As an American Jew who cares deeply about my religion and the State of Israel, the last few days have been the best of times and the worst of times.
The good news is that President Barack Obama has once again gone out of his way to show his grasp of the complex issues in the Middle East and his strong commitment to the safety and security of Israel as America's greatest ally in the region.
In both his speech at the State Department a few days ago and his address to AIPAC two days later, he stated (as he did in front of a Muslim audience in Cairo two years ago) his unshakeable commitment to Israel's safety and security.
He also made it clear in no uncertain terms that his support for a Palestinian state was contingent upon their abandonment of terrorist tactics and their willingness to recognize Israel's right to exist. He made it clear that he will strongly oppose Palestinian efforts to be recognized as a state by the U.N. and all efforts to delegitimize Israel.
Here is what our President actually said:
"For the Palestinians, efforts to delegitimize Israel will end in failure. Symbolic actions to isolate Israel at the United Nations in September won’t create an independent state. Palestinian leaders will not achieve peace or prosperity if Hamas insists on a path of terror and rejection. And Palestinians will never realize their independence by denying the right of Israel to exist.
As for Israel, our friendship is rooted deeply in a shared history and shared values. Our commitment to Israel’s security is unshakeable. And we will stand against attempts to single it out for criticism in international forums. But precisely because of our friendship, it’s important that we tell the truth: The status quo is unsustainable, and Israel too must act boldly to advance a lasting peace.
His speech at the State Department seemed to be great news for Israel and horrible news for those who would like to see the views and tactics of Hamas become the dominant culture if the proposed reconciliation betwen that terrorist group and Fatah actually comes to fruition.
The only suggestion he had for Israel was to pick up where former Israeli prime ministers Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert left off and to use the 1967 borders as a starting point for boundary discussion with mutually agreed upon land swaps that reflect the changes that have taken place since Israel took control of the West Bank 44 years ago.
This was not a new or shocking suggestion. Olmert made the identical statement just two years ago.
"On the 16th of September, 2008, I presented him (Abbas) with a comprehensive plan. It was based on the following principles.
One, there would be a territorial solution to the conflict on the basis of the 1967 borders with minor modifications on both sides. Israel will claim part of the West Bank where there have been demographic changes over the last 40 years.
I repeat (for emphasis) that the above quote is from then-Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert detailing what he offered the Palestinians two years ago. Whether one thinks his approach was ill-advised or not, there is no doubt that Obama was simply repeating a stated position of the Israeli government--not coming up with some radical new game changing idea.
Obama's speech at AIPAC put an exclamation point on all those sentiments and should have been reassuring to all of us who care deeply about Israel and long for peace in that region.
That assessment was clearly shared by many others who care deeply about Israel and the Jewish people.
The American Jewish Committee came out with a strong statement praising Obama's comments. Abe Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League called Obama's speech strongly pro-Israel and said it showed that Obama has a good understanding of the issue in the Middle East. Atlantic Magazine columnist Jeff Goldberg, a strong supporter of Israel and former soldier in the Israeli army, concurred. Tzipi Livni, the member of Knesset who heads Israel's largest political party, praised Obama's comments in the strongest terms. J Street added its approval as well.
But, as we all know, Prime Minister Netanyahu responded to Obama by throwing what several analysts referred to as a "hissy fit" and just one day before he was to privately meet with our president he felt the need to publicly state that he "expected" Obama to take back what he had said. Then, the very next day, he openly lectured Obama in a way that suggested that our president was naive and needed a history lesson.
I will have more to say about Netanyahu (this article is the first in a trilogy) after his speeches to AIPAC and Congress but I will simply add now that one has to question the wisdom, common sense, and motivations of a national leader who would go out of his way to publicly admonish and distort the statements of the leader of his country's best and only friend and benefactor in the world.
But Netanyahu's remarks and attitude opened the floodgates for a numbers of Republicans and many Jews who care deeply about Israel to go "birther" and "Tea Party" on our president.
Mitt Romney was first--claiming that Obama had "thrown Israel under the bus" without stating how or why. He was followed by the rest of the opportunistic Republicans who sensed (falsely I hope) that this distortion of our president's comments could be exploited as a wedge and used to lure our president's massive Jewish support away.
Zionist Organization of America head Morton Klein went the furthest, issuing a vitriolic statement in which he called Obama all sorts of nasty names and called on AIPAC to rescind their invitation for the president to address their conference. ZOA members also led an anti-Obama rally outside the Israeli embassy in New York.
I just heard Rush Limbaugh's cogent assessment of Obama's speeches as he told millions of listeners that "Obama has clearly chosen the Palestinians over the Israelis. He has told Israel to go commit suicide." Many other Right wing and pro-Israel bloggers have piled on in an effort to outdo themselves creating adjectives and invectives describing Obama's efforts to destroy Israel.
Equally disappointing was the way the mainstream media promoted the distortion of Obama's comments instead of providing truth and clarity. Headlines and sound bites repeatedly gave the false impression that our president had ordered Israel to return to the 1967 borders. None mentioned the other 98 percent of his speech, including the many criteria and guidelines he set for the Palestinians. It was all about reacting to the distortion that had been angrily invented by the Israeli prime minister.
Never mind that Obama has done nothing of the sort. Never mind that Obama in his words and actions has done just the opposite. Never mind that this is the same Barack Obama whom Israeli ambassador Michael Oren--a man who has actually been in the room during each of the meetings between our president and Netanyahu--has repeatedly and effusively praised as a strong and steadfast friend of the Jewish state.
I find all this confusing and depressing. Not so much the fact that other Americans and Jewish figures disagree with my assessment of Obama's performance but the fact that the smearing and vitriol and lies and distortions that have characterized one-issue fact-free hate campaigns against our president by the birthers (Obama was born in Kenya) and the Tea Party (Obama wants to destroy America) and the NRA (Obama wants to take away your guns) and the Right to Lifers (Obama wants to kill the unborn) are now being employed by Jews and others who claim to care so deeply about the future of Israel (Obama wants to destroy the Jewish homeland).
I believe that many of these people do mean well but it is sad beyond my ability to express that so-called Jewish leaders have resorted to slash-and-burn tactics in their inexplicable zeal to demonize our president. The tactics of distortion and fabrication have apparently replaced the respectful and nuanced, fact-based conversation that has always been the hallmark of Jewish debate.
It is both sad and disappointing that they are targeting a man whom I believe has acted and spoken more honestly and courageously in his efforts to bring peace to the Middle East and generate the best outcome for Israel and the U.S. than any president in my lifetime.
It is even more tragic what this tone and attitude is doing to our efforts to build community and have a civil, productive conversation as committed American Jews. Jeff Goldberg has shared some of the hatemail he has received from fellow Jews after he stated that he believes Obama is pro-Israel and made a wonderful speech. But that too is a topic for another day.
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2 comments:
apparently too long for 1 comment so doing as 2 comments..got carried away
Jim
yes, i understand your concern, and difficult position. i too am very concerned, but with different views. no, i do not for a moment believe Obama has shown "his grasp of the complex issues in the Middle East". to the contrary i believe he has shown his naivety of the region and its history. no i do not believe he has shown "his unshakeable commitment to Israel's safety and security". clearly neither does the present leader of Israel. yes, he agreed with Barak and Olmert, as most liberals agree with most liberals, and conservatives with the like. as has been stated by others this was clearly an example of a local with expertise who has lived the situation, has lead his people, attempting to advise the long distance neophyte. no, Obama does not have a sense of the history of the region.
but all of that aside, what right does a leader from half way around the world have to dictate to another country what its borders should or should not be. is Israel to merely hit the delete button on 44 years of history? do the Palestinians have the right of eminent domain? should Israel negotiate with a party that has shown itself unwilling to recognize its right to exist? Hamas and Fatah have an agreement, and the latter is the largest faction of the PLO, who's mission is to eliminate Zionism. and Hamas is considered by most to be a terrorist organization. Imam Yousif al-Zahar: "Jews are a people who cannot be trusted, the brothers of apes and pigs, praises suicide bombing and holy war until Palestine is free of Jewish control" needless to say, my answer to these questions is a resounding no Israel should not negotiate with these people!
from Jim: part 2:
how quickly many Jews have forgotten. Required reading ought to be "Night" by Elie Wiesel. The Jewish people will not get another chance. and this president of the United States ought to understand that. i should hope you understand that.
for you to start attacking "birthers" and "Tea Party" people, and Rush Limbaugh is a mistake and is off point and totally irrelevant. this is not about a person, a party or a group of americans, it is about the survival of Israel, millions of Jews, and our only ally in that region of the world, and U S security. again, the Jews will not get another chance.
why is it that President Obama has made multiple trips to several of the Arab countries in the region and bows to the leaders? i can only recall one trip to Israel and that was in conjunction with a trip also to the West Bank. i believe i understand why, do you, and certainly your readers ought to think about it.
is it more than a coincidence that when things in Washington D C get difficult or touchy, be it with congress over a bailout or a budget, or an international situation, our President is on a plane out of the country? yes, i know the trip was planned, but it seems to continue to occur.
This President has a ruthless quest for power. He wants to change everything, he wants to end capitalism as we have known it. Take a good look at the folks he has chosen to surround himself with, academics, not folks who have run businesses or met payrolls. he is not the moderate he claimed to be, he is hard left. he wants to rule the world, not merely the U.S. he is the person who when he speaks it is all about "I", yes he is narcissistic.
his greatest ally at the moment is the disarray of the republican party. i truly believe every decision he makes is politically motivated (including his current stance on the Middle East) with an eye toward November 2011.
no, Jewish leaders are not turning to "slash-and-burn tactics", nor are they distorting or fabricating or demonizing. they are merely expressing grave concern, disagreeing, and are coming from believing the Jews will not have another chance. IMO, your belief otherwise is a defensive one.
For you to believe this President has done more to bring peace to the Middle East leads me to believe you were absent during the Reagan years, and both of the Bush's years.
Respectfully,
Jim from ust up the road in Scottsdale
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