other issues that are of importance to the Jewish community.

While candidates can and should continue to discuss the very real differences in their visions for the future of our country, as this election approaches, it is our hope that Democrats and Republicans alike will stand together in support of Israel. But one thing is certain: we must not let support for Israel become a partisan political football. Politicizing the U.S. - Israel relationship is something that all of Israel’s supporters in the United States should be working against.

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