In the LA Times, Congressmen Artur Davis and Eric Cantor respond to the latest from Professors Walt and Mearsheimer.
But it is the moral flaw and not the stunningly bad research behind Mearsheimer and Walt’s arguments that has impelled the two of us, a Black Democrat and a Jewish Republican who disagree on a long trail of international issues, to speak out rather than ignore their toxic contribution.
The pro-Israel lobby is not responsible for congressional support for a strong alliance with Israel. Like the vast majority of Americans, we support Israel for a very basic and obvious reason: America is at its best when we align ourselves with allies that share our values of tolerance, freedom and democracy — whether those allies are Zionist, European, Asian or African. It is these shared notions of human worth that win Israel bipartisan support in a climate in which ideological common ground is rare.
Related reading: Israel’s Ties That Bind
