What the end of U.S. aid to Israel could mean for America

Buried in the early hours of last week’s election day coverage, President Trump called into “Fox & Friends” to announce that U.S. foreign aid to Israel will cease by the end of the year.

This aid package has been grossly misrepresented as a drag on the American economy and a compromise to our security but has actually benefited the U.S. and Israel for decades. Most aid for Israel is spent in America and creates jobs for Americans, contributes to local economies and helps craft weaponry and technology to deter our common enemies. The fact that the unique relationship has been reviewed and recrafted to meet its moment by every American and Israeli administration since President Truman and Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion is a sign of the enduring value of the alliance. For both countries’ sake, the indelible relationship must endure.

Trump’s comments represent a calculated concession by an American president toward dangerous media figures who present conspiracy theories and failed economic postures as an assault on our national integrity. To cancel aid would toss a political bone to a pack of rabid dogs in Tucker Carlson, Hasan Piker, Cenk Uygur and the like-minded hucksters in their movements.

The notion that aid to Israel will be canceled while we continue to offer aid and discounted military packages to foreign states such as Jordan, Egypt, Ukraine and others represents the normalization and proliferation of antisemitism in America. A campaign cycle ad in support of Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed claimed that American aid to Israel is causing the spike in prices of our eggs and bananas. The ad was erroneous and outrageous. And it may have contributed to El-Sayed’s success.

One of the lessons learned by politicians during this recent election is that we can condemn Israel for our American shortcomings. The singular Jewish state is being blamed for the price of bananas. Will Jordanians and Egyptians share the blame? The answer is so obvious that even writing the question feels ridiculous. But the implications are very real.

At a moment that sees the degrading of the U.S. relationship with Israel, we’re also witnessing the public embrace of the Palestinian cause. To better understand the stark contrast of the two relationships, one needs to only consider the juxtaposition between the prior 75 years of prosperity for America in robust alliance with Israel against the current raging inferno of Paris blanketed with Palestinian flags. Is this the better path for America?

Loud, dangerous voices are succeeding in conflating real issues like cost of living with age-old stereotypes against Jews. The influence of these voices is to the detriment of our prosperity and security. This is awful for an American society that requires genuine leadership and practical policy solutions for this moment. The leaders and citizens of France have long ignored serious societal issues by dabbling in scapegoating, a strategy that has led to riots and destruction. America need not wonder where we’re headed in this new political reality. We only need to look at France, where we see images of anarchy wrapped in Palestinian destructionism.

Israel will be fine. It boasts a first-world economy, and its military has proved its valor. America will not be fine as long as the American people allow this corrosive ideology to determine our path forward. Make no mistake about it. This country is not engaged in a political battle. America is engaged in a fundamental struggle for its soul.

A renewed cooperative agreement between America and Israel is possible. One that signals to the world that American values have not shifted. For our sake as Americans, I hope that goodness, compassion, truth, strong work ethic, meritocracy and pluralism win out. I pray that we rediscover the American spirit once again.

Nolan Lebovitz is the senior rabbi of Valley Beth Shalom in Encino and the author of “The Case for Dual Loyalty: Healing the Divided Soul of American Jews.”