Why Israel’s best friend in Congress doesn’t think his party has an ‘Israel problem’

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WASHINGTON – Over his 11 years in Congress, Rep. Ted Deutch has become one of Israel’s most important friends in D.C. Chairing the U.S. House Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa and Global Counterterrorism and co-chairing the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, the Democrat from Florida’s 22nd district holds a near-singular resume of Jewish-American bona fides.

“This is really who I am; these are the issues that I care most deeply about. The work that I’ve done in Congress – that doesn’t start with politics. All of that happened because of who I am as a Jew,” Deutch told Haaretz in an interview earlier this week.

The grandson of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe and the son of a World War II Purple Heart veteran, the 55-year-old congressman was raised in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, among its small but tight-knit Jewish community.

Growing up, Deutch says, one of his formative experiences was attending a Camp Ramah summer camp. “It’s a place where I got to explore and deepen my understanding of Judaism and Israel,” he explains, noting that it brought him to Israel for the first time.

Deutch then attended the University of Michigan, where he led the campus Hillel and was active in fighting for the rights of Soviet Jewry and combating antisemitism.

“When I was in law school, we protested the student newspaper, which ran a series of outrageous editorials blaming Israel for the downing of the Pan-Am plane over Lockerbie [in December 1988], saying Israel only brings Ethiopians to displace Palestinians,” he recalls, calling this the catalyst for his political development.

Deutch later moved to southern Florida, became deeply involved in local Jewish community activism, and eventually got elected to serve his own district in Congress. He has been a leading voice on foreign policy for years, and has led the Middle East subcommittee since January 2019, striving to call attention to humanitarian crises while spotlighting often-marginalized expert voices and inviting grassroots leaders to testify.

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After returning from a congressional delegation trip to Israel in July, for example, he invited grassroots Israeli and Palestinian leaders to testify about economic development and peaceful coexistence.

“I want to show others – especially those who have recently staked out positions without seemingly any understanding of the kinds of efforts that are underway – that this can actually lead to peace,” he says. “It’s much more useful to lift up the voices of those who are working together than those who attempt to demonize Israel.”

Rep. Ted Deutch, second from left, next to then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a delegation tour of Congress members to Israel in 2018.Amos Ben Gershom/GPO

He is also a key figure behind the Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act (MEPPA), the landmark legislation passed last December to provide $250 million over five years to expand “people-to-people” Israeli and Palestinian grassroots programs, as well as joint economic ventures that could help shore up the Palestinian economy.

False dichotomy

Deutch is considered a strong supporter of Israel. In recent years, he has found himself more than once clashing with critics of Israel from within his own party. In May, for instance, he was part of a pro-Israel cohort that faced off with progressive critics during the latest flare-up between Israel and Hamas.

Despite this growing divide, Deutch says he rejects any notion that being pro-Israel and pro-human rights are mutually exclusive.

“We all acknowledge that there are multiple layers of nuance concerning the conflict,” he says, “but it suggests a false choice to say that it requires nuance to be unequivocally supportive of Israel’s security and its place in the world against so many who seek to demonize it. You can respect the needs and aspirations of Palestinians to live in a state alongside a secure Jewish state of Israel.”

He argues that this emerging false dichotomy is part of the problem surrounding the debate. “Frankly, it’s one of the things that some of my colleagues don’t understand. To understand why I’m such a firm supporter of Israel doesn’t require me to play down my concern for human rights in Israel or in the West Bank, or anywhere else in the world. It’s because I’m committed to human rights,” he adds.

This commitment extends beyond a two-state solution, he says, highlighting his dedication to tackling and highlighting abuses in Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. He wishes that some of his colleagues who have been critical of Israel would share this focus: “If we care about human rights, which needs to be a fundamental part of American policy, then we need to be serious about it everywhere. It says a whole lot more about you than Israel if you seemingly only care about Israel.”

Deutch also rejects any narrative surrounding growing criticism of Israel within the Democratic Party – particularly that he is trying to hold the line against a growing number of critics.

“The vast majority of members of Congress have supported the U.S.-Israel relationship since Harry Truman recognized the modern State of Israel in 1948,” he says. “There are those who want to turn it into a partisan political issue, but that casts an intentional blind eye on Israel’s incredible diversity.”

Rep. Ted Deutch speaking during a drive-in rally for then-presidential candidate Joe Biden in Florida last October.Andrew Harnik / AP

The congressman points to Israel’s current governing coalition as an example of Israel’s acceptance of a range of opinions. “It’s showing the world what it looks like when you have parties from the far left to the far right, including an Islamist party. That’s a sure sign that Israel’s the kind of country we ought to support.”

With Prime Minister Naftali Bennett presenting his case of “shrinking the conflict” with the Palestinians to the Biden administration, Deutch gave a ringing endorsement to the philosophy of empowering Palestinians through economic means.

“It’s not just Prime Minister Bennett who’s talking about shrinking the conflict; it’s others in the government across the Israeli political spectrum,” he says. “Israel is looking at ways to provide some greater economic opportunities and greater autonomy to improve the lives of Palestinians. They’re right to view it that way.

“When [Bennett] talks about shrinking the conflict, if we’re able to support Israel in taking meaningful steps to help and increase the opportunities for Palestinians, of course we ought to be supportive of those efforts,” he adds.

Deutch also praises Bennett for taking annexation off the table and preserving the possibility of a two-state solution, dismissing the idea “that the only conversation we should be having is about when there will be a Palestinian state, when the challenges to that right now are enormous and we’re just months removed from this onslaught by the terrorist group that controls Gaza.”

‘Critical hurdle’

Another key factor worth noting is Deutch’s years-long friendship with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. While Deutch is undeniably “thrilled” to have a close relationship with the alternate prime minister, he is careful to not place a premium on their personal relationship.

Deutch instead praises Lapid’s focus on expanding Israel’s regional relationships and building on the Abraham Accords (the normalization agreements signed last year with, among others, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain), calling it “right on the mark,” as well as the minister’s concerted efforts to restore bipartisan support for Israel in the United States.

“That message has been heard loud and clear on Capitol Hill, as well as in the European Union,” Deutch says.

As much as his attention rests with the Middle East, Deutch is equally committed to the fight against antisemitism, both at home and abroad.

He warns that antisemitism is “the kind of hatred that can gnaw at the core of our democracy if we don’t confront it,” noting that it cannot be fought if people pretend it only applies to political opponents. “That’s the critical hurdle we have to clear if we’re going to seriously address it,” he says.

“We need to acknowledge it, call it out, condemn it and not tolerate it. We’ve seen what happens,” he adds, citing both the January 6 insurrection and the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville as examples. “When we started the task force to focus on antisemitism in Europe, we never imagined what we would have at Poway or at the Tree of Life,” he says, referring to the deadly attacks on synagogues in California and Pittsburgh.

“At the same time, however, antisemitism is sometimes brushed aside when it happens on the far left. Attacks on the Jewish community and the responses aren’t taken as seriously as they should be, and we need to call out when a member of Congress takes the House floor and espouses antisemitic tropes,” Deutch states.

He highlights the antisemitism that erupted following the latest round of fighting in Israel, both online and in America’s streets. “It was real and terrifying, and a true cause for alarm,” he says. “If we’re going to fight antisemitism, it needs to be condemned unequivocally wherever it comes from – whether in Jersey City, Monsey, Facebook or TikTok.”

Despite Deutch’s pressing worries surrounding antisemitism, Hamas’ hold on Gaza and Iranian efforts to destabilize countries throughout the Middle East, he still finds grounds for optimism.

“Start with the Abraham Accords and look at the opportunities they provide and ultimately bringing in the Palestinians, then look at the energy opportunities in the Eastern Mediterranean [Deutch chairs the Congressional Hellenic Israel Alliance and is a strong advocate for Israel-Greece-Cyprus relations], then matters that don’t dominate the headlines [but which] the U.S. and Israel lead on, like climate change and water scarcity and drought, and humanitarian crises where we’re both first on the ground,” he says.

“As a member of Congress at this moment, with all of the challenges we face, I’m still driven by optimism. It’s important to stop and take a step back and recognize how far Israel has come, and use our voice to support Israel and strengthen Jews here and abroad, and fight antisemitism wherever it arises.”