Kerry and Israel

It has been noted that during the DNC, very little was said by about the Democrats about their stance on Israel. The one mention was the Edwards line that they are for a strong and secure Israel, which drew almost no reaction from the delegates. Perhaps one way to judge what Kerry's policy would be is by the individuals that he has proposed appointing as emissaries; James Baker, Jimmy Carter, and Martyn Indyk are not encouraging choices to say the least. Baker's and Carter's antipathy towards Israel are clear and have been well documented in the past. Indyk's history and leanings are excellently documented in this article.

Ha'aretz, the leftish Israeli paper, has an article today stating how Kerry would be much more involved in the "peace process" than Bush was. Obviously this is shilling for Kerry that would be expected from them. But, as Caroline Glick points out, Kerry's problem is his stated desire to accede to the demands of "allies", specifically France - a country that has been openly hostile to Israel.

Yes, it is true that he seems to pay inordinate respect to outspoken Israel-bashers such as former President Jimmy Carter and Carter's National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski. Then again, Bush appointed the harshly anti-Israel Marine General Anthony Zinni to be his Middle East mediator shortly after assuming office.

Yes, it is true that Kerry seems determined on forcing Israel back to the negotiating table with Arafat and using Dennis Ross and Martin Indyk as his emissaries in spite of the colossal failure of every policy the two men advocated during the Clinton presidency. But Bush has adopted the Road Map, which formally, if not practically, gives the EU, Russia and the UN the status of arbiters in the Palestinian conflict with Israel.

One thing though, is clear enough. In the unrelenting emphasis Kerry places on a certain brand of "multilateralism," he is providing undue, unreasonable and unacceptable legitimacy to a country that does not wish Israel well. Kerry can choose to be a friend of France, or he can choose to be a friend of Israel. But this is one area where he can't have it both ways.

However, possibly most telling regarding what Kerry's policy would be, was expressed in his recent comment that Bush is to blame for creating more terrorists. Powerline has an excellent appraisal of this statement and what it means for his Israel policy.