One doesn’t need to be a cynic to see the wave of politicians traveling to Israel just weeks before the primaries and months before the general elections as nothing more than taxpayer-funded junkets taken for the sole purpose of attracting the Jewish-American vote in their home districts.
What did these politicians expect to learn that they couldn’t have already learned from the nightly news and State Department and Defense Department briefings?
Last week Rep. Steve Israel (D-Dix Hills) flew to Israel on a week-long visit that he said was intended to offer support for the nation in its conflict with Hamas. He said he hoped to gain a better understanding of its Iron Dome Missile Defense system.
In a statement he said, “I am humbled to be traveling to the United States’ greatest ally, the state of Israel, to show my support for the Israeli people during this time of instability. I have always been one of Israel’s strongest supporters in the United States Congress, and I will always stand up for its needs.”
As far as we know Rep. Israel had no intention of visiting the Gaza Strip or speaking with the Palestinian people or their leaders. He made it clear that the purpose of his strip was to show his support for Israel. He could have done that on Capitol Hill or from his district office on Long Island and saved you thousands of dollars.
Not wanting to be outdone in using the crisis in Israel for political gain, Rep. Israel’s opponent in the November election in the 3rd Congressional District, Republican Grant Lally, issued a statement in which he called the State of Israel “America’s one democratic ally in the Middle East. In this hour of Israel’s need, the United States should offer our fullest diplomatic and logistical support for Israel,” he said.
Lally went on to call on Rep. Israel to denounce comments made by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-California) referring to Hamas as a humanitarian organization. “If Steve Israel truly represented the interests of our district, he would immediately denounce Nancy Pelosi, and stand up for the Israeli people, United States national security, and for an end to the terrorist nightmare of Hamas,” he said.
A spokesman for Rep. Israel fired back, “If Grant [Lally] was truly as strong a friend to Israel as Steve Israel is, he’d be thanking the congressman for his bipartisan leadership in voting for critical Iron Dome funding, getting his resolution passed in the House to reinforce Israel’s right to defend itself, calling on the U.N. to condemn Hamas’ use of human shields, and for standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Israelis, our greatest ally, at such a critical time.”
Both men appear to be competing to see who can best exploit the deaths of hundreds of innocent people in the Middle East for their own political purposes here on Long Island.
Two weeks ago Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, who is running for the 4th Congressional District seat occupied by the retiring Carolyn McCarthy, also travelled to Israel. During her three-day junket said she met with religious leaders and national security experts.
Albany has joined the pro-Israel parade.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, still reeling from reports that he torpedoed the Moreland Commission that he created to investigate corruption in Albany because it got to close to home, made a 29-hour whistle-stop visit to Israel. The governor, who is running for re-election, was accompanied by leaders of the state Legislature.
The entourage visited one of the tunnels uncovered by Israeli security forces and then sat at a table eating fancy desserts on a terrace which offers a “perfect view” of Gaza.
Cuomo said his group did not have time to visit Gaza.
Of course Cuomo and his entourage can do nothing more than offer moral support for Israel. None of the New York elected officials who visited Israel over the past month have told the people anything that they couldn’t have already learned from watching CNN or other around-the-clock broadcasts.
And none of them made any effort to hear both sides of this very sad story.
Like these leaders — and we use the term with reservation — we applaud the fact that the United States has made possible Israel’s Iron Dome that has saved thousands of lives.
At the same time, if they need to take these junkets, we would hope that the politicians would take the time to listen to both sides in a more sincere effort to encourage a lasting peace.
