WASHINGTON — For months, Jewish groups have been working tirelessly to separate the Iraq issue from Israel, lowering their voices of support for the war.
But next week, close to 5,000 pro-Israel activists — many of whom strongly support the U.S.-led war on Iraq and its benefits to Israel’s security — will meet in the nation’s capital for the annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
It’s likely that they won’t want to keep quiet any longer. But the fact that the March 30-April 1 conference is taking place in wartime presents uncomfortable dilemmas about how to discuss aspects of the Bush administration’s Middle East policy.
“I believe that we don’t have to choose between being pro-Israel and being a patriotic American,” said Amy Friedkin, AIPAC’s president.
In a perfect world, AIPAC would highlight the role Israel has played in U.S. efforts against Iraq, and the job the United States has done to protect Israel from possible attacks from Baghdad.
In the real world, however, the United States has tried to downplay Israel’s role — even keeping it off the list of countries in its “coalition of the willing” — to prevent a potential backlash from the Arab world.
Participants at the conference will need to find a way to praise the U.S.-Israel relationship while noting that it is not the impetus for the war.
They also are expected to support the president’s plans to further postwar democracy in the Middle East — while criticizing the linkage between the Iraq war and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Plans for the conference are fluid, as it’s unclear whether it will be held in the midst of war or at the beginning stages of regime change.
Bush’s national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, is confirmed to speak, and Secretary of State Colin Powell has been invited. Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom will represent Israel.
One topic on the agenda is clear: AIPAC wants to encourage congressional approval of the $1 billion in military aid and $9 billion in loan guarantees for Israel that the White House is expected to propose in coming days, part of a supplemental spending bill related to the Iraq war that may reach $100 billion.
Israel had been seeking $4 billion in military aid, but was given only a quarter of the amount. Friedkin said that AIPAC will lobby for whatever package the Bush administration and Israel agree to.