Zack Bodner

Paul Haist

Congressional races most important of Israel

By PAUL HAIST

article created on: 2008-10-15T00:00:00

Among Jews concerned about the future of U.S.-Israel relations after the upcoming November election not everyone is worried about who will occupy the Oval Office. Some think there is a more important arena.
 
Both candidates for president of the United States “are strong friends of Israel,” according to Zack Bodner, the Northwest regional director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
 
Bodner, who is based in San Francisco, was in Portland Oct. 6 for an evening presentation at Congregation Beth Israel.

“Whoever is in the White House, we’re sure we’ll have a friend in the Oval Office,” said Bodner.
 
Bodner thinks the more compelling concern for Israel supporters this election season is Congress.
 
“The most under-reported story now is the race for Congress,” he said. “We could have 60, 70, 80 new members of Congress.”
 
Pointing to congressional approval earlier this month of $2.46 billion in aid for Israel, Bodner wondered if the new members of the next Congress would understand the necessity for this and for Israel to maintain its military edge over its neighbors.
 
“Few candidates are coming (to Congress) with real foreign policy experience,” he said.
 
Bodner singled out Ohio Democrat Marcia L. Fudge, the former mayor of a Cleveland suburb who was appointed recently to fill a vacancy in the Ohio congressional delegation and is now running for election to that post in November.
 
Earlier this year, before Fudge was named to succeed Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones who died, AIPAC enlisted Fudge to take part in a mission to Israel where she met Knesset and religious leaders, scholars and ordinary citizens.
 
“Now we have a new friend of Israel,” said Bodner, underscoring AIPAC’s role in building support for Israel.
 
“We need to make sure the next Congress is even more pro-Israel than this one,” he added.
 
Looking around CBI’s Pollin Chapel where about 25 persons had gathered to hear him, Bodner said, “You can help. …You are the ones who care. I’m asking you to do something.”
 
He called on those present to set a political agenda, to become “a key contact” on current Israel-related issues, to host parlor meetings to inform others about Israel-related issues and to become members of AIPAC.
 
“Part of why we are successful is that we have citizen lobbyists all over the country,” said Bodner. “There is nothing more American than lobbying for what you believe in.”
 
During a question-and-answer period Bodner responded to an inquiry about the race for Oregon Republican Gordon Smith’s Senate seat. The questioner was concerned about what he characterized as Smith opponent Jeff Merkley’s earlier change of position on Israel. Merkely issued a pro-Israel position paper after news stories appeared about his expressions of sympathy for Palestinians.
 
Bodner called Smith “a tremendous friend of Israel.” About Merkley he said, “All indications are he would be a friend of Israel.”
 
On the subject of Iran and the perceived threat it poses to Israel, its other Middle East neighbors and the West, Bodner said, “Iran needs to be the No. 1 priority for our elected officials, which it is not now.”
 
He said non-military options remain for the United States vis a vis Iran.
 
“We still believe there are diplomatic options,” said Bodner. He pointed to international sanctions to raise the cost to Iran of not acceding to international demands regarding its nuclear program.
 
He singled out the anomaly of oil-rich Iran having to import gasoline and other refined petroleum as a pressure point the community of nations can exploit to induce Iran to be more cooperative.
 
He cited also Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s failure to deliver on his election promises of reform in Iran as possibly undermining his political future there.
 
On the subject of the threat to Israel from Iran, Bodner called the recent delivery to Israel of the United States’ vaunted X-band radar “a huge victory for Israel.”
 
The Raytheon-developed radar system—set up temporarily at the Nevatim air base in the Negev before a planned move to a permanent site in a few months—more than doubles the range of Israel’s detection capabilities of enemy missile launches, according to a Pentagon source.

 “It is Congress that is doing all of this,” said Bodner. “We need to thank them.”