Posted by
Patrick Henry on Monday, March 29, 2010 11:23:37 PM
In late 19th century Germany the term "Judenhass" (literally Jew hatred) came into
vogue, later to be recast in the English speaking world as "antisemitism." The term
has been mistaken by some to signify prejudice toward all semitic peoples, but its
colloquial usage, according to dictionaries, refers specifically to prejudice and malice
directed toward Jews.
Ever since Barak Obama's presidential campaign began, questions have swirled around
his intentions toward Israel, the Jewish homeland. Since his election he has laid all
such speculation to rest, aligning himself with the Palestinians and Arabs while consistently
criticizing Israel and implcitly blaming them for continued strife in the Middle East. The
culmination of this one-sided but double-tongued policy culminated this week and last
in his (and his Secretary of State's) denunciation of Israeli policy followed by his
humiliation of the Israeli prime minister during a visit designed to iron out differences.
While bowing and scraping to the Saudi King Abdullah, Obama has continued to
relentlessly court Arab governments that do not wish America well and shovel the
Israelis and their concerns under the rug.
Is Barak Obama an antisemite? Maybe not, but if as the left and some in the media
argue, opposition to Obama is based on his blackness, then it is no more far-fetched to
suggest that his clear animosity and discrimination toward Israel in based on its
"Jewishness." What's "sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander," etc.
A better explanation is probably that Obama's crowning ambition is to be acknowledged
as the savior of the world, the One who can solve all problems. Of course his Middle
East "solution" is like his healthcare reform "bipartisanship," consisting solely of others
shutting up and doing what he wants. Democrats did that on healthcare, to the disgust
of an American majority, but Israel won't roll over and The Messiah is furious about it.
The most recent "rock of offense" on which the ship of diplomacy has foundered,
according to Obama and Hillary Clinton, is the Israelis' stubborn persistence in the
astounding notion that they can build housing in their own sovereign territory. The
problem is that the Palestinians have laid claim to East Jerusalem, where many Arabs
live, as the would-be capital of their as yet imaginary homeland. And the problem
with the demand is that Israel says, as they have since 1947, that Jerusalem is not on
the table as a bargaining chip, period. Their settlement construction there has been
going on for years. It's not new. But it reinforces their position on the issue as non-negotiable,
and every chip thus taken off the table reduces Obama's leverage as a broker. Strange
how the fame and success of the Chosen One are not priorities for the Israelis.
Two things come across clearly. One is that the Israelis have made one peace offer
after another to the Palestinians only to be rejected and then attacked, either jointly
by Arab governments or through Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad terrorism. And
the Palestinians have continued to demand the two things Israel will never give,
partition of Jerusalem and the right of full return wherein Arab families displaced
when the Jewish homeland was created by the international community can move
back into Israeli territory with the full rights of citizenship, thus becoming the majority.
Obama has already proven that he can fool enough of the people some of the time over
here. But if he thinks he can get even one of those concessions out of the Israelis
then he's smoking too much funny weed.
A second reality is the political one here at home. A huge plurality of Americans --
much bigger than the one that resisted healthcare reform -- supports the Israelis in
their ongoing conflict with the Arab world. Most of them were flatly disgusted by
Obama's bowing, pandering prattle towards the Arabs. Now that he has translated
his clear pro-Palestinian anti-Israeli bias into concrete foreign policy, risking in so
doing the relationship with the only real ally America has in the Middle East, he has
opened himself to great political liability and vulnerability. The pro-Israeli lobby
is incredibly powerful. Majorities in both houses of congress come down on the
Israeli side of the equation, and more than 80% of Americans, according to most
polls, feel the same way. Add to this fiasco Obama's dismal and complete failure
in either engaging Iran or stopping its drive toward nuclear weapons and suddenly
there is a second front upon which he can be successfully attacked and discredited.
Barak Obama's ego will hang him. The rope is now paying out to its end, and the
noise you hear next may be the jerk at the bottom. Blame it on the jerk at the top.
This misbegotten and ill-advised foreign policy will not accomplish anything good,
and ultimately it will not fly with the American people. He opposes the will of the
people on Israel, healthcare, cap-and-trade, union card check, government expansion,
bail outs and takeovers. How much more does it take?