Is Obama Using Israel as a Scapegoat for His Foreign Policy Failures?
Though needing to handle dozens of difficult issues around the world, President Obama seems obsessed with one: the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Obama’s administration has been on the warpath with Israel from the beginning, picking fights over issues that have been around for a long time. These include where Jews can live and build in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria (the West Bank); removing checkpoints that stop terrorists; and easing restrictions on the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip. Yet Obama has been silent regarding anti-Jewish and anti-Israel incitement, and the upsurge in rioting, violence, and terrorist attacks sponsored by the Palestinian Authority.
An innocuous announcement of approval for building permits in a Jewish neighborhood of Jerusalem during Vice President Joe Biden’s visit gave Obama the opportunity he, perhaps, was waiting for — he bombarded Israel with unprecedented wrath and scorn. Out of proportion and unusually harsh, Obama’s disappointment seemed irrational.
A few weeks later, David Sanger of the New York Times quoted one of Obama’s foreign policy advisors:
If Obama can’t set some parameters for our allies, how is he going to set some for the mullahs?
Sanger also wrote:
Obama’s team seems to understand that if they lose that contest of wills [with Israel], the rest of their foreign policy agenda is also threatened.
Assuming this is true, Obama is tying Israeli concessions to U.S. moves to stop Iran from producing nuclear weapons, and to other issues as well. This policy makes Israel a scapegoat for Obama’s failures.
It’s those Jews who want to build homes in Jerusalem that prevent the U.S. from stopping Iran, North Korea, and the Taliban! David Petraeus has been quoted as implying that America’s support for Israel is harming allied war efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. It’s a wonder the Jews aren’t blamed for global warming.
The danger of Obama’s attack is not only that it shifts blame for difficulties the West faces in its wars against Islamists to Israel, but that it makes Israel responsible for the threat from Iran. This is blood libel; it has been floating around for some years by extremists. Coming from the White House, however, it now has legitimacy.
I think your observation is pretty much accurate. However, it looks like we are heading for a major regional war in the very near future. This whole mess is going to blow up in Obama’s face. My own opinion is that Netanyahu made a major mistake by trying to placate Obama & I think this is the opinion of a great many Israelis.
You have only to consider American policy towards Syria & the recent leak from Gates that Obama has no strategy for stopping Iran’s nuclear program to see what a major failure Obama & his team of bunglers really are.
Moshe,
What is, also, happening is this policy, and how he is pursuing it, immediately, brought the embattled Republicans
and Democrats together in the House and the Senate. 333 House members and 76 US Senators signed letters respective to their
positions.The recent poll Roger Simon reports is extraordinary.
Obama has lost 32% of the 78% of Jews who voted for him.The Jews made the difference in the election as well.Furthermore, the vast Majority of the country supports Israel and only 15% back the Palestinians.The Christians, especially, the Evangelicals, are supporting Israel.
Obama has totally ignored the US National Interest in this morass, in addition to our real National Security.
What should, also, happen is those Jews in the Administration
who hold significant positions should write and sign a letter in support of Israel. Every one of them will go down in the historical record as a collaborator otherwise.
I do not think, the American People want to be responsible historically in perpetuity for the destruction of Israel by the US and the deaths of 6.2M Israelis.It is an hitorical burden that cannot be tossed.
Blaming the standard for not measuring up due to the abuse of free will is hardly an innovative move by deformed souls, scoundrels, scalawags, and similar ilk.
BHO, et al., are hardly agents of innovation, for it all winds up the same way: they refuse to learn from the past, or the present.
In other words, BHO, et al., only have themselves to blame. But will they blame themselves for what they have done? George Strait has some ocean front property in Arizona.
“Will they blame themselves for what they have done?”
They’ll pat each other on the back, congratulate themselves for a job well done, and hold a gala victory celebration in the White House, with Jeremiah Wright and Louis Farrakhan as guests of honor, and Rashid Khalidi as keynote speaker. For entertainment, William Ayers will give a repeat performance of his 9/11 trampling on the American flag routine. and when the party’s over, BHO will stand at ease, cupping his balls, as the band plays The Star-Spangled Banner.
“as the band plays The Star-Spangled Banner”
Actually, as Rosanne Barr “sings” the Star-Spangled-Banner
Obama’s crotch-grab a copy-cat of Roseanne’s at the ball park? Could very well be . . .
Definitely a sign of carelessness and weakness–all blow and no substance?
There is only a very slight ebb and flow with Jewish and Palestinian relations. But one thing they both must learn first, is that there are rules of peace and rules of war. Thus far, they, and all the main players are following the rules of war. Will that ever change in our generation? The answer is somewhere between them. America cannot dictate peace without the support of the folks it is dealing with. This one has been going for a few generations and may go on for a few more. But who knows?
These are extremely cogent observations and Obama’s tactics are straight out of Alinsky’s book, “Rules for Radicals”. Welcome to Obamanacht 2010.
“This is blood libel; it has been floating around for some years by extremists. Coming from the White House, however, it now has legitimacy.”
Nothing, absolutely nothing about Barrack Hussein Obama is legitimate! Nothing about the man is decent. Nothing about the man is honorable. Nothing about the man is worth Israel fretting about over the longterm.
PM Netanyahu and Israel need only do the same thing that’s been the case since May 15, 1948. Carry the load for the creeps of the world.
Moshe Dann you would never have Israel do otherwise. Your writings, however exaggerated or not will not make a man out of Obama. Nor will they subtract so much as a mustard seed of the admiration for and faith in PM Netanyahu and Israel that the American people have.
Bottom Line: Israel, don’t waste anymore of your pearls on the swine!
…yes ! I agree with your take on Obama and Israel.
I wish someone, one of the so called pundits would grow a spine and go after Obama in the press and TV. the pr!ck has gotten a free ride and not just by the MSM ..the others refuse to state the freaking obvious. OBAMA is BAD NEWS. He is the most dishonest thing that ever went into politics. He is the next Robert Mugabe.
I think you’ve nailed it, and Obama’s narcissism will never allow him to back down or to admit he blew it. It is inconceivable to me that no one in his White House will acknowledge the fact that Hezbollah, Hamas, Iran and 75% of Palestinians in the disputed territories are interested in a two-state solution.
Israel is the new “George Bush.”
Intelligent people don’t waste time figuring out what motivates a hidebound bigot. Obama’s is an administration of ideologues and ideologues traffic in prejudices not ideas.
Eric Holder’s lame responses to questions about the closing of Gitmo reveals that the administration doesn’t have a coherent plan and has little hope of coming up with one. Now comes Robert Gates to reveal that the administration has no Iran strategy. Behind the confident facade, this administration consists of a pack of clueless incompetents scrambling from issue to the next in orderto stay ahead of events. What is urgent is that the damage these malevolent fools do is limited to one term.
It has been pretty obvious from the first that Obama and his advisors were not interested in doing anything to help Israel. Rather, they have bolstered the Palestinians and consistently shown more friendship to the Arab countries. None of this came as any surprise to many of us who looked into Obama’s background before he was elected. Was interesting to see Gates telling the WH there was no real back-up plan concerning Iran and the Bomb. Obama is going to be the sitting president who allows Iran to become nuclear-armed. Heaven help us all.
Obama’s attack on Israel is not unwitting or unintended. It is the result of two decades of brainwashing by his spiritual and moral mentors.
This is false. The Precedent’s hate of Israel is not the result of any brainwashing, but a longstanding part of his personality since the very beginning. To try and give The Precedent some slack and blame his insanity and Jew-hate on Wright and some of the later characters in The Precedent’s life is an attempt to give him some slack that no look at his life would possibly warrant.
The Precedent was friendly with Jew-haters his whole life, so far as we are aware, and the fact that he was born and raised a muslim (muslim father, muslim stepfather, raised as a muslim in the largest muslim country on Earth – one that his commie mother took him to after the commie dictator was overthrown with violence and replaced by a more US-friendly dictator) certainly is something that must be taken into account. Hating Jews is just part of who The Precedent is and looks to always have been part of him.
It is a real shame that American Jews – warned over and over about this – were too dumb and harbored too much self-hate, themselves, to make a reasonable decision about the Indonesian Imbecile. Of course, there aren’t enough Jews in the US to move any election with their votes, save the one truly odd circumstance of a bunch of Palm Beach Jews who were too stupid to understand a butterfly ballot and mistakenly handing the 2000 election to George Bush – thank G-d, but the Jewish vote, otherwise, is too small to do anything by intention.
Anyone who didn’t know that the Indonesian Imbecile was going to go after Israel, set them up to have to take Iran down and then come down on Israel with an eye to destroying the nation, wasn’t paying any attention or was perfectly happy with that situation. Many American Jews are embarrassed by Israel and would prefer that the Jewish state disappeared – so as to stop causing them problems at cocktail parties and democrat political meetings – and will be very happy to see Israel nuked by Iran, or strangled to death by the EU and the US after Israel exercises its right to self-defense. This is the sad truth of today.
I used to wonder how Jews had acted in the run-up to the Holocaust, but now I know. The same sorts of Jews who love the Jew-hater in the White House are encouraging another 6 million to be incinerated and, while they will cry crocodile tears after it happens, it’s clear that they are 100% with that program. I can’t tell you how many liberal Jews I have had to take apart at Shabbat diners and (more ironically) Passover seders. It is an insane situation, but self-hate among liberal Jews has reached a high that hasn’t been seen 80 years and they have been actively working towards the extermination of Israel and the spread of Jew-hate around the world.
This a huge political gamble for BHO and his band of amateurs. Israel is a sovereign nation and will only tolerate insults if, in some way, will benefit them. I think Bebe is holding his cards close to his chest because he knows BHO will betray him. Israel is realigning and redefining at this point because they know they cannot rely on the U.S.
What I wish to know is why BHO feels he can benefit by insulting our only western ally in the middle east and aligning with despots?
I was in Qatar last summer and was amazed to see several squadrons of elegant B-1′s on the tarmac. It would be nice to finish the job for Israel when Iran retaliates but I think BHO will ring his hands and kiss Amadinanuttjob’s a**.
W.W.J.W.D?
What would Jeremiah Wright do?
From what we have learned about Obama…how can we doubt that he has Israel’s destruction in his heart.
He surely bows to Mecca
Also, I believe that average American does not have the slightest idea what he is doing to Israel…I wonder if they understand th implications, or care (at this point)outside their daily lives.
There is a foreign policy school of thought regarding Israel and the Arab states, which was first developed by Henry Kissinger while he was Nixon’s Secretary of Defence, which posits that progress towards peace in the Middle East is directly proportional to the amount of blood being shed. That is, the more bloodshed on both sides, the greater the progress towards peace. Mr. Kissinger apparently based his thinking on the outcome of the 1973 Arab Israeli War which he believes led to the Camp David Peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. Oddly enough, the fact that the same war did not lead to a treaty between Israel and Syria is never mentioned. To put it mildly this idea is of course just plain silly, but apparently Barack Obama and his advisors take it as gospel and may well be trying to stir up a regional conflict which would so damage Israel that Israel would pay practically any price for peace. Of course they believe that since Israel is the “bad guy” in their scenario, they believe that Israel must perforce lose in any war even if as is likely we would win, when the reality is and always has been, that everyone knows how to start a war, the uncertainty is always how the war ends.
Much of Barack Obama’s problem is his immaturity, inexperience, and narcissism. He and his sycophantic followers don’t even realize that their anti Israel stance is really playing with fire. If they embolden the Arabs and Palestinians enough, they will get their war, but as is most likely it will end with Israel even stronger than before after attaining a victory so complete that it will make the Six Day War of 1967 look like a picnic in the park.
Mr. Kissinger apparently based his thinking on the outcome of the 1973 Arab Israeli War which he believes led to the Camp David Peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. Oddly enough, the fact that the same war did not lead to a treaty between Israel and Syria is never mentioned.
What is equally odd is that, while many love to point to the Camp David accords as some great advance in middle east peace (which I do not particularly subscribe to, as the Karin-A came steaming through the Suez with weapons for the palestinians and the flow of weapons across the Sinai border have been continuous) they never note that the fact that the Israel-Syria border has been even quieter than the Israel-Egypt one, and no weapons ever come across the border with Syria.
Well, Ken, Kissinger was never SECDEF… regardless, once a Muslim always a Muslim and there are few Muslims that plead for Israel’s survival. As late as the 70s they shared prosperity along with Lebanon, but those days are long gone.
It’s hard to reconcile the lack of any foreign policy by trying to hide behind attempts at a peace initiative in the Middle East. Most foreign governments yawn at attempts at peace in the Middle East. Yet, with the USA presidents of the past at least being openly supportive, there was a chance. The anointed-one could care less, so chances of a coherent policy are slim. The anointed-one is adrift in the shadow of his own self-importance, like Nero.
You are right, Kissinger was never Secretary of Defence, he was Nixon’s National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, and I might add a very influential person in both those positions. I will only say that it has been almost 40 years since these events and I was a little confused.
But the fact remains that there are those in the Obama administration who really believe that peace between Israel and the Arabs can only be achieved by an Israeli military defeat brought about by America minimizing it’s alliance with Israel.
Obama and these people are playing a most dangerous game and what is most disturbing is they don’t even know it. None of them, especially Obama himself has ever even been in the military, much less fought in a war, or has ever had to take the heartbreaking personal responsibility for directly ordering young men to fight and die in battle.
They are all so full of themselves and how politically clever they are, especially the Narcissist in Charge Barack Obama.
Well, they may get their war and live to regret it.
Those of us who did not vote for Obama saw this coming. We know that you judge someone not by word but by deed and by your choices. A deed and choice includes who you befriend. He befriended some of the most well-known anti-semites in the country. But this is also a kvetchy self-involved man who takes arrogance to an altogether new level. He takes no responsibility for any of his failures and whines like a bratty two-year old that the nation isn’t carrying him on their shoulders like a conquering hero. It is time the American people bring back the checks and balances of our Consitution by voting in as many non democrats as possible into Congress. This way, there will be someone over the next three years who can put the brakes on this inadequate man.
Well there is just this one thing. Jews ought to be used to being scapegoats by now. What’s it been 3500 years that every time some hack pol like Barry needed somebody to pin *”It” on the Jews were front and center. Shouldn’t be a surprise.
*It. Whatever is causing whichever would be ruler of the universe problems. Little stuff like floods, famines, pestilence, bad weather, recalcitrant taxpayers, fiscal failure, gross stupidity, whatever. Blame the Eeeevill Jooos. Trouble is it works.
Mr. Dann:
I wrote about this the other day in another discussion, but I wish someone would answer this question I have about the recent meeting between Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu. I have this gut feeling that the tension during that meeting had nothing to do with Jewish settlements in Jerusalem.
I get this feeling that an argument erupted over Iran and that Iran is a lot, and I mean a lot, closer to producing a nuclear weapon than the Obama administration is willing to publicly admit. Time is running out and Mr. Netanyahu is very close to giving the order to attack Iran. This is enraging Obama becaue it could have dire consequences for American military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, both countries on the border with Iran. An Israeli assault on Iran would most likely mean the closure of the Straits of Hormuz, which would mean skyrocketing oil prices around the world. Economies around the world would be crippled and Iran would probably send troops into both Iraq and Afghanistan as well. Israel would also certainly be attacked by Hamas and Hezbollah, causing a major Mideast War to break out.
All of this is on the table and today, of all days, we have a leaked memo out that the Obama administration has no plans on how to deal with a nuclear-armed Iran, thereby increasing the pressure for a military strike against Iran if they do not stop their nuclear program. I don’t know about you, but I think we’re a few months away from this issue being decided, one way or the other. And, when this thing does come to a boil, it is going to look like the Cuban Missile Crisis in slow motion.
Does anyone else out there think this may be the case?
I think you’re right but keep in mind that no matter what Israel does re: Iran, the Iranians will eventually attack Israel, either directly or through their proxies, Hezbollah & Hamas, possibly as a distraction to prevent an Israeli strike. The recent transfer by Syria of missiles to Hezbollah may also provoke an Israeli preemptive strike on Hezbollah & Syria. This could also involve Iran if they come to Syria’s defense.
I also think that Obama would like to use Israel as a distraction from his abysmal failure re: Iran’s nuclear project, blaming Israel is easier than actually doing something about Iran.
Israel, if you have to fire all your nukes because someone fires one at you, will you please liberate us from Washington D.C.?
“Much of Barack Obama’s problem is his immaturity, inexperience, and narcissism’
His problem is one of total utter arrogance.
There’s a certain cleverness to this argument, where if you see Israeli policy as obviously good and true, then the only possible explanation for Obama’s determination must be something so petty and childish. However, if one recognizes that the United States’ “special” relationship with Israel is in fact troubling its ability to negotiate with other regional powers who (rightly) see U.S. military aid as instrumental to the expansion-and-occupation regime being imposed on Palestinians, then one can see why, yes, Obama’s position on this matter does have some connection to his foreign policy efforts elsewhere. In my opinion, it’s about time an American president started thinking more deeply about whether the interests of the Israeli ruling class really equate with American interests, or even the region’s interests more broadly.
What is utterly appalling and inflammatory is your accusation of anti-Semitism. Israel is a sovereign, grown-up, armed-to-the-teeth state, and it has to be willing to take criticism from other countries without crying out that it is being victimized, particularly by the rich uncle who pays all of the bills for its big guns. It is encouraging to see, more and more, that American Jews are coming to understand that there is a difference between being Jewish and supporting Israel in everything it does, however counterproductive—and, further, that Jewish values might actually call on us to be resolutely and constructively critical of the state that claims to represent us.
You’re a total fool.
Terry in Israel, you’re right, this guy’s a complete fool.
you seem to forget WHY we’re allies with Israel in the first place. it’s because Israel, as a democracy, shares the same beliefs and values we do. read the charter of the Israeli nation and then read Hamas’ charter: you will quickly see the difference.
that’s the reason there will never be peace in the Middle East: because both sides must want it and right now, one side doesn’t want it. it’s in the Arabs’ interest to keep the Palestinian problem going: otherwise, they would have accepted one of the 3 or 4 plans that would have given them all of the West Bank and Gaza and part of Jerusalem.
and sir? the “I’m not anti-Jewish I’m just anti-Zionist” thing is getting old. nobody believes it. you’re just another self-hating Jew who doesn’t realize that once the Islamists take over, they’re going to get you too, even though you’ve done your best to sell out your own people.
Nathan Schneider,
It is the right of every state to decide how its money is used, if at all, by another state that is a beneficiary of it.
It is the right of no state to pressure another state to capitulate to its enemies.
If the “rich uncle” wishes to withdraw aid from Israel, then no argument. Appeasing the Muslims on Israel’s expense, on the other hand, counts for an attack on Israel’s sovereignty.
The Jews did not set up their state after 2000 years to keep on living in subservience to the non-Jews. Live free or die.
Nathan,
You’re wrong on a lot of points; however, the one I’d like to address is your last statement. The Jews of America are becoming increasingly aware that if Obama sells out the Israelis the Jews of America will be next. I don’t think that there will be a Schindler’s List to save any American Jews.
This is plainly and simply another case of obama throwing another US ally under the bus. It is time to throw the male bitch out of the White House. He is an insult to every American advocate of truth, dignity, integrity and self reliance. Since Election 2008 he has constantly proven that he, his wife and his political associates are no friends of the United States, and it is high time to call them out… and BOOT THEM OUT of the seats of American authority and influence. It should have been obvious ALL ALONG that he was never a friend of Israel or of Jews worldwide. So OF COURSE he is using Israel as a scapegoat… and anyone else who dares thwart his insane domestic and foreign policies. And this is FAR FROM BEIING ENOUGH SAID… and will remain so, until he and his ilk are less than footnotes in American history.
Of course he is. It’s the TODDI defense, “the other dude did it.” So the President just finished up the biggest weapons disarmament conference since, well, probably the 30s of the last century: and I feel so much better now that Mexico surrendered some enriched uranium. I no longer have to worry about a Mexican bomb coming across the border. At least in those pre nuclear archaic times Japan and Germany showed up for the Kellogg disarmament conference, but this time, in the nuclear age, Iran and North Korea (a Chinese satellite) were missing in action. Israel was missing too, but the bomb is not really the issue. It’s who has the bomb is the issue. It’s quite obvious that the non-proliferation treaty is a dead letter when anyone can get the bomb, and life will be much safer when everyone, from the Sudan to Australia, has the bomb. Then everyone can have another rock concert in London against climate change while the Sudan practices serial genocide.
Like we believe him any more on this than we did “it’s all Bush’s fault> THat grew old so he has to blame someone or something else. THe mirror is the place to find his biggest problem.
The apartment unit that started all of this…. I read this unit had been under regulatory review by the huge government bureaucracy that requires any & all construction to meet all sorts of requirements. In short, that building had been in the pipeline for at least a year. So, that it was “finally” approved, was really no big deal. Construction is happening in Jerusalem, whether east, west or otherwise, every single day. This was a non-issue that was built up into an issue by hyper partisan media handlers seeking advantage even if based on exaggeration.
Obama has proven to the Israeli people they cannot count on America to help them so long as a liberal is in that office. His demands that Israel do this or that or the other thing, ignore the very real fact that there are no requirements placed on Palestinians to do almost anything. Are they confined to their Gaza or West Bank? Yes. Guess what! Why should any nation permit people entry or passage, when those same people plan, encourage &/or support violent attacks against the very people they are passing by to go from one point to another!
What have Palestinians done w/ the Gaza since they occupied it? What community &/or business infrastructure have they built? They have an entire ocean beside them. They use it to import weapons to mount more attacks. They have homes, they use them as a base to launch rockets indiscriminately, at civilians.
Palestinians have suffered enormously. The UN abandoned & failed Palestinians abysmally. So too did many European nations where anti-semitism remains strong despite speeches where politicians decry it. Refugees from any other nation over the decades, have been settled & long forgotten, but anti-Semites using the UN run a special organization for Palestinians. Its a scam & is as corrupt as the day is long, just like many other UN programs.
If your ideology calls for the death of people or the destruction of an entire nation, it is patently obvious you do not want peace, you want blood.
Palestine was an unorganized wasteland prior to Israel. Now, Muslims who took the name Palestinian, want all to believe they & they alone were its sole occupants & they had been since the dawn of time. Only those who have bought into historic revisionism believe such nonsense.
If Gaza & the responses since Palestinians occupied is an example what would happen if Israel made any additional land concessions, why should Israel make any concessions at all? Especially when Palestinians will make no reasonable or responsible concessions from their side of the issues.
Some will say I make excuses for Israel. Some will say I hate Muslims or Palestinians. None of those accusations would be true. I want peace in the middle east. I want all people to live in peace & prosper. But it takes a desire for peace, to get peace. And by demanding one side make all of the real important concessions, all one is doing is causing that party to fear they would be attacked once they make those concessions.
BTW, just what have other Arab or Muslim nations done for Palestinians since this all started? Pass laws Palestinians cannot become citizens of those nations where in the past refuges were always able to become citizens of the nations they went to. Why is that? Palestinians have allowed themselves to be used by the corrupt regimes in that region. Think about it, the Iranian president says he wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Do Palestinians really believe they would not also be killed & destroyed if he does this? Many other Muslims have decided Palestinians are expendable. They are useful idiots or fodder for those seeking to impose their agenda on all others & those people would kill off anyone, no matter how innocent, just to get their way. Those using Palestinians are as greedy for power & wealth as any capitalist. The difference is, these guys are irresponsible thugs who use their power to force others to do their bidding.
While I agree with the premise of this article, and do believe that Obama hostile towards positions which favor our ally Israel, I really take exception to the title of this article “Is Obama Using Israel as a Scapegoat for His Foreign Policy Failures?”
How would we know? Being Obama has yet to have any real foreign policy successes besides his “winning” in Iraq {cough cough}, I would call Obama an equal opportunity enemy of all our allies. From insulting foreign dignitaries from Britain, to letting Poland hang with broken promises, to making the Dalai Lama walk out the back door through the trash, to designating himself judge in determining boundaries of Jerusalem, Obama’s one common trait is egregious arrogance.
Now if you need a President to grovel and bow to China, Russia, act as proxy for Syria and Iran, then kiss a few Saud rings while on bended knee on the trip back, then we are in the best of hands.
If I thought Obama actually smart enough (I don’t), I might start using the phrases like “
ObamanationAbomination of Desolation.”I realize that Obama is the focal point and most visible cause of the Dem’s willingness to put Israel under the bus, but I think he’s but a figurehead. He was voted in by the masses of Americans, many young, who were voting for fast words, white teeth, and dark skin. Experience and patriotism were not even on the list of values worth considering.
He represents the new America: simple-minded, screen addicted, pleasure and fun seeking, citizens. “Press 2 for English” is becoming our future motto, and if the thought makes you feel ill-at-ease, just do what our current motto recommends, the one heard every 5 minutes during the nightly news, “Call your Doctor.” Americans today are boasting of being bird-brains – we show off our ability to “tweet” and “twitter” with one another. Baba Ram Das may have suggested we “Be Here Now.” But he never envisioned his children considering “now” as too far in the future.
Everything negative about Obama, and the list is long, came out before he was elected. There have been no surprises since. Every negative allegation during the campaign, regardless of how well proven, was attacked as being part of a “smear campaign.” Even John Kerry used it to protect Obama. Trying to make Obama prove where he was born was worthy of attack. If he wasn’t black, he would have been lucky to get 1% of the vote. If his name was O’Brien instead of Obama, he wouldn’t have got far either. Americans don’t appreciate quality, they simply want newness and excitement. Life itself is simply a form of entertainment. A life of intentional infertility – gay/lesbian Pride, warrants parades and movies and Ellen. Not to speak of a demographic black hole.
Nor do I think that most Americans under 30 care much about Iran, or could point it out on map. But what I’ve sensed is that whenever Israel strikes back immediately after being attacked, no one complains. They know that Israel is simply doing what anyone would do if assaulted, assuming we had the guts. It’s been great to read news stories of counter-attacks on Hamas, all with the news blub, “in response to Hamas’s . . . ” No one, besides the BBC, blames Israel. But with the heat on by Iran and its proxies, with Obama bowing out of insulting the oil producers, and with most Americans lost in a world of webs, tweets, and 24-hour entertainment and porn.
It’s time for Israel to make its voice heard. Let every incitement be met by powerful, loud, logic of wisdom, from the land that gave the planet its connection to God. Threatening Israel is not a just a threat against another state – it’s a threat against civilization and the rule of law. Iran, if not for its oil, would be no more than a 21st century barbarian nation. What, if anything, has it contributed to the modern age? In the 21st century it lacks a free press, free speech, a just legal system, or freedom of religion. Its entire worth as a state is based on oil and its entire philosophy of life is based on incitement to genocide against another religious state, and one that it has no logical reason to be against for any reason. They turn rabid at cartoons and Salman Rushdie poems. They still live in the medeival period. Israel should make it clear that after any direct, or indirect attacks on Israel, even Medievalism will become history as they will be set back even further. If they think $100 per barrel oil is still too low, may “no oil” will be their other option should they choose it, since their oil facilities will become useless for a long time.
Nothing coming from this White House has legitimacy.
Dubya should have bombed out Iran; not invaded Iraq.But that would not have produced the gigantic profits that the war in Iraq is still producing, for Dubya’s employers, the Rothschilds.Their current houseboy,B. Hussein O, wants another war in the Palestine area. Why? To make money for his masters,(they will fund both sides), and to help his fellow moslems to destroy Israel. How can he be an atheistic communist and a moslem at the same time? Easy! Both communism and Islam are religions of satan. To deny the existence of the Father of Jesus Christ is atheistic and satanic. To deny that Jesus is the Christ and worship a ficticious entity instead is also satanic. So, the proble here is satanism.
But Israel does not “have to be willing to take criticism from other countries”. Her border disputes are none of our business.
We must say to the world, “Israel is our friend. When you attack Israel, you attack us. And, whatever you do to us, we will do to you; times 138.73!!
Therein lies the contradiction in Obama’s, and the entire Democratic party’s policy in the M.E. with regard to Israel, the one that turns the policy into a complete sham. On the one hand we do consider Israel a friend – actually the only one in the region. We clearly can’t consider Iraq, Pakistan, or Afghanistan a friend – they will and have turned on us like a pit bull. Yet Israel is such a close friend that our president and his cabinet become incensed and insulted if it announces a new apartment complex! God forbid if they were also to be furnished – they might have had a stroke. Our government seems more concerned about Israel’s acts as an independent state than our own state of California. When is the last time anyone remembers Obama making any meaningful comments about California. Yes, Israel is like a close brother, and in many ways America’s older brother spiritually.
But the fraudulent nature of this close relationship is that the U.S. brother never complains out loud when Israel is either physically or verbally attacked by its surrounding oil despots. The complaints are always the other direction: open the border crossings; stop building; don’t fight back disproportionately; give back more prisoners; give more land and water. From Israel the Democrats continually ask for more; but they never yell “stop” to its adversaries. Has the U.S. ever so much as hinted to Egypt about their own policies, despite giving them the same amount of money as Israel?
Thank you for your interesting and evocative post, Progressoverpeace (#12) with respect to your comments on and discussion about self-hating Jews. It is and has been an area of interest of mine for several decades, particularly as I think I, myself, fell into that psychological territory and it was only short of a miracle, staying in Israel because one daughter converted (non-Jewish mother) and married an Israeli thereby allowing me the opportunity to reside in Israel. This phenomenon of self-hatred also appears to be taking place in Israel as well. I think it is most prevalent amongst Ashkenazi Jews in the diaspora whose plight is to retain their (watered down) Judaism while fitting into their respective European or North American communities. Israel has become an embarrassment to such Jews because they want so badly to fit in and fear defending Israel. This has also come about due the poor religious education received by them in their diaspora communities. Parents of such Jews were ashamed of their own Jewishness and their Jewish looks and mannerisms while still, in spite of themselves, retained and passed on these very characteristics to their children. Even within the United States, the German Jews were ashamed of their Polish and Russian brethern who came teeming into America around 1890-1910. The intent of fitting in on the part of American Jewry was so strong that even during WWII there are clear indications that American Jewry, at least the leadership, did not want to help concentration camp Jews (see David Wyman, America and the Holocaust and learn about the Bergson Group). At any rate, I am still trying to understand this brutal psychological phenomenon. Thanks for bringing it up with reference to the above article by Moshe Dann.
Thanks for the kind words, Robert.
My view on self-hate among Jews, and Westerners in general, is pretty simple. It seems to me that it comes down to one of the risks that any individualistic society must assume and marks the main difference between the West and the arab/persian/muslim world. It is:
Individualism/Guilt/Atonement versus Tribalism/Shame/Revenge
Individualistic cultures use guilt as the main control mechanism. Guilt is a very individual and private mechanism, as no one needs to know what I’ve done for me to feel guilt. It is enough that I, and my G-d, know for the guilt to work its way inside me.
Guilt is also individualistic in that I cannot be made to feel guilty for something that someone else has done. It must be my action (or inaction) – by my individual free will – that I can be guilty about. And, when I feel guilt, the only way to alleviate it is to atone for my actions, or my transgressions – which is, again, a personal response that applies only to me to make good the harm I have done to others. Because of this extremely private and individual nature of the guilt mechanism, it is the standard control that individualistic societies are built upon.
Shame, on the other hand, is quite the oppoosite. Shame is a public notion. I cannot be shamed unless someone else knows about it. It must be public knowledge for the shame to appear. Further, shame is out of the control of the individual. I can be shamed by the actions of another, without any input on my part, whatsoever. I am at the mercy of others, and of rules beyond my control, in shame. And, when I feel shame, the way to alleviate it is to exact revenge on those who are thought to have brought the shame on me.
Now, with guilt, as it is totally individualistic and private, it is totally within each individual. The problem is that a certain percentage of people will just not be able to deal with the normal guilt mechanism – like children who can’t watch a horror movie without having nightmares for weeks on end, even though they know that the movie is just fantasy. For some people, their imaginations just run out of control. So, for some number, the normal guilt mechanism runs out of control and they are overwhelmed with illusory feelings of guilt. The only way they can ever alleviate these feelings is to atone for them, but one cannot atone for illusory feelings that have no basis in reality. So, in their desire to rid themselves of this overpowering, though illusory, guilt, many place the blame for their situation on those who instilled the guilt reflex in them (their parents, and thus, their culture) and turn to the ultimate act of atonement in their effort to free their twisted personalities – the sacrifice of those who remind them of themselves and their culture. Therefore, Western, guilt-based cultures tend to develop a certain percentage of self-haters. Judaism, using the guilt mechanism more than others in the Judeo-Christian complex, generate a higher percentage of these illusory-guilt ridden self haters – though Western Christian cultures are certainly not far behind in that respect (though Europeans do retain a good deal of their tribal roots, as seen in their generally tribal systems of government – where the political party is the fundamental element, as opposed to the individualistic US where political parties are not even Constitutionally recognized entities).
To me, this is why the West generates suicidal, self-hating maniacs while the arab/persian/muslim world generates homicidal, extra-cultural maniacs. I figure that these self-haters are just the price that a culture has to pay to be individualistic, in exchange for the immensely constructive power of individualism.
Sorry for the rant, Robert. I just wanted to cover all the main parts of my thesis. This is how the situation has appeared to me, for some time, and it has served as a reasonable explanation to my mind. Anyway, that’s how I see it all.
Dr. Daniel Pipes is right – only when the Arabs suffer a total humiliating defeat at the hands of Israel will there be a chance for peace. The history for thousands of years of this little piece of land is that whoever is strongest keeps it. Israel must do whatever it takes for its survival and not worry about what the rest of the world thinks, because the world will never love Israel or Jews no matter what they do.
First of all I have to say that I am an ardent supporter of Israel and have fought many blog wars on PJM to attest to it. Here is a reality. Should Israel attack Iran tomorrow, here is what it going to happen: The Strait of Hormus will be closed by Iran choking the World’s economies. It will trigger world wide depression and a world wide backlash against Jews. Europe will be set on fire by its own Moslem hordes. America will suffer a long string of internal attacks akin to 9/11. That would be the immediate result of such an attack.
In the long term, Europe would wake up and address its own Moslem problem. America would also finally wake up and address its Moslem problem along with its neighbors like Hugo Chavez. In the end America would come out stronger, no longer reliant on foreign oil and have its house in order.
What I think is totally ironic is that Obama is forcing Israel’s hand. It has left Israel no choice but to go it alone. Now what could have been avoided earlier, by America acting as the super power it is, will surely happen. The Obama’s administration will forever be remembered as the one that caused the Third World War.
There is no doubt that Obama is setting Israel up to be the scapegoat for issues with Iran. He’s created a perfect storm. As #32, Belly of the beast said, Israel must do what it must do to protect herself. The world will never love Jews and Israel no matter what. Unfortunately, as sentiments towards Jews wax and wane, Obama has nurtured an atomosphere that is particularly negative, blaming and dangerous.
Let Israel play its own “oil weapon.” In many ways its even stronger than Iran’s, which depends totally on oil for revenue with 50% of its massive gasoline needs coming from daily imports. The mere threat to counter-attack and shut down its oil lifelines would spark a gasoline rush in Iran and no doubt to shortages there. Israel can make clear that the price of oil, whether it goes to $100 or $400 a barrel, will have no effect on its decision to defend itself from imminent attack.
Under international law, the threat of imminent warfare and attack by an adversary, especially one becoming nuclear, is justification for counter-measures of prevention. Should Israel threaten to unilaterally enforce U.N. mandates against Iran’s military buildup in Lebanon – an imminent threat, and with that threat to take out Iran’s oil export-import facilities should it become involved, it will make Iran think twice about assisting its proxies. The U.N. should be continually and publically exposed as a peace-inhibiting entity, controlled by blocks, not law.
Israel, which does not depend on oil exports for its survival, but which could take down the Goliath oil exporting and gas-guzzline Iranian economy, is the only one holding the “oil card.”
Sadly, we are all stuck with this administration and its abysmal foreign policy for another three years. It is foolish to hope that the Obama administration will eventually see the light and return to our traditional policy of strong support for Israel. I suspect that the Israelis will have to go it alone for a while and can not rely on much help or support from the US government. Perhaps this tragedy will cause Jewish Americans to re-examine their habit of knee-jerk allegiance to the Democrats.
Yes. And, one can hope.
So we have a president who is nationalizing businesses, demonizing his enemies, ridiculing and almost outright supressing dissent, and is now blaming Jews for the world’s problems.
Can we call him Hitler yet?
I refer to him as Robert Mugabe. At least Hitler was pro his own country.
Obama is attempting to bring down Israel.Moshe Dann sees this clearly.
What the Americans in general do not see is that Obama is bringing down America.
frantic layout. This topic has not been addressed enough?
consider the complementary viewpoint:
S.- South Korea drills are raising tension on the Korean peninsula that “a war may break out any time,” the statement said. The annual South Korea-U.