oints of view

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Essay

Editorial

America, Israel:
Abiding Partners

T

"Thisnowinlulf
betweeP a fortunate few
nd a struggling many is
a threat to the dream that
has animated this nation
since its founding."

– Sen. Levin

"Senator's Senator"

N

Carl Levin never compromised his principles
in serving Michigan.

owadays it's synonymous with gridlock,
but the U.S. Senate possesses the capac-
ity to weather political storms and to
meet the nation's needs.
That's the hopeful view of Carl Levin, the
newly retired longtime senior senator from
Michigan and part of an iconic Great Lakes State
political and Jewish family.
A Democrat, Levin said he was leaving the
Senate (now Republican controlled) on Jan. 6
"with unabashed confidence" in its ability to
serve the American people well.
He leaves a defining legacy that stands as
a national model for legislating with dignity,
respecting the political minority, embracing bipartisanship and
appreciating the power of how something is communicated.
Barbara Levin kvells over "the great integrity, energy and intel-
ligence" her husband brought to the upper chamber every day on
Michigan's behalf. His Senate colleagues didn't hesitate to call him
"a senator's senator:' He's politically liberal, but that never clouded

his view that differing opinions also mattered.
Still spry at 80, Levin retired after 36 years because, he
said, it was time for a new voice to join Debbie Stabenow,
a fellow Democrat, in representing Michigan in the
Senate, not because he was frustrated by gridlock. A for-
mer attorney for the Michigan Civil Rights Commission,
state of Michigan and city of Detroit public defender's
office, Levin joined the Senate in 1978, on the doorstep of
Iran's Islamic revolution. He became Michigan's longest-
serving senator.
Critics argued Levin was, variously, too left-leaning,
too idealistic, too out of touch — without taking the full
measure of the man.

Thoughts To Ponder
In his farewell Senate address on Dec. 12, with his proud big
brother, U.S. Rep. Sander Levin, D-Royal Oak, sitting nearby,
Levin said: "My family and friends, and those of you with whom
I serve, know how much I love the Senate — that I will love my
work until my last day here:'

Senator on page 27

26

January 8 • 2015

Jh

ension between the Obama and
Netanyahu administrations aside,
President Obama signed into law
a strategically significant act that forti-
fies the alliance between America and
Israel.
The act calls for stepped-up coop-
eration in a range of areas, including
defense, trade, energy, water, agriculture,
homeland security, cyber controls and
alternative fuel resources.
The United States-Israel Strategic
Partnership Act of 2014 reinforces what
Obama previously called "an unshakable
bond" between the two great democra-
cies. Israel is America's strongest Middle
East ally despite the chilliness between
Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu.
Pointing up the bipartisan support
Israel maintains in the U.S. Congress, the
new law, effective Dec. 19, commanded
overwhelming support in both chambers.
The president had virtually no leverage
not to sign.
The law maintains staunch security
support for Israel, especially its Iron
Dome Missile Defense System. The sys-
tem certainly gives Israel a qualitative
military edge in the Middle East. The law
requires the U.S. administration to be
kept abreast of this edge so it doesn't
diminish. Israel's advantage forces its
neighbors to at least reconsider any plot
or attack.
The law increases by $200 million to
$1.8 billion the value of U.S. weapons
stockpiled in Israel. U.S. forces can use
the cache; Israel can tap into it in an
emergency, but must reimburse the U.S.
for any weapons used.
Moreover, the law enhances Israel's
trade status to expedite license-free
exports of certain U.S. technologies
and products. It encourages U.S.-Israel
cooperation in academics, business and
government, all sectors central to world-
class nations.
Distant as prospects are, the law reit-
erates U.S. support for a negotiated,
two-state peace settlement between
Jerusalem and Ramallah. The JN long
has advocated for, under the right condi-
tions, the Jewish state and a Palestinian
state coexisting side by side amid peace
and security.
At a time when Israel's international
stature is ebbing and the Palestinians
are striving to improve their interna-
tional standing via the United Nations,
the United States-Israel Strategic
Partnership Act of 2014 arrives at a pro-
pitious time.

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