Just What Israel Needs – Another Enemy!

Just What Israel Needs – Another Enemy!

© David Burton 2010

End of U.S.- Israel Friendship?
 


     If Israel didn’t have enough enemies up until now, it now has a new one. It’s the United States, as led by President Barack Obama, and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. Never in my recent memory has an administration of the United States acted in a manner so hostile to the usually cordial relationship between the U.S. and Israel.

    & Perhaps even worse, the Obama Administration has turned a blind eye toward the actions and policies of the countries, organizations, and people that:

  • have been in a continuous state of war for over 60 years with the only working democracy in the Mideast
  • have sworn to destroy the State of Israel
  • refuse to even admit the existence of the State of Israel
  • continue to support, sponsor and harbor Jihadist terrorists who attack innocent civilians in Israel, the United States and in other countries all over the globe
  • have made their countries and the territories that they control ‘Judenfrei’, i.e., they have essentially driven out all Jews by means of murder, intimidation, and deprivation of the means of earning a living. They have practiced apartheid in the truest sense of the word.
  • prohibit the practice of any religion other than theirs or terrorize anyone that does practice a religion other than theirs
  • indoctrinate their school children to hate Jews, incite Muslim Arabs toward hatred and violence, and memorialize as martyrs the terrorists and murderers who kill Jews.
     The most recent sign of the animosity of the Obama administration toward Israel occurred a few weeks ago when Israel announced that it planned to build 1,600 new homes in a Jewish neighborhood of East Jerusalem. The announcement came during a visit to Israel by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden. Why does the Obama adminsitration reach out to some of the world's worst regimes in the name of its engagement policy and then turn this minor incident into a major diplomatic confrontation with one of its supposedly most treasured allies, Israel?

     While the U.S. has made public statements demanding that Hamas, the Palestinian group that controls the Gaza Strip, renounce violence and recognize Israel as a valid state, the Obama Administration has taken no visible concrete steps to push Hamas to respond positively to these demands. The U.S. continues to make bland statements such as the one made recently by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to AIPAC, where she repeated that the “US calls for the release of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier captured and still being held by Hamas.” (Ref. 1) While the Administration takes no actual steps to back up these demands, it very publicly and pointedly excoriates Israel for annoucing plans to build apartments in a Jewish section of Jerusalem, Israel’s capital. "What is interesting is that the US has chosen to make a big deal of it. The reason for doing this is, it seems, to be ready to pull out some version of the peace offensive Obama has been promising for a year.” (Ref. 2)

     In his appearance before the AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) lobby group this past March, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that every Israeli government since the Mideast War of 1967 (when Israel gained control of Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip, which were previously occupied by Jordan and Egypt) has built in what has been called East Jerusalem. The Palestinians demand that East Jerusalem must be the future capital of a Palestinian state. Israel has stated that Jerusalem has been, is, and will remain the undivided capital of Israel, while the U.S. now says that the future of East Jerusalem must be determined by negotiations. It might be noted that then Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama, in his 2008 speech to AIPAC made the following statement, “Let me be clear. Israel's security is sacrosanct. It is non-negotiable. . . . any agreement with the Palestinian people must preserve Israel's identity as a Jewish state, with secure, recognized and defensible borders. Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided.” [Emphasis mine] (Ref. 3) What a change a few years and the winning of the presidency (with the help of the “Jewish vote”) have made! Apparently what Obama says and what he actually does need not be the same!

     The real obstacles to peace in the Mideast are the Palestinian and Arab refusal to recognize the right of Israel to exist, their efforts to destroy Israel, and the not invalid belief that if they simply wait, the United States and the like-minded countries of Western Europe will force Israel into continually making territorial and political concessions that will ultimatley result in the destruction of the State of Israel and its replacement by a Palestinian entity. Israel has handed over the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to the Palestinians with disastrous results and with no equivalent response on the part of the Palestinians or their Arab/Muslim sponsors. The Palestinains and the other Arab countries in the region continue to blame the Israelis for the failure to achieve peace, while demanding still more concessions from the Jewish nation. “Land for Peace” has proved to be a joke. The Oslo agreement is a failure. Still, the U.S. and the EU demand more from Israel and ignore the intransigence of the Palestinians.

     The hostility of the U.S. toward Israel remains. Referring to a March 23rd meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama, we read, “In a sign that the crisis between the United States and Israel has not ended, the meeting between Obama and Netanyahu was brief, and there was no press coverage or even written statements afterward.” (Ref. 4)

     That the Obama administration continues to pressure the Israeli government for more concessions while ignoring the real reasons for the lack of any progress in achieving peace are evident to any rationally intelligent person. The British Manchester web site reported that:

     “President Barack Obama and the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, are on a collision course today in a row described by a senior Israeli diplomat as the worst crisis between the two countries for more than three decades.
     "An Obama administration source told the Guardian that the White House and US state department are intent on pushing Israel into substantive peace talks with the Palestinians and will not shy away this time as they did when the last effort ended in embarrassing failure in September.” (Ref. 2)

     The so-called peace talks in September failed not because of Israel, but because of the simple fact that the Palestinians don’t want peace with Israel - what they do want is the elimination of Israel.

     This administration obviously believes that improving relations with the Arab/Muslim world is more important than maintaining the historical relationship with the State of Israel. Neither America nor the countries of Western Europe have been attacked by Israel or Jews. Can we say the same about the Muslim populations of the Palestinian and Arab world? Why then does the current U.S. administration jump to oblige the Palestinians and the Arabs whenever they make a demand? Consider:
  • The Palestinians demand no more Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria – Of course, we’ll tell Israel to stop building.
  • The Palestinians demand that part of Jerusalem become the capital of a Palestinian state – Yes sir, we’ll insist that the Jews give up part of their ancient capital.
  • The Palestinians demand that there be no more building of apartments in a Jewish area of East Jerusalem – How insulting these Jews are. Of course we’ll tell them to stop immediately and we’ll publicly chastise them for having the gall to think that they can continue their 40 year old policy of building in their own capital.
  • The Palestinians demand the release of Palestinian prisoners and the withdrawal of more Israeli forces from Palestinian territory – Absolutely, We’ll insist that Israel do so immediately. Never mind that Hamas and Hezbollah continue to hold kidnapped Israeli soldiers or that the Palestinian prisoners that would be released are terrorists and may be responsible for the deaths of innocent civilians. Never mind that the absence of Israeli security forces had resulted in rocket attacks on Israelis from Gaza and attacks on Jewish civilians within the West Bank.
     "While America has advocated that Arab states make a peace with Israel, it has never insisted that recognition of Israel's right to exist be advanced as an independent demand, as it has done, for example, with demands on Israel to freeze settlements." [Emphasis mine] (Ref. 5)

     During President Obama’s first year in office, he has found the time to travel overseas to visit 20 countries and he even managed to find time to travel to Sweden to accept a Noble Peace Prize. He went to Cairo, Egypt to suck up to the Islamic peoples of the world, but there was no time to stop off and visit America’s best friend in that region of the world. If you traveled to a city where your best friend lived, wouldn’t you find some time to stop and visit him? Is Obama sending a message? Israel, you really are not America’s best friend and all you Muslims, America now loves you more than Israel.

     Is Obama anti-Semitic, anti-Israel, Pro-Arab, stupid, coniving or just incompetent? Maybe he's a little of each. No matter what the reason, it now appears that Israel has a new enemy with which to contend.

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Refernces:
  1. US-Israel relations 'rock solid', Al Jezeera; http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2010/03/2010322103339747893.html, 24 March 2010.
  2. US-Israel relations: White House 'will not shy away' from pushing for talks, Ewen MacAskill, guardian.co.uk; http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/15/israel-us-rift-settlements-jerusalem, 15 March 2010.
  3. Transcript: Obama's Speech at AIPAC, NPR; http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91150432, 4 June 2008.
  4. Netanyahu and Obama Meet Behind Closed Doors, Linda Gradstein, http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/netanyahu-and-obama-meet-behind-closed-doors/19411756, 24 March 2010.
  5. Time fir a change in US Mideast strategy, Kenneth J. Bialkin, The Jerusalem Post, Page 15, 17 February 2010.
 

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