Peter Beinart and the ‘Open Zion’ Fringe

Peter Beinart and the ‘Open Zion’ Fringe


By Ronn Torossian


Could one imagine if Ron Paul supporters in England were considered to be the most influential voices in American politics and offered a blog by a major British paper? Would one ever think, say, that a Lyndon Larouche movement in Canada would be offered a platform on which to espouse Larouche’s views by one of the largest Canadian media outlets? One would think not – as these extreme views have little semblance with political reality in the country where the viewpoints actually matter.


That is precisely what is happening for Peter Beinart by virtue of his “Open Zion” blog at Newsweek/The Daily Beast. The radical fringe viewpoints expressed by Beinart have less support in Israel – a democratic Jewish state – than Paul or Larouche have in America. Beinart has written that “saving liberal Zionism in the U.S. – so that American Jews can help save liberal Zionism in Israel – is the great American Jewish challenge of our age.”


Israel, the “start-up nation,” with plenty of military and demographic experts, with plenty of political experts – they need an Upper East Side American Jew to “save them”? Of the millions of voters in Israel – seemingly intelligent folks – how come Beinart’s viewpoints have nearly no representation in Israel? And not only does Beinart’s extreme views of comparing Israel to the segregated South and advocating boycotting parts of Israel he deems “non-democratic” have nearly no representation in Israel, they also have nearly no representation anywhere else in world Jewry.  Only in America – supported by liberal media – do these people not seem to realize that Israel is a self-sufficient country, no banana republic of Beinart.


How egotistical is it to lecture the Israelis that this Peter Beinart will come and save them? Many have opposed Israeli policy from America – but those who have opposed, whether right or left, have at least had some standing and support in Israel – Beinart’s views have nearly none. This eloquent man speaks of “the gift of a Jewish Democratic Israel he received from his parents and grandparents” but doesn’t mention why he doesn’t move to Israel and lead this movement. Nor does he mention that within the electorate (which includes Arabs) his viewpoints have virtually zero acceptance.


This American Jewish left-wing extremist has made a lot of noise in the United States  – and his support and influence comes from the Islamists, the neo-Nazis, those of the Radical Left, long-time haters of Israel and its would-be destroyers. Ron Paul and Lyndon Larouche have much more support in America than Beinart does in Israel – would anyone in a foreign country pay attention to such fringe characters? So why allow Beinart such exposure?


Beinart’s values are not at all reflective of the American Jewish community, the world Jewish community or the Israeli electorate – and the millions of voters in Israel don’t need a Park Avenue Jew to come and save them. As the great Zionist leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky said many years ago, “What interest can the Jewish nation have in individuals whose supreme pride consists in the fact that they have renounced their own people?”


Peter Beinart can be called many things – a supporter of Israel or Zionist wouldn’t be amongst them. Beinart should be shamed out of our community – as his viewpoints have nearly no acceptance in Israel, or anywhere else worldwide in the Jewish community.

 http://frontpagemag.com/2012/ronn-torossian/peter-beinart-and-the-open-zion-fringe/