Shapiro’s connection to Israel stems from his schooling and upbringing. He had not participated in military activities such as fighting, but as a learner, he was brought up in Jewish day schools and then worked in service missions in an Israeli army base. Writing in his college newspaper, which was in his twenties, Shapiro posed the question of which is more likely to succeed the Middle East peace as he said: peace will not come to the Middle East, and asked whether Palestinians will be content living side by side with Israel.
Through time, Shapiro has seen fit to change his views, and he has publicly stated that he currently holds the same views as most of the Democratic leaders when it comes to the two-state solution being the most appropriate approach. He has given up his infantile pessimism and emphasized the importance of Palestinian self-determination and Israeli security.
Who is Josh Shapiro?
The 48th governor of Pennsylvania is the renowned American lawyer and politician Josh Shapiro. Shapiro was born June 20, 1973, in Kansas City, Missouri, but was raised in Pennsylvania by a Jewish family. Since childhood, he has been interested in serving the community, and this interest was developed in his academic life. At the University of Rochester, Shapiro became the first-ever freshman to be the student body president. Thereafter, he was awarded a juris doctor by Georgetown University, which took him into politics and the legal profession.
His political movement began in 2004 when he was appointed as a representative in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the 153rd district. He developed a reputation as a reform-based politician who was concerned with moral leadership and cared about the interests of his constituents in the course of his career in office. Then came 2011, when he was voted onto the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, thereby bringing to an end the nearly four-decade stranglehold of the Republican Party in the county.
As the head, Shapiro offered an answer to important social issues relevant at the time, as the heroin crisis that was ravaging the neighborhoods in the areas, and implemented correct economic decisions, as zero-based budgeting.
In 2017, Shapiro was appointed to the post of Attorney General of Pennsylvania. One of the most outstanding incidents of his courageous leadership during his term was his release of a historic grand jury report that revealed widespread child abuse by the Catholic priests, adding to the information that the church leaders had systematically covered up. He also helped to organize a vast opioid settlement of one billion dollars and wanted to make the pharmaceutical companies accountable for their involvement in the crisis. Moreover, Shapiro reaffirmed the importance of democracy by ensuring the integrity of the Pennsylvania election results of 2020 despite extraordinary legal criticisms.
Political background of Josh Shapiro
Josh Shapiro has a political career that can be characterised by numerous ascents in positions that he held in public service, mainly in Pennsylvania. His political career began when he was elected to represent Pennsylvania as a member of the House of Representatives (153rd district) between 2005 and 2011. Shapiro was described as a consensus-builder in his service in the House, and he was appointed as deputy speaker. He was also able to stand out as a consensus and deal-oriented legislator, having contributed to important bipartisan legislative negotiations. Shapiro advocated policies that would endorse fiscal accountability and ethical leadership, including those policies that demanded the state divest its pension funds from countries involved in terrorist activities.
By being elected to the role of Montgomery County Board of Commissioners in 2011, Shapiro initially made the panel of commissioners, dominated by the Democrats, as it became the first time in over a century at that point. As chairman, he had to manage budget deficits, economic reforms, which included zero-based budgeting, and the heroin epidemic, which he had to address. It was during his where Montgomery County turned to more transparent and responsible government. Shapiro has served as the Attorney General of Pennsylvania since 2017, when he was first elected and re-elected in 2020, continuing his municipal success.
He gained fame in this role by leading a historic statewide grand jury investigation, which uncovered institutional cover-ups and legions of predator priest child molesters in the Catholic church. He also led Pennsylvania to reach a $1 billion opioid settlement and made a strong case to defend the 2020 election integrity of the state in court against baseless challenges. Shapiro prevailed by a margin in the Pennsylvania governorship in 2022 and took office in January 2023. As governor, he has emphasised civil constructions, education expenditure, and ethical reforms at the state level, and at the same time, he has focused on non-ideological contracts. His political ideal is a mixture of progressive goals and practical politics to empower the democratic institutions and improve the state of services.
Shapiro’s relationship with Israel
His history, his political philosophy, and his public actions as governor of Pennsylvania have all contributed to his troubled and evolving relationship with Israel. Shapiro is Jewish, always covering on right of Israel to self-defence and survival. He has never engaged in a combat job, although he took part in volunteer work in service projects on an Israeli military base during his early life. Shapiro was not as confident of the prospect of peace in the Israeli-Palestinian affair when he was younger, but he publicly changed his mind and turned into an advocate of the two-state solution later when he wanted to see Israelis and Palestinians peaceful.
Politically, Shapiro has condemned the BDS movement and advocated for Pennsylvania laws aiming to break ties with businesses boycotting Israel. He has extolled state anti-BDS legislation and prominently characterized BDS as antisemitic in its origins. In his public rhetoric, Shapiro is against terroristic attacks on Israel and Hamas, and in particular, after the happenings of October 7, 2023, the tactics of which were organized by Hamas, he and his supporters admit the right of Israelis to fight back.
He, however, cannot support the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since he considers him a polarizing leader who is disastrous to Israel and the probability of peace in the region. Shapiro expresses views that the rhetoric and other activities that Netanyahu has embraced have branded Israel as a pariah state in the world and an agent of instability. At the same time, Shapiro has expressed his concern regarding the humanitarian case of Gaza and can be cited as another voice urging the US administration to make a positive intervention to reduce the suffering of civilians, and also calling upon Palestinians to be provided with food and relief. He supports efforts towards the release of hostages in the hands of Hamas and taking on peace talks in a profound way, where it should be with a government in Israel, which is not led by Netanyahu.
Conclusion
Pro-Palestinian as well as progressive groups have condemned Shapiro, claiming that he is too Israel-friendly and has failed to argue the Israeli rights and civilian casualties. Conversely, his outspoken anti antisemitism and defense of Israel’s security have also won him commendation from various Jewish and pro-Israeli communities.
