brad brooks-rubin

Recent Activity

• 

  brad commented on the article | about 3 years ago

  Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace Groups Claim Small Victories in Congress

  My thought is that everything probably does need to come from the Jewish/Israeli perspective, for now.  Once J Street and others have had their impact to open up the space for the larger conversation that, in fact, there is more to Israeli peace and security than what the Israeli government claims, then I think there is room for the direct Palestinian lobby.  But the price of having a monopoly is that you have to deal with everything related to the monopoly, and like it or not, the Jewish community has a monopoly here.  Now it's up to the whistleblowers to demonstrate that there is actually another voice (or market, to beat this analogy further) to listen to. 
  
  The other issue is, as a close friend just pointed out to me, that there is not necessarily balance in the numbers.  Putting aside the magnitude of influence, in pure numerical terms, the Jewish community is something like 6-7 million strong.  Of actual Palestinian Americans, there are (I believe; someone correct me if I'm wrong) less than 500,000.  The Arab and Muslim American communities are of course larger, but their identities and loyalties and politics are far more divided, and their issues far wider ranging, so I'm not sure how much of a lobby we can, or should, expect from them. 
  
  Israel has convinced nearly everyone on the Hill that this is an issue that needs to be solved solely and exclusively for Israel's future, with the fate of Palestinians an afterthought.  Palestinians and Arab-Americans do not have much of a voice on Israel's future itself; that's our job.  So I'd say this is our fight to fight. 
  
  And for the most part, those of us in the whistleblower camp have done a fairly pathetic job.  These modest changes are nice to see.  AIPAC itself existed for 20 years or so before it became a force, and it made its first mark on Russia, not Israel.   So BTVS and have bit off a much harder task than even AIPAC did at first, and should be commended for it.  The real test is the endurance and the vision; that's what we've lacked for so long. 
  

• 

  brad commented on the article | about 3 years ago

  Is the Israeli Embassy Waging a Campaign Against J Street?

  It wouldn't be so surprising, would it?  I made the mistake of heading solo to the "Stand with Israel" Rally in D.C. that featured Ambassador Meridor, followed by half a dozen members of Congress and then other local political and religious officials.  I wasn't sure what to expect, really (silly me), but as I made it to the synagogue entrance with my sign emblazoned with the incendiary message "CEASE FIRE NOW," I was greeted by a security guard who had a disarmingly simple question: "Is that a pro-Israel sign?" 
  
  Is a sign that says "CEASE FIRE NOW" pro-Israel?  I responded immediately with "Of course it is, even if most here disagree."  Some debate ensued, with those around me in line generally advocating to the guard to toss me and/or my sign out.  He didn't.  But a "pro-Israel" sign was the formal price of admission to a rally where, frankly, that shouldn't have been much of a concern (I didn't notice any other folks with similar signs, though I was stuck in a corner).  If the Embassy and (local JCRC) is instructing security on the messages at a rally, one can only imagine their fear and fury at a group with a real voice and real access, like J Street is (hopefully). 
  
  Too bad they can't send that security guard after Jeremy Ben-Ami.