Obama and Israel are not on the same page

By Morton Klein · August 16, 2011

PHILADELPHIA (JTA) — It’s high time to face an unpleasant fact: President Obama and Israel are not on the same page.

This has been true ever since Obama took office in January 2009, but it was most recently apparent this May when the president ambushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with an adversarial speech the day before Netanyahu’s U.S. visit by advocating that Israel return to the pre-1967 armistice lines (with mutually agreed swaps).

Obama’s speech meant that Israel cannot keep the Jewish neighborhoods of eastern Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, the Western Wall or the major settlement blocs without Palestinian Authority approval. No previous U.S. president ever took this position.

Neither has any previous president ever suggested, as Obama has, that the issues of “territory and security” should be agreed upon first, and only then should the issues of Arab refugees and Jerusalem’s status be decided. Thus in Obama’s view, Israel should establish a Palestinian state and give away virtually all the disputed territory, thereby eliminating its negotiating leverage, before negotiating over Jerusalem and refugees from a weakened position.

An anonymous Israeli official interviewed in early August by Reuters denied recent reports that Netanyahu now accepts the pre-1967 lines as a basis for negotiations, and two senior Israeli officials recently told me the same.

It’s also shocking that Obama made these demands of Israel only two weeks after Fatah, the faction that leads the Palestinian Authority, signed a unity agreement with Hamas, the terrorist organization that calls in its charter for the murder of Jews.

Netanyahu has been clear: He won’t negotiate with a Hamas-linked Palestinian Authority. Yet Obama has refused to make diplomatic or financial support for the Palestinian Authority conditional on its abrogating its unity agreement with Hamas.

Obama’s first major Middle East speech, in Cairo in June 2009, made clear his tenuous commitment to Israel. He ignored the legal, historical and religious basis of the Jewish claim to Israel, instead writing it off as a reward for enduring the Holocaust.

Obama also claimed that the Palestinians have been suffering in trying to establish their state for 60 years, but he ignored the fact that they turned down offers of statehood in 1937, 1947, 2000 and 2008. He spoke about the Arabs being “displaced” by Israel’s founding, ignoring the fact that if there had been no Arab war against Israel, there would have been no refugees.

Most egregiously, the president strongly implied that Palestinian suffering was equivalent to Jewish suffering during the Holocaust. And by framing his call for Palestinians to practice only nonviolent resistance by pointing to the experience of U.S. blacks during slavery and black Africans during South African apartheid, Obama effectively lumped in Israeli Jews with history’s oppressors.

In a January 2010 TV interview, Obama’s Middle East envoy George Mitchell — who has since left his post — told PBS’s Charlie Rose that “full implementation of the Arab Peace Initiative is the objective set forth by the president.” The so-called Arab Peace Initiative demands that Israel retreat to the pre-1967 lines, set up a Palestinian state and accept the right of millions of Arab refugees to move into Israel. That would end Israel as a Jewish state.

And let’s not forget Obama’s September 2009 U.N. speech, in which he spoke of the need to couple “unwavering commitment to Israel” with calls for Israel to “respect the legitimate claims and rights of the Palestinians.” Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton called this “the most radical anti-Israel speech I can recall any president making.”

Even former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, a Democrat who campaigned for Obama, recently wrote in the Huffington Post, “I weep as I witness outrageous verbal attacks on Israel” that “are being orchestrated by President Obama.” Koch suggested that Obama is “throwing Israel under the bus.”

Perhaps Israel’s deepest concern is the existential threat posed by the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran. Obama needlessly delayed congressional sanctions against Iran for a year while he tried to get multilateral, U.N.-backed sanctions enacted first. Now that sanctions have become U.S. law, Obama has not implemented them in a serious way.

Obama also sent Vice President Joe Biden to Israel to warn Netanyahu not to launch any military strikes against Iran without U.S. approval.

One of my most revealing experiences was a meeting I attended, along with 40 other Jewish leaders, with President Obama at the White House in March. The president told us, according to my notes: “You must speak to your Israeli friends and relatives and search your souls to determine how badly do you really want peace. Israelis think this peace business is overrated; their life is good, their economy is good, and things are quiet.”

Several times he emphasized that “the PA is sincere in wanting a peaceful settlement” and that “Israel has not sufficiently tried to make an acceptable offer.” He asked, “Is the Netanyahu government serious about territorial concessions?”

Things may get better or worse — more likely the latter — but one thing is clear: Obama and Israel are not of one mind, or anywhere close to being so.

(Morton A. Klein is the national president of ZOA, the Zionist Organization of America.)

August 18, 2011 | 20 Comments »

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest

Leave a Reply

20 Comments / 20 Comments

  1. I am not American. I am a Canadian, but I get very frustrated with the people who are fighting to take away G-d’s given land to the Jewish people, and everyone needs to know that in the end, G-d will have the last word, and I wouldn’t want to be on the side of those who are fighting for the Jewish land.

  2. @ AmeicanEagle:
    AmeicanEagle Said:

    If you want to watch them hem and haw just ask them whether they will hire Obama to run their business.

    Not to worry they will by election time deny voting for him but will just the same, especially if Perry Bachmann and or Palin get the nomination.

    Re: hiring Obama to run my business? No, but then I wouldn’t hire the opposition candidates either and certainly would never hire you.

  3. “…Conservative Rabbis and Jews, to the extent they weigh in on these issues, including issues swirling about Israel, are shifting towards the URJ position.”

    The shifting is hardly recent, Bill.

    An attentive view would suggest that it’s been underway for a few decades now.

  4. Joseph Rapaport writes:
    One cannot compare Obama to Israel because he is merely a puppet. He represents the forces that groomed and installed him in office.

    Enough excuses, Joseph. Let’s get the puppet out of there. Nothing is going to change for the better as long as he is in place.

  5. Alan writes:
    The ones we really need to counter are the new Obamite Judenrat and Kapo scum of the JINO American community, i.e., Booby Wexler, Alan So-Low, Penny Pritzker, Emanuel, Axelrod, Ira Forman of the NJDC, Robby Naiman of Just Foreign Policy (a Flotilla of hate crewman), Medea Benjamin, Eli Pariser, feigele boy of MoveOn.Org, S. Daniel Abraham, Soros, Jeremy Ben Ami, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Jan Schakowsky, Steve Cohen, Bob Filner, Kapos of Congress who voted for Hamas getting 1.3 Billion of our taxpayer dollars; Mel Levine, Jerrold Nadler, Barbara Boxer, Steve Simon, Daniel Shapiro and Dennis Ross on Obama’s foreign policy team.

    Thanks for naming names of some of the biggest DemocRATS among American Jews. You forgot the Blumenthal brothers, Chuck Schumer, Gerald Nadler and Ed Koch, Alan Dershowitz and Mort Zuckerman. The latter has now realized his error.

    Let’s also remember Jewish heroes like Eric Cantor, who is being vilified by the left wing media for opposing Cry-baby Obama.

    The Jewish support has declined from the absurd 78% of 2008 to 54%, but that is still 54% too high.

    What are these people thinking?

    If you want to watch them hem and haw just ask them whether they will hire Obama to run their business.

    .

  6. One cannot compare Obama to Israel because he is merely a puppet. He represents the forces that groomed and installed him in office.
    These forces (Soros, Marxist ideology, Islamacism and other polical interests) are diametrically opposed to what Israel stands for and
    therefore are deeply antagonistic. Obama is just a messenger and does what he is told to do. This is the reason so little is known
    about him, he is a virtual cipher. Rush asked the other day where are all the ex-girlfriends and college classmates who had to interact with
    this supposedly extroverted character. Why is this most “transparent” of all politicians so opaque. Why does the MSM continue to give him
    a pass on these matters.

  7. Odd, I just wrote a comment, clicked “Post Comment” and my comment disappeared. Was it actually received for publication or is it lost in cyberspace?

  8. According to the URJ and some other writers, the URJ American congregation makes up more than half the American Jewish population. The URJ has been very active in social/economic justice causes and thus political. Their politics generally support Obama’s socialist thinking, also high on social/economic justice through wealth distribution for instance.

    The Reform Jewish movement largely also supports Obama’s views on Israel and his vision for peace between Palestinians and Israel. It is ideologically driven and thus as Mort Klein points out with Obama’s thinking on the issues, quite divorced from historical realities, current circumstances and facts aplenty that speak against this ideological view.

    Conservative/Orthodox Jewry, while also concerned with issues of social and economic justice, but that take a different view as to what constitutes such justice, do not make such views a major plank in their Rabbinical positions and do not take political stances. What appears to be happening however, is that Conservative Rabbis and Jews, to the extent they weigh in on these issues, including issues swirling about Israel are shifting towards the URJ position.

    Groups such as J Street, much reviled by Israpundit and other blogs and groups that share the same perspectives, is one of the consequential products of URJ support for Obama’s stance regarding Israel and vision for resolving the Israel-Palestinian/Arab ongoing war.

    That said Morton Klein’s views are addressing an increasingly smaller Jewish constituency that typically do not get politically involved.

    Its easy for Israpundit contributors, most of whom are the constituency that Klein is appealing to, to get worked up and contribute rah rah commentary.

    If Jews who form Klein’s constutency are to make a difference, they must get more involved politically and publically than just contributing commentary to blogs like Israpundit, supporting Klein’s views.

    So once again I issue a challenge to those who find favor with Klein’s views. Don’t just write a supportive comment on Israpundit, but make your views known to your fellow Jews in your community and actively support and participate in political action groups that seek get messages such as Klein’s into the public sphere to challenge and discredit the messages of the Jews supporting Obama.

    One sign that the time is opportune for Jews who are against Obama’s stance re: Israel and the way to resolve the Israel-Palestinian/Arab war, to rise up and make a difference is that some noted and respected liberals and democrats such as Ed Koch have come out swinging against Obama.

  9. Alan is right. Jews in America have two imperatives right now. One, Obama must be defeated. Should he be reelected both Israel and the U.S. will suffer. Two, The “liberal” Jewish capos who are our so-called leaders must be either thrown out of our body-politic or the organizations they lead must be obliterated. Our enemy from within is almost more dangerous than the enemy without.

  10. We are certainly not in the same page with the one with the birth certificate and by the looks of it few others are. The terrible results of having such item in the WH will be seen in the US as time goes by.
    Yet, the most urgent problem we need to address is our internal one.
    The Barak era and with it the Peresite disaster sequel must be brought to an end BEFORE SEPTEMBER. If they remain in control we will see far worse than the latest flop in Eilat.
    In military terms when an enemy sees equivalents to General PATTON will not react the same if the enemy sees the equivalents to Petain. That is basic fact.
    Barak knows only how to assault… JEWS and destroy JEWISH LIVES and homes. He has run away several times and is totally untrustworthy if not treasonous.

    Again, if we, the people, allow that disgusting specimen to remain in control of the military, we will have only ourselves to blame for the outcome.

  11. The ones we really need to counter are the new Obamite Judenrat and Kapo scum of the JINO American community, i.e., Booby Wexler, Alan So-Low, Penny Pritzker, Emanuel, Axelrod, Ira Forman of the NJDC, Robby Naiman of Just Foreign Policy (a Flotilla of hate crewman), Medea Benjamin, Eli Pariser, feigele boy of MoveOn.Org, S. Daniel Abraham, Soros, Jeremy Ben Ami, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Jan Schakowsky, Steve Cohen, Bob Filner, Kapos of Congress who voted for Hamas getting 1.3 Billion of our taxpayer dollars; Mel Levine, Jerrold Nadler, Barbara Boxer, Steve Simon, Daniel Shapiro and Dennis Ross on Obama’s foreign policy team.

    All of whom have pursued policies and hob-nobbed with anti-Semites like Obama, Shrillary Clinton, Samanta Power, Brezinzski, Malley, Khalidi much to the detriment of the State of Israel.

    The Judenrat councils and the Kapos in the camps had no choose. The dreck aforementioned above did. Where are those Rabbis who excommunicated poor Spinoza for nothing compared to the swine listed.

  12. “Israelis think this peace business is overrated.”

    Well, isn’t it?

    “…their life is good, their economy is good…”

    Yes indeed, Mr President: the consequence of Israel’s transition from a planned economy to a market-based one

    — a policy that YOU could learn something from.

    “…the PA is sincere in wanting a peaceful settlement…”

    Their actions speak so loudly, it’s hard to hear their words

    — but it’s unmistakably clear that their idea of peace

    is the peace of the grave.

    So sorry, Mr President: no sale.

  13. Hosni Mubarak obeyed Obama, and look where it got him. Qadaffi has refused, and it is going much better for him. Netanyahu ought to observe, and consider.

  14. Obama has nothing to do with anything constructive. The cat and mouse game between Bibi and Bozo goes on and on and on. As a mere tool of the military industrial brouhaha, Obama is all smoke and no flame. He is not to be trusted and his putative “orders” to others in the Middle East are to be construed as mere drivel. Yes, he is the worst president EVER in this country and don’t limit your criticisms to his political malapropisms. His choices for “czar” are notably horrendous and clearly this lost soul is trying to remake Marxism in his own way. And, he will fail. With no Teleprompter, this man is a total zero. With it, he’s only laughable. What a twerp.

  15. One of my most revealing experiences was a meeting I attended, along with 40 other Jewish leaders, with President Obama at the White House in March. The president told us, according to my notes: “You must speak to your Israeli friends and relatives and search your souls to determine how badly do you really want peace. Israelis think this peace business is overrated; their life is good, their economy is good, and things are quiet.”

    Several times he emphasized that “the PA is sincere in wanting a peaceful settlement” and that “Israel has not sufficiently tried to make an acceptable offer.” He asked, “Is the Netanyahu government serious about territorial concessions?”

    Of course this is the inversion of the truth. Israel has bent over backwards making concessions while they have received nothing but more terrorism in return.

  16. Ed Katz Said:

    Obama has to be the biggest asshole in the history of American politics. Everyone must work hard to make certain that he loses the next election by the biggest majority ever.

    Being an “asshole”, he is as “holy” as the “Holy” Kuran…namely, he’s full of crap

  17. Obama has to be the biggest asshole in the history of American politics. Everyone must work hard to make certain that he loses the next election by the biggest majority ever.