GOP’s Israel conundrum: Will it still “Stand With Israel” — if Netanyahu loses?

[DonViejo]

A Netanyahu loss could force Republicans to rethink their Israel rhetoric. "Could" being the operative word

JIM NEWELL

What better way is there to mark the total convergence between the right wings of the United States and Israel than kooky actor Jon Voight cutting an ad for Benjamin Netanyahu on Mike Huckabee’s Facebook page? This is: kooky actor Chuck Norris cutting an ad for Benjamin Netanyahu on Chuck Norris’ YouTube channel. It’s just beautiful. An endorsement that ends with an Easter message, for Israel. There are a few minutes left for the rest of the right-wing entertainment-huckster complex to Stand with Israel. Where is Ted Nugent straight-up shreddin’ for Netanyahu? Has Dennis Miller gotten in a few wry jokes about Isaac Herzog?

Never before have conservatives and the Republican party Stood closer to Israel. By which we mean, never before have they Stood closer to Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and the foreign policy position that it represents in Israel. Conservative quasi-celebrities are sending out desperate pleas for Israelis to reelect Netanyahu because conservatives quite like the current arrangement: a hawkish Israeli prime minister who happens to co-exist on the world stage as a much-needed foil to Barack Obama, the Enemy. Netanyahu is the father that conservatives don’t have stateside, the isolated world figure who best represents their global outlook. And Netanyahu, as he demonstrated in his speech to Congress, is quite happy to play this paternal role to American conservatives, even if he damages the Israeli government’s relationship with the Democratic party in the process.

The Israeli elections are today. It’s far from a sure thing that Netanyahu will lose, even with his party’s recent slip in polls. Even if Likud doesn’t win a plurality of seats in the Knesset, it may have an easier path towards forming a governing coalition. In the last day of campaigning, Netanyahu tried to shore up support by turning even harder right, going so far as to abandon the pretense that he ever really supported a two-state solution.

If Netanyahu does lose his bid for a fourth term as PM, though: How will American conservatives Stand with Israel, if Israel no longer stands with them?

I admit that the prospect of this egg-face meeting piques my interest. Republicans throw their entire lot in with Netanyahu — basically, he’s the only person from a foreign country that they like — and then Netanyahu’s kicked out of power. Ha! Who wouldn’t want to see this, aside from the people who wouldn’t want to see it?

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http://www.salon.com/2015/03/17/gops_israel_conundrum_will_it_still_stand_with_israel_if_netanyahu_loses/