Last week I posted an article about a new campaign launched to get American citizens in Israel to vote in the upcoming 2012 presidential election. While the “iVoteIsrael” campaign claims to be non-partisan, its rhetoric and indication by its campaign manager that its donors are Sheldon Adelson types made me suspicious of a certain slant.
Then I noticed this ad featured quite prominently on my Facebook page:
Hmm…asking whether I “want” a Palestinian state and then informing me that the next U.S. president will affect my future in Israel. I clicked on the ad, and lo and behold:
So the non-partisan campaign which cannot advocate for a specific candidate is asking Americans in Israel an anachronistic question (to say the least) and then asking which president in the White House will have “Israel’s back.” Do the math.
Related:
Campaign urges Americans in Israel to vote in upcoming U.S. elections
For additional original analysis and breaking news, visit +972 Magazine's Facebook page or follow us on Twitter. Our newsletter features a comprehensive round-up of the week's events. Sign up here.
Yisrael Medad
True, you may suspect partisanship but:
a) no more than this site and
b) once you register, you can vote however you wish. that’s democracy and the act of registration is indeed non-partisan.
caden
They call this politics. Elections, you know, stuff like that. If you don’t think that Obamas team is doing the same thing in different arenas your nuts.
Mairav Zonszein
This site does not claim to be non partsan. And it is not running a campaign to get people to vote in any election!
Rehmat
The term ‘non-partisan’ mean that the group doesn’t represent any of the three US political parties – but Israel.
As far “Israel’s back’ is concerned – it has been protected by every US president since Harry Truman. Obama, himself has told Netanyahu in Oval Office and AIPAC conference on Israel in March 2012 – “I will always protect Israeli interests and will never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear bomb”.
Mark Bruzonsky, a Jewish, American Scholar and Journalist, who had been a prominent player during the Camp David peace accord (September 17, 1978) – told Susan Modaress last year: “There is no way in the world he (Obama) can come up against the Israeli Jewish lobby and their great group of institutions, personalities and foundations – no way. He knows it. He continues to talk the language of two-state solution, but that’s largely to keep Abbas and the Palestinian Authority (PA) from being totally discredited”.
http://rehmat1.com/2011/02/20/washington-cannot-say-no-to-jewish-lobby/
AYLA
I’ve been wondering how to register to vote absentee in the upcoming U.S. election, and might get some subversive pleasure out of doing it through this site. (P.S. all of my american-israeli friends vote democrat, with feeling
. I guess this campaign makes our percentages pretty clear.
*
that a Palestinian State is (apparently) the clearest mark of anti-Israel-ness to many is disturbing.
Kolumn9
Are you suggesting that Obama will not have Israel’s back or that in his second term he will support a Palestinian state without Israel’s agreement? Aren’t those his exact promises? Or are you suggesting that Obama is a liar whose word can not be trusted?
.
You haven’t posted anything in this story that would demonstrate that the campaign is partisan, though I admit its backers probably think they are not helping Obama with this initiative.
Mitchell Cohen
@Ayla, if it is important to you to vote, then contact AACI. They will be able to help you. I heard you can even register through them.
Mordechai ben Yosef
“Who will have Israel’s back?” is simply a crude political canard to increase anxiety in American Jews so as to blunt their growing disgust with Israeli policies and actions. The Answer of course is Romney/Obama. The difference is that Obama will treat the Palestinians with superficial respect while offering nothing, whereas Romney will treat the Palestinians as Taliban or Al Queda while giving nothing.
klang
so whats the problem? 972 or yourself could create a website called “Want a Palestinian state instead of Israel” and could get people to register that way
Mordechai ben Yosef
So Klang, the choice you offer is the existing racist ethnocentric theocracy dominated by Jews vs a hypothetical Palestinian state of unknown political character. Glad to see you’re for a single state solution. I guess a democratic state is out of the question.