By Chris Menahan – Information Liberation
Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer revealed to the Republican Jewish Coalition over the weekend that pro-Israel GOP megadonor Sheldon Adelson would go to American elected officials and tell them, “This is what has to be done.”
“Sheldon, when I was ambassador, would do that time after time after time,” Dermer said during an interview with RJC CEO Matt Brooks.
Partial transcript:
RON DERMER: [Sheldon Adelson] told me when I was ambassador many times, “What is the use of all these people, very prominent and influential Jewish Americans, what is the use of them having all this access if they’re not going to be there when it counts? If you’re not going to actually go to your elected official and say, ‘This is what has to be done, and you need to take a stand.'” And Sheldon, when I was ambassador, would do that time after time after time.
[…]Sheldon had such a tremendous role in helping convince President Trump to go and recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. It was a very important issue for Sheldon, but he didn’t stop there. The next time he met the president, he went and talked to him about something else and then something else and then something else.
Trump has alluded to this himself, including during his speech before the Knesset last month, but he’s never said it quite so bluntly.
According to Dermer, Adelson viewed “very prominent and influential Jewish Americans” as useless if they didn’t use their access to advance Jewish interests, as Adelson himself did up until his death (and has continued to do through his wife Miriam, who inherited his fortune).
Dermer himself was born in Florida but gave up his US citizenship to serve as Israel’s ambassador to the US.