28 May '11
http://fresnozionism.org/2011/05/from-hst-to-bho/
On May 14, 1948, the day the state of Israel was declared, President Harry S. Truman extended de facto recognition to the Jewish government, making the US the first country to recognize Israel.
Over the years the relationship has waxed and waned, but it’s safe to say that since 1967 the US has been Israel’s closest ally, the address that Israel has turned to in times of trouble. And Israel has done plenty for the US as well, much of it not generally known.
Despite what the antisemites say, US policy has not always been aligned with Israel’s. But until recently it was true that US policy honestly favored Israel’s survival as a Jewish state. Now I’m not sure it’s still possible to say that.
President Obama has supported the Palestinian Arabs in their drive for unilateral statehood. Yes, I know he says he opposes it, but he torpedoed negotiations with Israel twice — once by introducing construction freezes in Judea/Samaria and eastern Jerusalem as preconditions, and now by doing the same for the pre-1967 lines. He’s blamed Israel for the lack of negotiations, thus clearing the unilateral path for the Fatah-Hamas Palestinian authority.
His administration has indicated that it does not plan to keep the promises made by the previous administration in regard to settlement blocs and Arab refugees. These promises were made in order to encourage Ariel Sharon to withdraw from Gaza. Israel withdrew in 2005, and in 2009 war followed. The incoming Obama Administration ordered Israel to exit Gaza before the inauguration.
Obama helped push out the Mubarak regime, which while not exactly pro-Israel was certainly an enemy of Israel’s enemies. At the same time he is reticent about applying pressure against Syrian dictator Assad, an ally of Iran and deadly enemy of Israel. The US also stood aside as the Iranian proxy Hizballah took almost complete control of Lebanon, and went easy on the vicious Iranian regime itself.
Obama makes no effort to hide his dislike for Israel’s Prime Minister, once deliberately humiliating him by making him wait while he went to dinner. His recent policy initiative was only disclosed to Netanyahu hours before he was about to get on a plane to come to the US. This is not the way to treat a close ally.
Obama visited Saudi Arabia and Egypt in 2009 — he made his notorious ‘Cairo speech’ then, in which he compared the Holocaust to Palestinian suffering “in pursuit of a homeland” — but has not visited Israel as President.
Many of Obama’s closest advisers, like Samantha Power, hold anti-Israel positions, and are allowed to float disturbingly hostile trial balloons in friendly places like the New York Times.
In his relations with the Jewish community, he’s elevated the phony ‘pro-Israel’ lobby J Street, which almost invariably takes positions against the Jewish state while — like Obama — proclaiming its pro-Israelness. One of his first actions as President was to hold a meeting at the White House for “Jewish leaders” — naturally he invited Jeremy Ben Ami of J Street while snubbing the oldest pro-Israel group of all, the Zionist Organization of America, as well as the Orthodox and Zionist National Council of Young Israel.
Time and again it’s been demonstrated that the American people and the Congress that represents them support Israel far more than the President and his advisers. The 29 standing ovations PM Netanyahu received during his recent speech (more than Obama got in his State of the Union) are evidence of this.
Obama often sugar-coats his poison pills for Israel by saying that the US commitment to Israel’s security in ‘unshakeable’. But we know that in 2008 he spoke at a dinner for his friend, Palestinian academic Rashid Khalidi, and — although a videotape of that talk is locked up in the vaults of the LA Times — his actual position may not be as pro-Israel as he says:
The extraordinary thing about [the LA Times story about the event] “Allies of Palestinians see a friend in Obama” is that in it, Obama’s supporters say that in claiming to be pro-Israel, he is hiding his true views from the public. Having observed his personal associations, his open political alliances, his public statements, and his private remarks, Obama’s Palestinian allies steadfastly maintain that Obama’s private views are far more pro-Palestinian than he lets on.
I’ll bet that the editors of the LA Times could talk all day about ‘the public’s right to know’. And if, as Obama says, he’s a true friend of Israel, he has nothing to hide.
This is far more important than a birth certificate — come on, LA Times, let’s see that tape.
If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.
Posts
The United States is Israel's patron and Israel is a vassal of the US. The relationship has always been inherently unequal and at the mercy of whichever American President has held the office. For the past two years and for the next two, Barack Obama is free to define the US/Israel relationship in the most ambiguous way or even most negative way he wishes. Fortunately for Israel, Obama is so incompetent, misinformed, badly advised, and historically confused that he has managed to alienate both Israel and Israel's enemies, distance himself and his policies from his own politcal party, and render himself practically useless in the Middle East arena.
ReplyDeleteThis is not a good situation, but given the present reality of Arab and Middle East political and social turmoil, it is probably for the best.
"Every cloud has its silver lining" as the saying goes and the clouds hanging over the present and very sad White House situation are no exception.
ReplyDeleteCome the next US Presidential election, regardless of who seems to possess the most intelligence and integrity to deal with the Mid East situation honestly, even handedly and transparently, he/she will know what the American people are looking for and will respect and expect and he/she will be mindful to keep his/her promises vis a vis Israel's right to exist or know that he/she will never see a "second term".
That seems the case now and I rather doubt that there is very much the present President can do at this point to alter that sad fact.
"Sorry" does not make it and backtracking, equivocating and/or trying to explain and re-explain his position/s will only make things worse at this point.
I grew up on the tough streets of New York City where I was once informed a certain well known criminal organization kept to a rather rigid code of expected behavior re enforcing loyalty to that organization.
They simply never waivered in the belief that "once is a habit". In short a man who betrays the organization, even once, regardless of the reason/s, has proven he has the "capicity" to betray again.
I voted for this President and gave of my treasure to support his being elected.
I thought he understood the dangers that surround Israel. I have been sorely disappointed and the love is now gone.
Perhaps Obama really does mean well but that will not save Jewish lives in the trenches during the next Mid East war.
"Once is a habit" and Israel's survival is too important to leave to a roll of the dice.
As he is the first of his tribe to win the White House I am quite grieved that his "advisers" have steered him in the wrong direction, over and over. Perhaps by some miracle he can still save his ship but frankly the odds are against that happening.
No one at this point really believes what he says when he speaks about the Middle East- his words ring hollow.
As President Lincoln long ago so wisely stated:
"You can fool some of the people all the time
And all of the people some of the time;
But you cannot fool all of the people all of the time".