A couple of news items, published on the same evening, reveal what Israel’s government really thinks of American Jews.

Israel’s new ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor, has met Jewish leaders in New York and—for lack of a better word—ordered them to join Jerusalem’s diplomatic moves against the Palestinian leadership. This is from Haaretz (my bold):

During a closed meeting of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish American Organizations in New York, Prosor said that talk was not enough at such a crucial time, and that the U.S. Jewish community must prepare a clear operational plan.

(…)

Prosor stressed before the Jewish leaders that they must take advantage of the Jewish community’s connections with decision makers in order to get results.

At the same time, back at home, Interior Minister Eli Yishai announced his plan to reinstate the practice of noting nationality on Israeli identity cards. Until 2002, every ID stated whether an Israeli is a Jew or not—but only orthodox Jews were recognized as such. Jews converted by Reform and Conservative rabbis had the “nationality” article left blank on their ID.

Ynet reports:

Interior Minister Eli Yishai has signed a regulation that reinstates the nationality notation in the identification cards of all citizens who were eligible for the document before 2002.

Yishai decision’s calls for the nationality section in ID cards issued to people who converted to Judaism through the Reform or Conservative movements to remain blank.

Most of the United States’ Jews are Reform or Conservative. The Israeli establishment hardly recognizes them as part of the Jewish people. One cannot even have a reform wedding in Israel. Still, Reform and Conservative Jews are good for something – Israel welcomes their donations, and demands their political support.

And what do you know? More often than not, Jerusalem gets what it wants.