Many
Americans, and particularly Jews, are starting to receive mailings encouraging
them to vote for or donate to the reelection campaign of President Barack Obama
by arguing that he is pro-Israel. Several readers have asked me to provide them
with responses. Here is a brief answer.
These
emails and mailings, though designed to look as if they were written by
concerned individuals, clearly draw their texts from talking points posted on
the Obama reelection site. The arguments are very thin and selective but are
presented as if they represent the totality of Obama policy.
The
main arguments are:
1. Obama
says he likes Israel.
That's
nice but so what? Of course it is good when he says nice things (by
coincidence, no doubt, usually to Jewish audiences) but one can also find a lot
of nasty remarks by him, his advisors, and various officials appointed by him.
Every president for the last half-century has said similar nice things; not all
the presidents put together during this period have said or done so many
hostile things. While it is a great exaggeration to say that Obama hates Israel
or wants to destroy it, I think it is fair to say that no president (including
Jimmy Carter when in office) has been so cold toward Israel and basically
failed to understand its nature and interests.
2.
Israeli leaders say Obama is great.
Yes,
that's nice but it's not what they say in private. I can tell you
authoritatively that not a single Israeli leader in any party has a high
opinion of Obama with regard to Israel and its interests. But it is their job
to lavish praise on America’s president. Their task is not to defeat Obama or
to critique him but to get along with him as well as possible in order to
protect Israel's long-term alliance with the United States without
sacrificing any of Israel's vital interests. They've done it well. The one
moment the truth emerged was when Obama betrayed Israel, on the diplomatic
level, by announcing, without consultation, a new policy on peace terms while
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was flying to Washington. You think Israeli
leaders (and this is not ideological, not a matter of left or right) have a
high regard for Obama? Read Netanyahu's speech to the joint session of
Congress.
Perhaps
the equation can be summarized as follows: Obama just gave Israeli
President Shimon Peres a presidential medal of freedom. He also has just helped
give Israel a second Muslim Brotherhood-dominated regime next door and insists
that this is a good thing.
3.
US-Israel bilateral relations are good especially with regard to military aid
That’s
true but only a small part of that relates to Obama’s benevolence. Why?
a.
Congress supports Israel. There was more pushback against Obama from
Democratic members on this issue than on any other, foreign or domestic. Thus,
Israel is the only “target” of Obama whose constituency has vocal defenders
within his own party that raise the cost of his actions against it, at least
during his first term. (Note that last phrase.)
b.
The same applies to public opinion, which is strongly pro-Israel. This factor
also inhibits Obama, at least during his first term. (Note that last phrase.)
c.
. Regarding military relations, the U.S. armed forces are generally quite
pro-Israel and want these programs. Many of them are based on previous
commitments which Obama merely continues.
4.
An especially important reason why Obama’s Administration hasn’t been far
more hostile to Israel in practice is that the Arabs and Iran shafted it.
Remember that Obama offered to support the Palestinians, pressure Israel, and
accelerate talks if only the Arab states and Palestinian Authority showed some
flexibility. They repeatedly rejected his efforts—refusing even to talk--giving
him no opportunity or incentive to press Israel for concessions. Note, too,
though, that the repeated humiliations handed him by the Arabs never made him
criticize them publicly, change his general line, or back Israel more
enthusiastically.
-------------------
Barry Rubin, Israel:
An Introduction (Yale
University Press) is the first comprehensive book providing a well-rounded
introduction to Israel, a definitive account of the nation's past, its often
controversial present, and much more. It presents a clear and detailed view of
the country’s land, people, history, society, politics, economics, and culture.
This book is written for general readers and students who may have little
knowledge but even well-informed readers tell us they’ve learned new
things.Please click here to purchase your copy and get more information on the
book. http://www.gloria-center.org/israel-an-introduction/
-------------------
5.
Finally, there’s the most important factor of all. The damage Obama has
done to Israeli security is not on bilateral relations or the peace process but
regarding his regional policy. This includes his:
--Soft
line toward antisemitic, anti-Israel, and also anti-American Islamism.
--Support
for overturning the Mubarak regime and encouragement for a Muslim Brotherhood
takeover there. During the 2011 crisis, Obama never even consulted Israel. The
outspoken antisemitism, calls for genocide against Israel's citizens, and
support for anti-Israel terrorism by the Muslim Brotherhood have had no effect
on Obama's policy and brought no criticism by the U.S. government of that
movement.
This
point must be underlined. Do not forget for one moment that the Brotherhood is
an explicitly antisemitic movement that calls for genocide against Jews in and
often outside of Israel. It has never to the tiniest degree criticized or
repented for its strong support for Nazi Germany. It is in fact that most
important antisemitic movement in the world today. Anyone who claims that this
movement is in fact moderate, denying its antisemitism and genocidal
intentions, and helps it to achieve power is acting profoundly against the
interests of Israel and of the Jewish people. Period.
--His
soft line toward Hizballah in Lebanon, including breaking promises made to
Israel to keep terrorists out of south Lebanon.
--Pressure
on Israel to reduce sanctions on the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip greatly
empowered that radical antisemitic movement.
--The
Obama Administration has been passive about the Fatah-Hamas merger and has
virtually never criticized or pressured the Palestinin Authority.
--By
distancing himself from Israel (something that everyone in the world knows
except about 60 percent of American Jews) he has encouraged Israel’s enemies to
be bolder and bystanders to themselves move away from Israel.
--One
of his worst actions has been to come close to worshipping Turkey’s Islamist
regime despite its tremendous hostility toward Israel. Obama’s passivity has
helped turn the Turkish-Israel alliance into something verging on cold war.
Since the Turkish regime continues to be rewarded by Obama despite doing things
like getting Israel barred from the NATO meeting and indicting Israeli officers
over the Gaza flotilla confrontation, Ankara has no incentive to stop or reduce
its enmity.
--In
Syria he has supported the installation of an Islamist leadership for the
opposition movement, posing a tremendous potential future danger for Israel.
--Regarding
Iran, Obama was very slow to take up the battle against the nuclear weapons
campaign. Despite the relatively high level of sanctions (for which Congress
deserves a lot of the credit) one can well doubt his future determination to
battle Tehran. He also failed to support the Iranian opposition.
--And
by weakening American credibility and alliances, Obama has undermined the U.S.
ability to protect its own interests which, in turn, hurts Israel’s security.
There’s
a lot more and each of the factors above can be amplified with lots of examples
and documentation. All of this far overwhelms the very short “pro-Obama”
list.
Did
I mention that during a second term he won’t need to worry about fundraising or
running for election again?
Barry
Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA)
Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA)
Journal. His
book, Israel: An Introduction, has just been published by Yale University
Press. Other recent books include The
Israel-Arab Reader (seventh edition), The Long War for Freedom: The Arab
Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East (Wiley), and The Truth About Syria (Palgrave-Macmillan).
The website of the GLORIA Center and
of his blog, Rubin Reports. His
original articles are published at PJMedia.
Professor Barry Rubin, Director, Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center http://www.gloria-center.org
The Rubin Report blog http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/
He is a featured columnist at PJM http://pajamasmedia.com/barryrubin/.
Editor, Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal http://www.gloria-center.org
Editor Turkish Studies,http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~db=all~content=t713636933%22
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