Senator John Edwards stated after Senator Helms' passing that, "The people of North Carolina will never forget the work and the kindness and the personal attention that he has given to them." Neither should friends of Israel.
For many Americans in the 1980s there were two iconic Americans that epitomized the Left and the Right in politics: Jesse Jackson and Jesse Helms.
Far too often American Jews opted to give the benefit of the doubt to the wrong Jesse. In 1984 Jesse Jackson was complaining that he was "sick and tired of hearing about the Holocaust" and calling New York City Hymietown (for more on this see Rod Dreher's 2002 article on Jackson. Many Jews gave Jackson a pass and chose to forget his bigoted remarks.
By contrast, also in 1984, "the Israel lobby had made a Helms defeat one of its top priorities during the elections, channeling . . . much money to Helms' Democratic opponent . . ." according to Dennis J. Wamsted writing in the October 7, 1985 edition of the vehemently anti-Israel Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Wamstead complained about Helms' new, pro-Israel positions throughout the article.
Something must be made clear, Senator Jesse Helms, unlike many so-called friends of Israel in Washington, never showed support for Islamic extremists or Islamic terrorists; he never made any excuses for the enemies of Israel. Jesse Helms at one point in his career questioned aid to Israel. And that was because he questioned all Foreign Aid.
Something happened after 1984: Jesse Helms changed and Jesse Jackson did not.
First and foremost Jesse Helms was a loyal American. The timing of Jesse Helms' death on July Fourth is reminiscent of the passing of other great American patriots. Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July Fourth, 1826.
As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jesse Helms consistently supported Israel. "It was a complete switch," Morris Amitay, the former executive director of AIPAC, told Sharon Samber of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in an August 2001 article about Helms' retirement. Helms' views on Israel were profoundly influenced by the late Jewish Senator Chic Hecht, an Arizona Republican, and, according to many writers, a close personal friendship with Rev. Jerry Falwell, a staunch supporter of Israel. Hecht took Helms to Israel in August 1985.
An examination of Jesse Helms' positions on Israel is well worth conducting.
JESSE HELMS ON THE "OCCUPIED TERRITORIES"
Jesse Helms wrote: "Israel has a just and valid claim [in the territories] in history, and in law.""
– From Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir's autobiography Summing Up.
JESSE HELMS ON JERUSALEM
"I look forward to working with you . . . to encourage all nations to move their embassies to Jerusalem, and to recognize that Holy City as Israel's eternal capital."
– From an April 4, 1996 letter to the Root and Branch Association in Jerusalem from Senator Helms.
JESSE HELMS ON THE GOLAN
Interviewer: You are on record opposing the placement of U.S. troops on the Golan Heights to facilitate a Syrian-Israeli peace. But what if that peace depended on the placement of American troops there?
Helms: Any treaty whose sine qua non requires a US. military presence to guarantee peace is no treaty at all.
– From the Middle East Quarterly, March 1995.
JESSE HELMS ON ISRAEL'S BORDERS
"Israel must have an agreement that leaves a defensible state; the borders contemplated at Camp David leave Israel vulnerable."
– From an August 8, 2000 letter to Americans for a Safe Israel from Senator Helms.
JESSE HELMS ON THE STATUS OF THE U.S. EMBASSY
Israel is the only nation in the world denied the right to choose its own capital. This second class citizenship among nations must end.
– From an April 4, 1996 letter to the Root and Branch Association in Jerusalem from Senator Helms.
JESSE HELMS ON FOREIGN AID TO ISRAEL
Interviewer: Should foreign aid continue to today's recipients for decade after decade?
Helms: I have asked Prime Minister Rabin, and before him, Prime Minister Shamir, why Israel and the United States cannot begin consideration of what happens if and when economic assistance from the United States ends. I don't know how many people realize it, but of the $1.2 billion in economic assistance we give Israel, almost all of that comes back to the United States in the form of debt repayment.
– From the Middle East Quarterly, March 1995.
(T)he United States should have a careful assessment of what it would cost to defend our interests in that region if there were no Israel. How many battleships, how many aircraft carriers, how many airplanes, all the rest of it. I think you'd find an enormous cost. We've got to protect our interests over there or we'll have a catastrophe . . .
– From The American Enterprise, May/June 1995.
JESSE HELMS ON "SACRIFICES FOR PEACE"
There are voices who insist that it is incumbent upon the state of Israel to make all the sacrifices for peace. Do not count us among such people.
– From the Middle East Quarterly, March 1995.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered concessions unimaginable even several weeks ago; indeed, I believe he went too far.
– From an August 8, 2000 letter to Americans for a Safe Israel from Senator Helms.
JESSE HELMS ON ISRAEL'S ECONOMY
I have asked Prime Minister Rabin, and before him, Prime Minister Shamir, why Israel and the United States cannot begin consideration of what happens if and when economic assistance from the United States ends . . . Heck, if I thought Israel's survival depended on that aid, it could be another story. But the only thing that's really surviving is Israel's socialist economy.
– From the Middle East Quarterly, March 1995
JESSE HELMS ON THE U.S.-ISRAEL ALLIANCE
Interviewer: Is there a new basis for a post-cold war strategic relationship between Israel and the United States?
Helms: Israel is surrounded by terrorists who threaten not only Israel but the United States and its allies in Europe and the Middle East. The United States has vital strategic interests in the Middle East, and it is imperative that we have a reliable ally whom we can trust, one who shares our goals and values. Israel is the only state in the Middle East that fits that bill.
– From the Middle East Quarterly, March 1995.
"Understand that Israel is the only reliable ally we [the United States] have in this region."
– From the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, October 7, 1985
A Personal Reflection
In 1992 I had the opportunity to speak briefly with Senator Helms while in Washington for meetings with Pennsylvania's Senators and Representatives during a pro-Israel lobbying effort. I thanked Senator Helms for his support of Israel. I well always remember that his response was very warm and friendly and that he made it clear that he appreciated my sentiments.
Senator Helms was a patriot and a friend of Israel and he will be remembered as such by Americans For a Safe Israel. Senator John Edwards stated after Senator Helms' passing that, "The people of North Carolina will never forget the work and the kindness and the personal attention that he has given to them." Neither should friends of Israel.
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