What's behind this purported imbalance? Why, the formidable Israel lobby in D.C., of course.
"The basic facts are not really in dispute," he writes. "A very powerful lobby deploys the money and passions of its members to ensure that a foreign country gets very, very special treatment from the U.S."
Sullivan is sensitive to anti-Semitic tropes. He acknowledges that when referring to Israel lobbying, phrases such as "all about the Benjamins" and "allegiance to a foreign country" are anti-Semitic. So, his aim is to "write honestly about the Israel lobby's power in D.C. without using any anti-Semitic ‘tropes' at all."
How does he hope to pull that off? By doing what looks like a plain accounting of the U.S.—Israel relationship, which, in his view, boils down to this: "America gives, Israel takes."
But by being so dismissive of Israel's value to America, Sullivan ends up grossly distorting a special relationship.
A more balanced accounting would have recognized the depth, strength and unique quality of the U.S.–Israel relationship, as laid out by historian and former Israel Ambassador Michael Oren in a 2011 Foreign Policy essay.
"What is the definition of an American ally?" Oren asked.
"On an ideological level, an ally is a country that shares America's values, reflects its founding spirit, and resonates with its people's beliefs. Tactically, an ally stands with the United States through multiple conflicts and promotes its global vision.
“From its location at one strategic crossroads, an ally enhances American intelligence and defense capabilities, and provides ports and training for U.S. forces. Its army is formidable and unequivocally loyal to its democratic government. An ally helps secure America's borders and assists in saving American lives on and off the battlefield. And an ally stimulates the U.S. economy through trade, technological innovation, and job creation.
"Few countries fit this description, but Israel is certainly one of them. As U.S. President Barack Obama told a White House gathering, ‘The United States has no better friend in the world than Israel,' a statement reflecting the positions of Democrats and Republicans alike. The importance of the U.S.-Israel alliance has been upheld by successive American administrations and consistently endorsed by lawmakers and military leaders. It should be unimpeachable."
Sullivan includes none of those benefits to the U.S. in his "honest" discussion, presumably because it would undermine his one-sided take of "a very powerful lobby" that ensures "that a foreign country gets very, very special treatment from the U.S."
In fact, had he done his homework about Israel's main lobby group in D.C., the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), he would have learned that its mission is hardly one-way: "To strengthen, protect, and promote the U.S.—Israel relationship in ways that enhance the security of the United States and Israel."
In return for its aid to Israel, Oren writes, "The United States receives not only an armed but an innovative ally, enhancing America's military edge. That contribution is real and requires no lobbyists to fabricate it. While organizations such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) press Israel's case in government and in popular forums, they represent American citizens who view the alliance with Israel as a national American interest."
"Israel's fundamental interests, like its values, are America's," he writes. "For the price of annual military aid equaling roughly half the cost of one Zumwalt-class destroyer, the United States helps maintain the military might of one of the few nations actively contributing to America's defense."
As Michael Eisenstadt and David Pollock wrote in 2012 for the Washington Institute,"The benefits to the United States of its relationship with Israel belie the argument that the alliance is based solely on the two countries’ shared democratic values, on the popularity of Israel in American politics, or on the elusive pursuit of progress in the peace process. It is a relationship based on tangible interests — and will remain so for the foreseeable future."
Oren quotes former Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig, who once observed: ‘Israel is the largest American aircraft carrier in the world that cannot be sunk, does not carry even one American soldier, and is located in a critical region for American national security."
The benefits of the U.S.-Israel relationship, Oren concludes, “are of incalculable value to the United States, far outweighing any price."
When you read Oren's essay, which delves into the many layers of a deep and historical relationship, even if you may not agree with all of it, it makes Sullivan's polemic look hollow. It's as if Sullivan set a personal challenge for himself: Let's see if I can go over-the-top on the "Israel lobby power" in D.C. without being accused of anti-Semitic tropes.
What he failed to realize is that for a journalist, being accused of sloppy and unbalanced journalism can be just as bad.
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David Suissa is the founder and CEO of Suissa Miller Advertising, a $300 million marketing firm named "Agency of the Year" by USA Today that attracts clients like Heinz, Dole, McDonalds, Princess Cruises, Charles Schwab and Acura. Suissa's writings on advertising have been published in several publications including the Los Angeles Times and Advertising Age. He's also president of Tribe Media/Jewish Journal, where he has been writing a weekly column on the Jewish world since 2006. In 2015, he was awarded first prize for "Editorial Excellence" by the American Jewish Press Association.