AIPAC Breaks with Administration

This was a long time coming — too long — but here it is:

Those who are not students of the history of U.S./Israel relations may not understand the significance of yesterday’s action. As an organization AIPAC never publicly criticizes a sitting administration or administration policy. They go out of their way to appear non-partisan, not leaning to one party or another. This is as it should be as opposed to organizations such as the Jewish Federation, the ADL, the Reform Movement and the Conservative Movement which seem to regularly worship the golden calf of progressive politics.

But yesterday the leadership of the most powerful pro-Israel lobby in the U.S. publicly broke from the White House over the issue of Iran policy

That’s Jeff Dunetz at Yid With Lid, and here’s the WSJ story he linked to:

AIPAC’s efforts to shape the Iran deal through the Congress is being driven by what the organization believes has been President Barack Obama’s wariness of using both financial pressure and the threat of military force to challenge Tehran
(…) AIPAC’s leadership on Sunday was already challenging the White House’s position. “We shouldn’t be afraid of Iran leaving the table,” Mr. Kohr said.

He also aggressively pushed back against the White House’s argument in recent months that no deal with Iran would lead to war. “That’s a false choice…that’s meant to silence the critics,” Mr. Kohr said. “And we won’t be silenced.”

This is a big deal, and it signals AIPAC’s permission, for lack of a better word, for American Jews to stop being so stupidly Democratic all of the time.