These men’s actions aren’t just morally loathsome; they’re politically stupid. Social science may explain the phenomenon Israel’s supporters keep proving its detractors right. Over the last couple of years, Americans from across the ideological spectrum – from Bernie Sanders to Tucker Carlson – have grown increasingly enraged by the way pro-Israel billionaires restrict Americans’ free speech. So, last month, along comes the New York England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, allegedly in tandem with other stadium owners, and pushes Ed Sheeran to drop Macklemore from his US tour because the rapper uttered “Free Palestine” on stage. It’s hard to imagine anything more likely to intensify fury towards the Aipac class. Then Benjamin Netanyahu does something equally self-defeating. Since 2018, Israel’s favorability rating among Americans has dropped by an astonishing 67 points. A plurality of Democrats with views on the subject consider Israel to be “a state with segregation similar to apartheid” rather than a democracy. Yet faced with an American public that increasingly rejects Israel’s self-presentation as a bastion of freedom, Benjamin Netanyahu’s party has pushed to ban Arab parties, undercutting claims about Israel being a democracy for its Palestinian citizens. He’s undermining his own hasbara. Continue reading...
From Robert Kraft to Netanyahu, Israel’s supporters keep helping its critics | Peter Beinart
These men’s actions aren’t just morally loathsome; they’re politically stupid. Social science may explain the phenomenon Israel’s supporters keep proving its detractors right. Over the last couple of years, Americans from across the ideological spectrum – from Bernie Sanders to Tucker Carlson – have grown increasingly enraged by the way pro-Israel billionaires restrict Americans’ free speech. So, last month, along comes the New York England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, allegedly in tandem with other stadium owners, and pushes Ed Sheeran to drop Macklemore from his US tour because the rapper uttered “Free Palestine” on stage. It’s hard to imagine anything more likely to intensify fury towards the Aipac class. Then Benjamin Netanyahu does something equally self-defeating. Since 2018, Israel’s favorability rating among Americans has dropped by an astonishing 67 points. A plurality of Democrats with views on the subject consider Israel to be “a state with segregation similar to apartheid” rather than a democracy. Yet faced with an American public that increasingly rejects Israel’s self-presentation as a bastion of freedom, Benjamin Netanyahu’s party has pushed to ban Arab parties, undercutting claims about Israel being a democracy for its Palestinian citizens. He’s undermining his own hasbara. Continue reading...