Sarna said that irrespective of their personal views about Israel, both candidates would want to avoid the term.
“I think from a political point of view, it’s very smart,” he said. “It’s better to be vague and let others define the term for you than to get into the nitty gritty and be attacked by either side.”
The avoidance of the term, however, could have its own costs, said Halie Soifer, the CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America.
“It would be a real loss if there were a moment in time when the term ‘Zionist’ was no longer claimed by those who believe in the Jewish state and the right of the Jewish people to self-determination,” Soifer said. “Even though the term may be misconstrued or misused by some, the essence of Zionism is a belief in the right of the Jewish people to have a homeland and the right of the Jewish people to self-determination.”
The avoidance of the term is not a new phenomenon in American politics. During the 2008 campaign, Barack Obama was accused of being hostile to Israel based on statements by some of his advisers and associates; Obama vehemently rejected those accusations and went on to deepen U.S.-Israel defense cooperation.
When Obama ran for reelection, his campaign hesitated to use the term “Zionist” to describe his commitment to Israel.
Obama’s vice president, Biden, did not shy away from the term. In a 2013 address to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, he called himself a Zionist, saying that he would be a Zionist even if he were an atheist.
Sarna said that Biden was likely the last mainstream American politician to use the term comfortably.
“Biden is the last holdout, and Biden is in his 70s,” he said. “It’s just not going to be part of the language anymore.”
In his interview with Morman, Biden also addressed the issue of whether he would move the U.S. embassy from Jerusalem, as Trump had done. He said he would not, but he would keep it open in some form in Tel Aviv for Palestinians and others.
“We would not move the embassy back to Tel Aviv,” he said. “But I would open up the embassy in Tel Aviv for all those who wanted to come.”
It’s the kind of nuanced policy approach that Zionists like Biden once took for granted.
“I’m a Zionist,” he told Morman. “You don’t have to be a Jew to be a Zionist.”
“And a Zionist is about whether or not Israel is a safe haven for Jews because of their history of how they’ve been persecuted.”
In the recent debate, Harris called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, while Trump warned that Harris’s actions could harm both Arabs and Jews. Emily Tamkin, an author focusing on Jews in U.S. politics, noted that the term “Zionist” has evolved in meaning over the years. When Biden entered politics, the term was less controversial, but now it is viewed differently by various audiences. Some associate “Zionist” with Palestinian displacement, while others see it as supporting Jewish and Palestinian self-determination or the current Israeli government’s policies.
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