Op-Ed: Biden’s Got No Straight Answers on Israel

As we near 150 days until the US election for president, it is probably a foregone conclusion that most Jews will vote Democrat, simply as a matter of course. Historically, Jewish Americans have overwhelmingly voted for the party of FDR and the Kennedys, and there’s no sign that that will change. But with the party’s primaries over, it’s presumptive nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, gives less reason than any of its predecessors for voters to be enthusiastic about him. For Jewish voters of all persuasions, he may just be the plain oatmeal they pass up in the cafeteria.

 Though there has been a defection of a portion of Jewish voters over to President Donald Trump, according to Pew Research still 79% of Jews voted Democrat in the 2018 midterm elections. On domestic policy, most American Jews lean left: 54% define themselves as Liberal/Lean Liberal versus 22% as Conservative/Lean Conservative according to a 2017 AJC survey.

 But if the last three years have revealed anything, it’s that the idea of a consensus within the Jewish community is getting more muddled than ever. One of the best levers with which to pry away Jewish is policy towards the Middle East.

 This month the “Jews 4 Joe” student movement was launched, and given a fawning write-up in the Los Angeles based Jewish Journal. Members quoted within it mentioned three times how the group and Biden would stand up for “progressive values” or “our values,” and mentioned “Zionism” just once.

 However, Biden’s public statements indicate that his Middle East policy would not be pro-Israel, nor would it be pro-Palestinian, for that matter. He would restore the stalled peace process managed by presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama. Here are some of the main elements of his record and proposals.