To My Senators

I would like to urge you, on the eve of the disgraceful speech of Prime Minister Netanyahu to the House of Representatives that you make clear by word and deed who you represent. I am a citizen of New York and one of your constituency. Israelis are not. It is time to stop carrying water for a country who’s democracy is barely that, a country who continues to flout international law, who’s oppression of indigenous peoples is, in our modern context, unacceptable, and who now seems to want to meddle in our political in-fighting.

We have given $130 billion dollars to Israel since its founding. Continued giving should be contingent upon its behaving like a country worth our oversized support. You as a Senator need to remind yourself that six percent of your constituency are Jewish, the rest not. I would submit that that six percent has a wildly outsized influence on your ability to think clearly about America’s relationship to Israel. We can no longer be in knee-jerk support of as bad an actor as modern Israel under Prime Minister Netanyahu. I expect you to vocalize your dislike of the Prime Ministers visit, chastise the constantly befuddled Speaker of the House for the rude invitation, and use American money to leverage some change to the Israel / Arab status quo Netanyahu is so desperate to maintain.

Sincerely,

Dennis Fox