Charlotte Front and Center

Obama is Abandoning Our Best Friend: Israel

Image via Wikipedia

Ours is a country built more on people than on territory. The Jews will come from everywhere: from France, from Russia, from America, from Yemen... Their faith is their passport...David Ben Gurion

In 2005,the Israelis left Gaza in an effort to bring peace. This didn't bring peace,only bombs.

Since 1948, American Presidents have supported Israel, but that all changed when Obama became president. This past week Obama demanded that Israel stop the construction of twenty housing units in East Jerusalem. Israel refuses noting that Jerusalem is off the table for discussion.

The Palestinians to this very day do not accept the existence of Israel.  The biggest hindrance to peace, is Iran,a nuclear bomb, and repeated threats to wipe out the state of Israel -another final solution.

American Jews have consistently voted for Democrats with the exception of Ronald Reagan. So, will Obama's actions and obvious dislike for Israel be realized by American Jews and cause them to turn their backs on this President?

How far Jewish voters allow Obama to go with his anti-Israeli policies remains to be seen.  With the demonstrations against Obama in Jerusalem, and the beginning of grumblings from more moderate Jewish democrats in America, makes one wonder what limits Jewish loyalty goes for Obama as he attempts to humiliate and pressure America's loyal friend.

Unfortunately, Obama and most Democrats feel that the younger American Jews are not as concerned about Israel. We know for certain that Obama and the Democrats in Washington have no admiration for the Jewish homeland.

Israeli Protesters Calls Obama "Racist"

Almost 2,000 Israeli's protested Obama's demands for Israelis to refrain from natural growth settlements in the West Bank,and all other territory in question.

There were calls for George Mitchell to "go home", and accusations of Obama as a "racist" as the Israeli protesters gathered in front of the American consulate in Jerusalem.

from World Net Daily

The outrage from protesters has been aggravated by the fact that the State Department summoned the Israeli Ambassador last week and demanded that all Israeli construction immediately stop on a building project in east Jerusalem.

Netanyahu has made it clear to Obama that Jerusalem is not up for discussion. Netanyahu  said on Sunday: "Imagine what would happen if someone were to suggest Jews could not live in or purchase [property] in certain neighborhoods in London, New York, Paris or Rome..."

Many other Israelis find it discriminatory allowing Bedouins to settle on hilltops while removing Jews from hilltops in the West Bank.

Israel has rejected calls from the Obama administration to halt construction in Jerusalem, saying it will not bow to U.S. pressure especially when it concerns Jerusalem.

Obama Shows a Lot of Sole to Israel

Obama does claim to be a citizen of the world. Wouldn't Obama's exposure to the Arab world and their customs be preparation enough to follow thoughtful protocol? We all learned from George Bush's experience how shoes and their soles are considered "unclean" in the Arab world. Either way, the bottoms of Obama's shoes being front and center as he talked to the Israeli Prime Minister was probably too casual if not downright insulting to the Israeli people.

Time Magazine gave a lesson about Arabs and "shoe insults" :Shoes, and feet in general, get a bad rap in Arab culture. The language is peppered with insults referring to feet. To say that someone or something is "like my foot" or "like my shoe" means that the person or object is of no importance and beneath you. Sitting cross-legged in a manner in which the sole of a foot is pointing toward an Arab is also a grave insult.

The reason so many people are skeptical of Obama's behavior in showing his shoe soles is because of other bodily mannerisms used to insult his foes in the past as with Hillary Clinton during the 2008 primaries: brushing the flaky dirt off his shoulders for the crowds after Clinton had smeared Obama in a debate on ABC;and the accidental bird given to Hillary, as he pauses to scratch his cheek while the the crowd buzzes with laughter.

Obama seems to appreciate symbolism. It is just that there is beginning to be a record amount of evidence to wonder if this is all "accidental." Consider that never does Obama say a word when delivering these symbolic messages,but he is certain to be in front of the cameras. The behavior is immature for sure, but some in the crowd,including Obama, really play to signs and symbolism.

Defiant Israelis Build Obama Huts

Some  Israelis responded to Obama's speech at Cairo University with the construction of Obama Huts in Oz Yehonatan in answer to Obama's demand for Israeli's to discontinue any expansion of settlements. According to the Jerusalem Post:On Thursday, settlers and right-wing activists once again rebuilt the illegal Maoz Esther outpost that was dismantled on Wednesday by security forces.

A caller into Rush Limbaugh's program the other day had this to say: "Having made several trips to Israel, I can tell you this: that there is not enough land for Israel to cede to the Palestinians to ever pacify their objective. They will not be happy until every Jew is gone from Israel. That is their objective".

What many people fail to realize is that Israel has every reason to feel skeptical about ceding anymore land to the Palestinians. What did ceding Gaza due for Israel's security? Have the Palestinians built anything? All the money America has poured into this region has gone for war against Israel. What assurance does Obama offer Israel?

According to the Earth Times: Netanyahu - who took office two months ago following elections on February 10 in which the right-wing bloc of parties headed by his Likud won a majority - has vowed he will not freeze construction within existing settlements, and instead focus on uprooting the unauthorized outposts.

Israeli Protesters tell Obama: " No, You Can't "

Not all is rosy with Israel as some 250 protesters appeared at the U.S. Consulate to let Obama know they are not happy with his new Mid-East policy. Their rallying cry to Obama: "No,you can't."

A report comes from Newsmax: According to the Jerusalem Post, speakers at the rally included Knesset member Michael Ben-Ari, the wife of convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, and activist-rabbi Shalom Gold. 

Mr. Obama… be a friend of Israel… but even if you won't be, we have the greatest ally in the world," Rabbi Gold said pointing skyward to heaven, the newspaper reported.

The Jewish National Front,who backed the protests, had this statement: "From the moment that he entered the White House, we have been feeling anti-Semitism and hatred toward Israel," the statement continued. "We have a number of plans, among which are demonstrations in the US and protests in front of the consulate and homes of the ambassadors.

In answer to these protests, leftwing protesters plan a peace march in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.

Obama's Slow Abandonment of Israel

Obama can not fix the problems in the 'Muslim World".  "Fixing" the problems mean endangerment to Israel's security, and by this we see Obama moving the United States away from the support of Israel...ever so slowly abandoning Israel's security. As Maylik Kalin says at Forbes in regards to the Arab world finding peace: The Muslims themselves cannot, have not been able to since the advent of the Prophet, except by force, and then only temporarily. Hence the endless roll call of rampant ids in Islamic history: Abbasids, Fatimids, Timurids, Safavids, Aghlabids, Almoravids, Ayyubids and Ghaznavids, to name a few--and that's without the dynasties that end id-lessly such as Moguls, Ottomans, Seljuks and the like.

Dennis Prager gives ideas for what he thinks Obama should say in his upcoming,long-expected speech to the "Muslim World": While I recognize that gratitude is the rarest positive human quality, I need to say — because candor is the highest form respect — that America has not only not received little gratitude from the Muslim world, it has been the object of hatred, mass murder, and economic attack from Muslim individuals, groups, and countries.

Again, today Obama says it acceptable for Iran to develop its nuclear capacity for peaceful means, and if not,what would Obama Propose? In no uncertain words he has told Israel to put a freeze on building in its settlements.  Yet, Obama has no idea how Israel is to successfully achieve this aim anymore than he has known what to do with Gitmo Detainees! 

We know how secure Israel feels with Obama's talk of peace and Iran's nuclear development... Israel reacted yesterday with nationwide bomb drills.

Obama: Not Expected To Get Tough On Israel

Only this weekend we heard the screaming bellows from Hamas that Obama was keeping quiet on Israel.  In fact, the silence has been truly deafening.  Where was the Obama call for Israel to bring an immediate ceasefire?  Sorry!  Many have misconstrued Obama's call for change. He didn't mean you, or you, or that issue when talking about change.

Probably there will be a "Bush" approach to Israel. This isn't what Britain and the rest of Europe want to hear.  Though Obama has many anti-Israeli memebers in his cabinet, they won't have the sway with policy-making that some would like.  The fact is, that this wasn't suppose to be on Obama's "to-do list" to start with. Gerard Baker of Times Online calls it "Oabam's Middel East Enigma". Obama may change some of the approach with his wording, but all-in-all expect a Bush-Cheney approach.  I can hear some liberals now!

Consider one thing that is very primary in this: Hillary Clinton.  During her early years, she had some sympathy towards Arafat having toured the Palestinian Refugee Camps in 1992.  Yet, after many years of serving as senator from New York, she  had a change of heart, never looked back, and has been steadfast in her loyalty to Israel.

Read About This More in Detail Below:

From The Times

January 2, 2009

Don't expect Obama to get tough with Israel

The President-elect has much more important priorities than a radical change of direction on the Middle East

Gerard Baker

As the new year begins to the depressingly familiar noise of war in the Middle East, a pregnant silence is all that can be heard from Barack Obama.

This is, of course, only proper. The President-elect has political decorum and the prerogatives of diplomacy on his side. Every day his spokesman patiently reminds reporters clamouring for a hint of direction that there is only one President and that he is, if only now for the next 18 days, George W. Bush.

But it is an especially intriguing sort of silence. ...continued

Hillary's View On Gaza

The world, and in particular the Arab world, is closely watching every move made by Hillary Clinton and Obama as events unfold in the Middle East.  Much progress was underway in peace negotiations, but now it looks like Hillary Clinton will pick up where her husband left off.

In fact, it was Bill Clinton who told the incoming Secretary of State, Colin Powell, to never trust the "son-of-a-bitch", referring to Yasser Arafat.  At that time, Hillary expressed a lot of sympathy for the Palestinian plight due to a trip made to refugee camps in 1998, but had changed her views over time while serving as senator. Since those early days, Hillary has become more hawkish in her views, which does cause concern among Arab leaders. Though Obama expresses support for Israel, the Arab world doesn't seem to hold the degree of anxiety as it does with Hillary Clinton.

Yet for now, Clinton and Obama can only watch.

Source: Times On-Line, Tony Allen- Mills

Israel Watches Obama Closely

Day One: Obama faces a Cold War threat and a warning from Israel
By JOE MURPHY
Last updated at 1:39 AM on 07th November 2008

from Mail Online
excerpt
Barack Obama was confronting a looming international crisis just hours after his White House election triumph.

The U.S. President-elect faced a triple threat with Russia, Israel and Afghanistan all threatening to test his mettle.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was first to lay down a challenge to America's new leader - by increasing tension in a stand off reminiscent of the Cold War.

In a provocative speech from the Kremlin, he threatened to base warheads along the Polish border if Mr Obama goes forward with a Bush administration plan to create a missile shield in Eastern Europe.
Then Israel warned last night that the new U.S. Commander-in-Chief's campaign claim that he was ready to open talks with Iran could be seen in the Middle East as a sign of weakness.

After eight years of staunch support from President Bush, the Israelis are now watching Mr Obama closely - even though he does not take power until January - looking for indicators as to how he will handle the nuclear threat from Tehran.

'We live in a neighbourhood in which dialogue - in a situation where you have brought sanctions and you then shift to dialogue - is liable to be interpreted as weakness,' said Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni.

Asked if she supported any U.S. talks with Iran, she quickly said: 'The answer is no.'

In a step that will further increase Israel's anxiety about Obama, Tehran announced last night that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had broken a 29-year tradition and sent his congratulations to the President-elect - the first time an Iranian leader has offered such wishes since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Ahmadinejad congratulated the Democrat on 'attracting the majority of voters in the election'.

He said he hoped Obama will 'use the opportunity to serve the (American) people and leave a good name for history' during his term in office.

Iran and the U.S. have had no formal diplomatic relations since 1979 when militant Iranian students held 52 Americans captive 444 days.