By Robin Sam
JOSH Reinstein, director of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus (KCAC) and president of the Israel Allies Foundation (IAF), is confident that the Israeli caucuses can work along with the new US administration under the President elect Joe Biden and positively affect the US policy in the Middle East in the coming years. He also accepted that the reality of only a handful of Christian parliamentarians in India has impeded the progress of working with the Indian government in favor of Israel. Josh Reinstein was born in Toronto, grew up in Texas and graduated with a degree in political science from the University of Western Ontario. In 1999, he immigrated to Israel. The very next year, Reinstein enlisted in the Israe Defence Forces (IDF). Currently, he owns and operates JSR International Marketing, a marketing and PR firm. He is also the founder and producer of Israel Now News, a half-hour weekly TV show broadcast around the world. The Reinsteins live in a suburb near Jerusalem. The Christian Messenger interviewed Josh Reinstein. Excerpts from the email interview:
One of Israel’s concerns is that Iran may be setting up permanent military bases in Syria that could be used to launch cross-border attacks against it. Israeli leaders are also wondering whether the US which is its most important ally is doing enough to rein in Iran. How has the IAF tried to address these legitimate concerns of Israel?
The threat of a nuclear Iran is one of the main issues that the Israel Allies Foundation has focused on over the last decade. This threat is not just against Israel but a major danger for the world at large. The Trump administration has been very involved in stopping Iran and I believe the fact that the US left the terrible JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) agreement is yet another success for faith-based diplomacy.
As a new administration takes charge in the US, do you think it would be difficult for caucuses of Israel allies to engage the government proactively in the middle east? President Netanyahu had publicly criticized the Obama Administration’s nuclear deal with Iran.
If Joe Biden becomes President I believe the IAF is uniquely positioned to affect US policy in the Middle East. The Congressional Israel Allies Caucus which is one of the 45 Israel Allies Caucuses in our network is the only bi-partisan pro- Israel caucus on Capitol Hill. It is chaired by three Republicans and three democrats and its membership is almost evenly split.
Your engagement with the Indian government has been minimal. India is the largest purchaser of Israeli military equipment and in July, 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first ever Indian prime minister to visit Israel. What are the reasons for the low level of engagement with the Indian government and its politicians with regard to support for Israel? Are you uncomfortable with the Indian stand not to antagonize Palestinians in supporting Israel?
We have had a lot of engagement with India at the grass roots level but not much at the governmental level. There is not much of a Christian representation in the Indian government as far as we know so it has impeded our progress. That being said, Prime Minister Modi is one of the most beloved world leaders in Israel. I believe the relationship between our two countries is very strong.
During Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Palestine in February 2018, he said India hoped to see an “independent Palestinian state living in an environment of peace.” What are your views on that?
Prime Minister Modi never visited Palestine because there is no such country. I believe that as time goes on more countries will push for a peace deal based on the Deal of the Century and less based on the Oslo Accords.
The ruling BJP and the Congress party in the opposition have always been cautious in not hurting Arab sentiments while engaging with the nation of Israel. Do you think things would change now that India and Israel are engaged in greater defence and strategic cooperation under the Modi government?
I think there will be change in sentiment, not because of military cooperation but rather because of the development of the Abraham Accords. More and more Arab and Muslim countries are signing peace deals with Israel and I believe that will impact India’s support as well.
India has always advocated that the land of Palestine or the nation of Israel should belong as much to the Palestinians as it does to the Jews. Do you think that has come as a stumbling block in engaging with the Indian politicians?
I think in the past that was a popular position for countries around the world but things have changed. I believe India will adopt a more balanced position, more in line with Israel’s historic, legal and Biblical rights to its Land.
Israel seems to be suffering in the PR department when it comes to Israeli depredations in the occupied territories and its treatment of Palestinian refugees. How does the IAF or any other caucuses that it works with attempt to change this perception of Israel as the aggressor?
I believe truth ultimately wins out over deception. Israel cannot occupy its own land. We are the only free democracy in the Middle East for all its people regardless of race, religion or gender. People who cherish these values will support us and people who don’t, will ultimately oppose us.
Do you think Israel ought to comply with international law and the United Nations resolutions and vacate the occupied Palestinian territories of West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem?
Our rights to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria are well documented from the time of San Remo. International law is on our side. I wrote a book called Titus, Trump and the Triumph of Israel that details not just our Biblical rights but legal rights to the land for anyone interested in taking a closer look. As for the Gaza Strip, we are no longer there. We have been replaced by the Hamas terror organization that sends thousands of rockets into Israel’s civilian communities and they have also enslaved their own people. They are the only occupiers of Gaza.
Dateline Israel: How Israel can win the PR battle, Don Davis writes
