Re: [Salon] What's in the House GOP's standalone Israel bill

[Todd Pierce <todd.e.pierce@icloud.com>]

This was what was intended to go out.

Sharing this edited email from Jewish Insider as it shows some of the “nuances” of the political debates between the two parties plus Third-way Trumpites. As Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts describes their foreign policy proposals as, and in line with Trumpism, with the massive military build-up they call for again. On top of Trump’s 2017 massive military build-up, stretched out to eternity. With a lot of libertarians hoping for more of that one might imagine, if its accompanied by an “income tax offset” in the form of tax cuts for the very oligarchs profiting the most off the the wars. As was done under Trump in 2017, and onward. To especially include Israel MIC operators Charles Koch, Peter Thiel, and now, Miriam Adelson (JFGI with their name, and Israel, as search terms). Given his history knowledge, and the post-Liberals (fascists) he might be “signaling,” my opinion is that term was deliberately chosen for that purpose. Highlighted in yellow is what I find most objectionable about Third-way Trumpites, represented by Trump administration supporters like Lindsey Graham or members, like Eliot Abrams (Tablet magazine below, part of the Tikvah Fund constellation, along with Yoram Hazony). With the objectionable definition of “anti-semitism” made official US policy by Trump. 

Bottom line: Israel gets $3.5 billion more directly into their coffers from the US under Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s proposal; no money for Gaza humanitarian aid, and with all the Republican Party saber rattling, additional money’s will pay for "Red Sea Operations,” as anti-Iran funding, under different terms. I assume most haven’t read this far, but if you have, skip this “Third Way” description of the historical background of "New Right Postliberalism’s Third Way,” manifested today in National Conservatism. As is apparent if one actually reads what the likes of Yoram Hazony, Michael Anton, and Peter Thiel have written.  

https://brill.com/view/journals/fasc/11/2/article-p187_3.xml?language=en

BLUF:  

The Allure of the ‘Third Way’

As the intellectual and political ferment of the last quarter of the nineteenth century exploded into a maelstrom of new possibilities for radical change in the first decades of the twentieth century, the field of ideologies entered into a more intense phase of flux. Established political binaries of left and right—individualism versus collectivism, class versus nation, democracy versus dictatorship, freedom versus duty, consensus versus revolution—came under scrutiny, piercing their otherwise prohibitive dividing lines and inviting a host of alternative possibilities that boldly cut through and resynthesise them. This was a time characterised by an unusual profusion of perceived political schisms and apostasies, cross-overs and conversions.1 The belief underpinning all these dramatic shifts was that existing ideological adherence and dogmatic path-dependence could no longer guarantee the promised path towards secular salvation.2 Therefore, alternatives would have to be forged through mining and alchemising ideas from different, even fiercely competing ideological traditions and lineages. As a result, ripples of heterodox thinking defied and destabilised existing ideologies by challenging their associated orthodoxies.3 Each of these rebellious voices questioned the ability of—some or all—established political projects to deliver effective solutions to pressing challenges and sought to propose radical alternatives by mediating, revising or rejecting existing ideological binaries.4 When viewed together, however, they marked the emergence of a broader dissident dynamic that brazenly challenged all kinds of normative assumptions about politics.

Against this backdrop of ideological volatility and rebelliousness the notion of a ‘third way’ became in vogue in numerous accounts of the intellectual and political history of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Generally, third ways are based on a triadic scheme, where two opposing, supposedly irreconcilable or otherwise disparate canonical positions are brought or forced selectively together as part of a political dialectic to form a new (third) alternative, essentially heterodox solution deemed more desirable in the current circumstances. Not only has the ‘semantic structure of thirding’ remained mostly tied to a static spatiality of conventional dialectics (thesis × antithesis = third-way outcome) but it has also overwhelmingly been linked to specific models of left-right synthesis or transcendence and has been judged mostly by its outcomes. Thirding processes, however, are promiscuous, continuous, and self-reproducing; they stretch much wider than mere left-right polarities and can include a host of other dualities, not all of which are based on contradiction;5 they involve not just the extreme scenarios of synthesis (the middle path) or transcendence (neither-nor) but also other, more subtle forms of intermediation and revision; and they do not simply end, since their putative third-way outcomes can be transformed quickly into norms involved in further thirding processes.

Therefore, rather than imagining thirding as a confidently traced pathway across normative political families, I argue that the trope of multiple and dynamic ‘third(ing) spaces’ in the interstices of recognised ideological/political categories is a significantly more helpful spatial metaphor. These spaces are formed because existing norms and conventions have come to be regarded by dissident actors as lacking or have been discredited altogether in their eyes. Their raison d’être, however, is to form a discursive and organisational space where old totem poles can be smashed if needed, where rules can be rewritten, and from where radical alternatives can be pursued. These spaces are typically redolent with yet-fuzzy new possibilities that have now been unlocked—but not yet (fully) charted—by the actor’s rejection of earlier dichotomies and orthodoxies.

Within the field of fascism studies the trope of the ‘third way’ has served as an invaluable asset in terms of granting fascism ideological autonomy and originality; and this is why it is now widely recognised as one of the core ideological components of generic fascism.6 Yet, in presenting fascism as the ‘third way’ of interwar politics—a canonical post-liberal alternative situated either between or beyond revolutionary left and conservative-authoritarian right—we may have inadvertently narrowed down and flattened a prodigious, heterogeneous, and supremely volatile field of political interplay and rogue alchemy. These dissident thirding processes not only predated the historical emergence of fascism but also stretched much further than the relatively narrow field of ni droite-ni gauche ‘national socialists’ or angry interwar radical nationalists. They also continued to drive fresh ideological/political mobilities within and across seemingly bounded categories throughout the 1920s and 1930s, with diverse third-way propositions appearing as native solutions but then circulating across national boundaries and constantly interacting with context-specific ingredients to produce a constant stream of new thirding revisions and syntheses.7 Therefore, rather than approaching fascism as the outcome of particular genealogies of left-right dissident intermediation, rather than seeing it as the product of either dissident synthesis or total rejection of existing ideological binaries, I see instead ‘thirding’ processes as one of the key drivers of fascism’s continuous ideological and political reinvention, reproduction, mobility, and protean adaptability.8Studying these complex processes, rather than simply their assumed outcomes, can shed invaluable light on fascism’s continuous interactions with a host of contemporary ideological and political projects stretching from the authoritarian and the conservative right to the liberal centre, within and across different local contexts.

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Jewish Insider Daily Kickoff" <editor@jewishinsider.com> 

Subject: What's in the House GOP's standalone Israel bill

Date: February 5, 2024 at 5:30:56 AM MST

View this email in your browser

February 5th, 2024

         

Good Monday morning.

In today’s Daily Kickoff, we spotlight the role that the Jewish community in New York’s 3rd Congressional District could play in next week’s special election between former Rep. Tom Suozzi and Mazi Pilip, and report on Columbia Law School’s rejection of a student group that seeks to combat antisemitism. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Amos Hochstein, Larry David and Lachlan Murdoch. 

The House will vote this week on a clean, unconditioned $17.6 billion military aid bill to Israel without any funding offsets, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said in a letter to colleagues on Saturday. The announcement, which came ahead of the release of the Senate’s combined Israel, Ukraine and border package, seemed intended to undercut the Senate’s effort, which Johnson has long opposed, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

The path forward is unclear: Senate Democrats are pushing ahead with their plan to begin consideration of the combined bill this week, but the House’s alternative bill could prompt Senate Republicans — who had been growing skeptical of the border talks — to oppose it. House Republicans say the Senate bill will not receive a vote in the lower chamber.

The Senate’s new aid bill, released Sunday evening, contains $14.1 billion in assistance to Israel; $2.44 billion to support the U.S.’ Red Sea operations; $10 billion for humanitarian aid to Gaza, the West Bank and Ukraine; and $400 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. Despite growing calls from some Democrats, the legislation does not appear to include any new conditions or restrictions on aid to Israel.

The Senate bill bans funds from both the current package, as well as previously passed legislation, from being provided to the controversy-plagued United Nations Relief and Works Agency — seemingly permanently freezing funding previously earmarked for UNRWA. The NSGP funding allocation is down from the $1 billion included in Senate Democratic leadership’s initial proposal prior to negotiations.

In general, the Senate bill appears to contain few wins for progressive Democrats on Israel policy, other than preserving Palestinian aid in some form; they’re also likely to be dubious of the immigration provisions.

The new House bill includes no aid for Ukraine, the Palestinians or nonprofit security grants, making the prospects for passage of those tranches — particularly Ukraine funding, which is opposed by a growing portion of his caucus — increasingly uncertain.

Despite widespread support for Israel across the House, Johnson’s move is meeting criticism from many corners of Congress, as well as the White House.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, slammed Johnson’s bill as a “ploy” that he said was “not being a serious effort to deal with the national security challenges America faces.”

“From our perspective,” Sullivan added, “the security of Israel should be sacred. It shouldn't be part of any political game. And therefore, we believe the right thing to do is to pass a comprehensive bill, and that's exactly what a bipartisan group of senators are working on as we speak.”

Pro-Israel Democrats and moderate Republicans are frustrated by the lack of Ukraine aid. Conservatives, including the House Freedom Caucus, say they oppose the bill because it doesn’t include funding offsets from the United Nations or elsewhere. And progressives, skeptical of Israel’s military campaign and pushing for more Palestinian aid, might also oppose the bill.

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) described the bill as a “cynical attempt to undermine the Senate’s bipartisan effort,” and said Democrats will continue to evaluate it. A whip notice from Democratic leadership to members noted that the White House and Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) oppose the bill.

But more pro-Israel Democrats are ultimately likely to support this bill than the House’s last Israel aid package, which also cut funding from the Internal Revenue Service. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) said on X on Saturday that he’d vote yes on the legislation, adding that the bill “deserves U.S. support as it responds to the mass murders perpetrated by #Hamas.” But he noted that “[t]he bill does not contain provisions I would like to see, including aid for #Ukraine. But I normally vote based on what’s in the bill, rather than what’s not in the bill.”

If both bills pass their chambers, Jewish community leaders— who have largely been agnostic about how Israel aid moves forward — could ultimately face a conundrum on whether to throw their weight behind the Senate package, or support the House bill, without NSGP and Ukraine aid. “The speaker is maneuvering for the negotiation with the Senate. We will see NSGP emergency funds in the Senate supplemental. And we will work to ensure that when a final bill is enacted it delivers needed support for our community’s security,” said Nathan Diament, the Orthodox Union’s executive director for public policy. Read more here.

Johnson’s announcement comes as Secretary of State Tony Blinken begins a five-day trip to the region that will include stops in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and the West Bank amid negotiations on a hostage release and an extended humanitarian pause to allow aid into Gaza.

KEY COMMUNITY 

Tom Suozzi and Mazi Pilip focus on Jewish outreach as special election nears

TOM WILLIAMS/CQ-ROLL CALL, INC VIA GETTY IMAGES

With early voting now underway in the special House election to replace former Rep. George Santos (R-NY), the two candidates and their allies are boosting efforts to mobilize Jewish voters who represent a crucial coalition that could help decide the outcome of what is expected to be a close race, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.

Pivotal factors: While much of the messaging — and outside spending — has turned on border security and abortion rights in advance of the Feb. 13 election between Mazi Pilip and former Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) in New York’s 3rd Congressional District, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war as well as rising antisemitism have also been pivotal factors in the race for one of the most heavily Jewish districts in the country, covering parts of Nassau County and Queens.

‘Make or break’: In a tight race, the Jewish community, at an estimated 11% of the electorate, could “make or break the election,” said Sam Markstein, the national political director for the Republican Jewish Coalition, which is backing Pilip, a county legislator and Israeli Defense Forces veteran born in Ethiopia. “This group is going to be a decisive bloc and we have been spending weeks reaching out to these voters.”

Bellwether race: The RJC is among several Jewish and pro-Israel groups from both parties now actively engaged in the consequential special election, which will help determine the balance of power in the House. Halie Soifer, the CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, which has invested in print and digital ads to support Suozzi, called the race a “bellwether for November” that she expects will demonstrate “the power of the Jewish vote,” given its “relatively high turnout numbers.”

Read the full story here.

CAMPUS BEAT

Columbia Law School rejects student group created to combat antisemitism

EDUCATION IMAGES/UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP VIA GETTY IMAGES

The president of a new Columbia Law School group formed to combat rising antisemitism on campus has said that its adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism played a role in the Law School Student Senate's vote to reject it as a recognized university group, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Haley Cohen reports for Jewish Insider.

Opposition: “A group of students were strongly opposed to our formation from the very beginning,” Marie-Alice Legrand, president of the Law Students Against Antisemitism, told JI, noting that some condemned its use of the State Department-adopted IHRA definition. “They have accused us of using that definition to silence free speech. We have assured them that is not our mission, we want to educate,” she continued. 

Rare rejection: Twenty-three of approximately 33 senators voted against the Law Students Against Antisemitism group in an anonymous vote on Jan. 23, the Columbia Spectator reported, noting that nine organizations have requested recognition this year, and Law Students Against Antisemitism is the only group that has not been approved. Before the senate meeting, where LSAA presented, individuals referring to themselves as “Concerned Jewish Students at CLS,” who identify as “Jewish pro-Palestine students,” signed a letter to the senators.  

Read the full story here.

CHARITY CONCERNS

Bipartisan group of House lawmakers presses administration on pro-Palestinian charities in the U.S.

BILL CLARK/CQ-ROLL CALL, INC VIA GETTY IMAGES

A bipartisan group of lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Committee wrote to the Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation last week requesting information on alleged links between Hamas and U.S.-based tax-exempt charities that they said may be providing support to the terrorist group, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

Staffing questions: Pointing to testimony provided at a hearing the committee held last year, the lawmakers raised concerns that several pro-Palestinian charities may have financial ties to Hamas and other terrorist organizations. Such charities, they noted, employ top officials previously involved in other charities such as the Holy Land Foundation and KindHearts for Charitable Development, which were shuttered by the U.S. government for providing funding to terrorists from American donors. 

Quotable: “Today, it appears that members of these now-defunct charities are reorganizing and forming new U.S.-based charities that may be seeking to take advantage of well-intentioned Americans by redirecting their money to support terrorist organizations like Hamas,” the lawmakers’ letter to the Treasury and IRS reads. “We are concerned that there are U.S.-based organizations with ties to Hamas that were able to evade the anti-terrorism efforts of the IRS and gain tax-exempt status.”

Read the full story here.

AID ASK

25 Senate Democrats push Biden, Israel to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza

MARK WILSON/GETTY IMAGES

Days after the administration paused aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) over allegations that its employees participated in the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, 25 Senate Democrats urged the administration to work with Israel to increase humanitarian aid access to Gaza, as well as restore aid to UNRWA as soon as is appropriate, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

UNRWA: While describing the allegations regarding employees’ involvement in Oct. 7 as “extremely troubling,” the lawmakers called UNRWA “indispensable” and noted that it has more than 13,000 employees. “Moving forward, there must be a swift and thorough investigation to ensure accountability so that the resumption of U.S. assistance through UNRWA, when appropriate, remains possible,” the lawmakers continued.

To-do list: The letter asks the administration to “work with Israeli officials” to reopen a third border crossing into Gaza at Erez; “streamline the convoluted inspections process” for aid moving into Gaza; establish a “clear, enforceable deconfliction process” between Israel and humanitarian aid organizations; increase capacity at the Kerem Shalom crossing; allow commercial goods to move into Gaza; open additional supply routes including through Jordan, the West Bank, Ashdod and the sea; increase U.S. military support of aid efforts; and implement more and longer humanitarian pauses.

Pink slip: Separately, Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Susan Collins (R-ME), the vice chairs of the Intelligence and Appropriations committees, called on U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to immediately dismiss UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, accusing him of defending staff involvement in terrorism and criticizing countries that have withdrawn funding.

Read more here.

Coming this week: The House Foreign Affairs Committee will vote on Tuesday on barring further U.S. funding to UNRWA, as well as on fully redesignating the Houthis as a terrorist group and imposing additional export controls targeting Iran. Separately, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) and 23 Republican colleagues introduced legislationto request a detailed report on past U.S. support to UNRWA and how it has been spent.

KEEPING UP THE PRESSURE

Trone speaks at Washington JCRC’s second Qatar Embassy event

MARC ROD

Rep. David Trone (D-MD) called on Qatar to push harder on Hamas to release the hostages held in Gaza at the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington’s rally outside the Qatari Embassy in Washington, D.C., on Friday, the JCRC’s second such event in recent days, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

Quotable: “We know the Qatari Embassy can help us here, and we’re here to implore the Qatari Embassy to use their leverage, use the leverage of the [Hamas] political office in Doha, use their leverage to help us bring these hostages home,” Trone, who is mounting a Senate bid, told the gathered crowd of roughly 100. “We’ve got to get these hostages back, and we’ve got to all stand together and implore Qatar to step up, use their political muscle and do the right thing.”

Cease-fire: The Maryland congressman also said, “We call for a cease-fire. We must have a cease-fire. We must have that cease-fire with simultaneous return of our hostages.” He continued, “And after the hostage return, then we can help create a two-state solution and rebuild Gaza. Because a Palestinian life is no different than an Israeli life.”

Read more here.

Elsewhere in Washington: Congressional Republicans largely condemned the administration’s weekend strikes on Iranian proxies as too little and too late. “The administration waited for a week and telegraphed to the world, including to Iran, the nature of our response,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said. “The public handwringing and excessive signaling undercuts our ability to put a decisive end to the barrage of attacks endured over the past few months.” Similarly, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said yesterday, “We need to change our policy, our adversaries aren’t afraid of us. If there are another round of strikes coming, they must send a clear message to not mess with America. If they don’t, nothing changes.”

Two-State Trouble: In Tablet, Elliott Abrams considers the challenges associated with the implementation of a two-state solution. “Creating a Palestinian state will not end the “Israeli-Palestinian conflict” because it will not end the Palestinian and now Iranian dream of eliminating the State of Israel. On the contrary, it can be a launching pad for new attacks on Israel and will certainly be viewed that way by the Jewish state’s most dedicated enemies. A peaceful Palestinian state that represents no threat to Israel is a mirage. It is an illusion indulged by people in the West who want to seem progressive and compassionate, and those in the Arab world who fear resisting the powerful anti-Israel currents that circulate there and are now fortified by Iran. The future security of Israel depends in good part on resisting the two-state formula for endless conflict.” [Tablet]

Looking Left: Politico’s Jonathan Martin looks at the challenges facing the Biden administration from the left flank of the Democratic Party ahead of the November presidential election. “Few in the administration sense the danger more than Vice President Kamala Harris. From holiday parties to a dinner at her residence last month for a group of prominent Black men, Harris has been telling sympathetic Democrats outside the White House that she recognizes the political challenge posed by Biden’s unwavering public support for Israel, I’m told by officials familiar with her comments at the events. Harris told people she’s making the case privately for the administration to show more empathy for the plight of innocent Gazans, an internal push that my colleague Eugene Daniels reported in December. … There is a hate-the-sin-love-the-sinner element to Biden’s approach to Israel that some in Gen Z can’t fully grasp. His politics are that of a Cold War Democrat, and a Northeastern one at that. Support for Israel is part of his liberal DNA, no matter the prime minister. Jewish voters, Irish ones, Italian, too — that’s the coalition. It’s a matter of principle, sure, but also domestic politics. But they’ve not heard of the ‘Three Is’ on TikTok.” [Politico]

Elon’s Ties That Bind: The Wall Street Journal’s Kirsten Grind, Emily Glazer, Rebecca Elliott and Coulter Jones spotlight X owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s relationships with the backers of his various companies, including James Murdoch, with whom he’s vacationed in Israel, and Larry Ellison, who has tried to help Musk rein in his drug use. “Multiple other directors of Musk companies have deep personal and financial ties to the billionaire entrepreneur, and have profited enormously from the relationship. The connections are an extreme blurring of friendship and fortune and raise questions among some shareholders about the independence of the board members charged with overseeing the chief executive. Such conflicts could run afoul of the loose rules governing what qualifies as independence at publicly traded companies. … Some board members worry about the negative effects of Musk’s behavior on the six companies he oversees and the roughly $800 billion in assets held by investors, according to people close to Musk. Despite the concerns, the Tesla board hasn’t investigated his drug use or recorded their worries into official board minutes, which could become public. Around the winter of 2022, Musk’s good friend and former Tesla board member, Ellison, urged him to come to his Hawaiian island to relax from work and dry out from the drugs, according to people familiar with the offer.” [WSJ]

Envoy’s Efforts: White House senior advisor Amos Hochstein, who was in Israel for meetings with top officials over the weekend, reportedly indicated progress in talks aimed at pushing Hezbollah away from Israel’s northern border and preventing a wider escalation of the war.

Striking Back: The U.S. struck dozens of sites in Iraq and Syria used by Iran’s Quds Force in response to last weekend’s attack on a base in Jordan that killed three American service members, as the U.S. and U.K. separately conducted attacks against three dozen Houthi targets in Yemen. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned on Sunday of future strikes if American interests continue to come under attack.

Old Hands for Biden: A group of Obama administration alums, including Ben Rhodes and Wendy Sherman, are relaunching National Security Action, an advocacy group boosting President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign with a focus on Biden’s foreign policy.

Fundraising Event: Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) hosted a joint fundraiser with Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) in California over the weekend, days after the Justice Department announced a criminal investigation into Bush's spending of personal security funds.

Falling Short: Four candidates for Harvard’s Board of Overseers who were backed by Bill Ackman failed to collect the requisite number of signatures to appear on the April ballot; a fifth candidate supported by Mark Zuckerberg also fell short and will not appear on the final ballot to sit on the board, one of the school’s two governing bodies.

Striking Out: Brown University President Christina Paxson said she will not meet the demands — including that the university move forward with an anti-Israel resolution — of a group of student protesters engaged in a hunger strike.

Crimson Controversy: A Palestinian academic who described the Oct. 7 terror attacks as a “normal human struggle for freedom” is slated to speak at an event hosted by the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs next month.



Heat Over Headline: Dearborn, Mich., is increasing its security presence following the publication in The Wall Street Journal of an op-ed that referred to the city, which has the highest Arab-American population in the country, as “America’s Jihad Capital,” drawing the ire of some Democratic lawmakers in the state.

Bad Tune: An American singer who performed the national anthem at a recent NHL All-Star game in Toronto and has a history of making anti-Israel comments is facing criticism for wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh during her performance.


Ben-Gvir’s Bluster: The Wall Street Journal interviews Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, whom the WSJ describes as “a media-savvy lawmaker who has become a lighting rod for Israel’s far right,” in the lawmaker’s first interview with the foreign press since joining the government.