There is a symposium in Moment on what it means to be “pro-Israel.” Caroline Glick’s contribution was naturally one of the most hard-line and unreasonable, but it’s worth quoting to see how easily the term can become virtually meaningless:

There is room for some disagreement in the pro-Israel camp, but it depends on what the disagreement is. If you disagree about the presence of threats to Israel, then you are not supportive of Israel. This is what J Street routinely does regarding Iran and the Palestinians, and this is what the neocons and the neoliberals did when they supported the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt [bold mine-DL]. These positions cannot be construed as pro-Israel, but rather as anti-Israel and insensitive to Israel’s reasonable concerns.

Glick’s version of a “pro-Israel” big tent would be able to include virtually no one in the United States, and maybe that is what she prefers. The absurdly narrow definition of “pro-Israel” that she presents here is the logical conclusion of efforts to treat even the most sympathetic critics of certain policies (such as J Street) as enemies. There is room for disagreement, provided that none of it is significant. It is fitting that most, if not all, of the people in the U.S. engaged in demonizing J Street and other critics over the last few years are likewise rejected by Glick for their so-called “anti-Israel” positions.

Prof. Mearsheimer’s contribution to the symposium is also worth reading:

The other view, which I share, maintains that one can criticize Israeli policies and think that America’s special relationship with Israel is bad for both countries, yet still be pro-Israel. After all, Israel is a normal country, and its leaders sometimes pursue smart policies and sometimes pursue ill-advised ones. In this regard, it is no different than the United States. Just look at what has happened in Iraq over the past eight years. Given that basic fact of life, Israel’s supporters and U.S. leaders ought to be free to criticize and pressure Israel publicly when it pursues misguided policies, and to support Israel when it pursues smart ones. Today, U.S. leaders have to proclaim unequivocal support for Israel even when it adopts wrongheaded policies that are bad for both countries. It is hard to see how this situation makes good sense for either Israel or the United States.