As chair of American Democrats in Israel, I spend a great deal of time talking to people who care deeply about Israel and the United States and are increasingly struggling to balance their dual loyalties. I have tried to distill my thoughts and present an avenue for Israel to regain the trust of the party and at the same time show how the party can once again appreciate the values Israel brings to the table.

Israel’s Main Challenge

The challenge Israel faces today is not simply a messaging problem. It is not a matter of finding better spokespeople, sharper slogans, or more polished talking points. Israel is losing trust among moderate Democratic politicians and voters because too many of them no longer see the kind of ally they believed Israel was: democratic, self-critical, security-minded but morally serious, and committed not only to survival, but to pluralistic values.

That trust has eroded under the current Israeli government, and it must be rebuilt.

I say this as someone who unswervingly believes in Israel and in its right – indeed its obligation – to defend its citizens against its enemies, whoever they may be. No country would accept the slaughter of its people, the kidnapping of its civilians, or the threat of an armed movement committed to its destruction.

Support for Israel in the Democratic center has never rested on security arguments alone. It is embedded in the belief that Israel is a democracy that understands force must serve strategy; that strategy must serve political purpose; and that power must remain bounded by law and conscience.

The sad fact is, that for many moderate Democrats,  both here in Israel and in the United States, that belief has been shaken.

Too often, they see an Israel that appears indifferent to Palestinian civilian suffering, dismissive of allied concern, increasingly tolerant of settler extremism, and too willing to let rhetoric substitute for actual policy.

That perception may not capture the whole of Israeli reality, but politically, with an extremist right-wing government in power, it is a fact we cannot ignore. And if Israel wants to repair its standing with U.S. Democrats, it must begin by........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)