An Open Letter to the Jewish Community On Behalf of Ron Paul
by Jose Cohen
On October 26, 2007 the Republican Jewish Coalition made public the guests list for the debate that this important organization was to hold the following month. They were all there: Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Sam Brownback and Mike Huckabee. However, there was someone missing: Ron Paul, the Republican presidential hopeful from Texas had been excluded. The coalition expressed the view that Dr. Paul's anti-Israel position was inadmissible within a Jewish and pro-Israel organization. Certainly, although libertarian, the ideas of the Republican candidate may seem anything but orthodox. Paul advocates a non-interventionist position, and among other things, he is completely against the foreign aid the U.S. gives to all nations, Israel included. This opinion has gained for Paul the hatred of most of the American Jewish community. Many have even termed him an anti-Semite. Whether we like or dislike Paul's ideas, calling him an anti-Semite or anti-Israel is both a serious insult to the truth and a totally unwarranted accusation. There has never been any statement made by Paul that should earn him such appellatives. Very much to the contrary, Ron Paul thinks that the best way Israel can defend its frontiers, is precisely by doing without American governmental "aid." He has stated: "We have adopted a foreign policy that has left Israel surrounded by militaristic nations while undermining Israel's sovereignty by demanding that its foreign and defense policies be essentially pre-approved in Washington." He later added: "The United States should take care of its own sovereignty while at the same time respecting the sovereignty of nations like Israel. That is the best way to preserve security and prosperity for all." One interesting detail is that he was one of the few in Congress who approved the 1981 Israeli bombing of Osirak (Iraq) when practically all – including Reagan's entire administration – condemned Israel. Here are some more "anti-Semitic" statements from Paul: in an article on LewRockwell.com he wrote: "Most other Middle East countries get money too, some of which ends up in the hands of Palestinian terrorists (...) Yet while we call ourselves a strong ally of the Israeli people, we send billions in foreign aid every year to some Muslim states that many Israelis regard as enemies. From the Israeli point of view, many of the same Islamic nations we fund with our tax dollars want to destroy the Jewish state.(...)" After voting "No" to a House of Representatives resolution that, during the last Lebanon war, condemned Hezbollá and supported Israel, Paul explained his decision as follows: "I follow a policy in foreign affairs called non-interventionism. I do not believe we are making the United States more secure when we involve ourselves in conflicts overseas. The Constitution really doesn't authorize us to be the policemen of the world, much less to favor one side over another in foreign conflicts." Can anyone deduce anti-Semitism or anti-Zionism from these statements? Not at all in any rational world. What Paul is defending for his country is a legitimate non-interventionist position. His attitude is entirely incompatible with anti-Semitism. He does not oppose the aid to Israel because he considers Jews outrageous genocidal maniacs who massacre Palestinians. Nor is it because he is a die-hard anti-Zionist opposing Israel's right to exist. And much less so is it because he is sympathetic to Palestinian terrorism. No, he votes in this manner for profound ideological reasons that are based on the U.S. Constitution and his libertarian philosophy. Paul opposes the idea of sending aid to Israel, but also to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and every other country on the face of the earth. Yes, Israel receives more money from the U.S. treasury than any other single country. But, this government gives far more money to Israel’s enemies, taken all together. How will a cessation of this biased aid hurt Israel? Dr. Ron Paul has no negative obsession whatsoever with the Israel State. What is more, his policy can actually prove beneficial for Israel in many aspects, as has been explained by Walter Block and Shmuel ben-Gad (both Jews). There are even groups of JEWS and ZIONISTS who support Ron Paul and that does not make them less sympathetic to the State of Israel. As it is explained by the members of Jews4RonPaul: "Zionists support a Jewish homeland. It is not required that Zionists support the government's efforts to subsidize Israel to achieve a Jewish homeland. (...) One can be a Zionist and still support the principled non-interventionist foreign policy that was championed by America's Founders." Exactly. It is not true that Congressman Paul merely "dislikes" anti-Semites. Rather, he has a profound disgust and hatred for them. This seeps out of every pore of his being. His views on racism, of which anti-Semitism is but one part, can be found here. It is a vast understatement to say that Ron Paul definitely has no problem with Jews. And Jews should not have any problem with him. January 3, 2008 Jose Cohen [send him mail] is a lawyer in Madrid, Spain. He writes a blog in Spanish about anti-Semitism and Arab-Israeli conflict called Desde Sefarad. Copyright © 2008 LewRockwell.com |
