American Jews Still Refuse to See the Light on Obama
Posted By Rich Baehr On June 24, 2009 @ 12:09 am In Culture, Israel,
Politics, US News, World News
Two recent public opinion surveys released in Israel and the United States
demonstrate that the campaign by President Obama and members of his
diplomatic team to criticize and isolate Israel over the issue of
settlements in the West Bank is having an impact in both countries.
In Israel, a survey sponsored by the Jerusalem Post revealed a stunning
result: just [1] 6% of Israeli Jews now regard the U.S. president as
pro-Israel. Another 86% regard Obama as either pro-Palestinian (50%) or
neutral between the two parties (36%). No American president has ever been
viewed in Israel this way, and it has taken but five months for the
Israelis to come to understand the new reality in U.S.-Israeli relations
that the special relationship and friendship between the two countries has
ended, at least at the level of the U.S. president and his administration.
A second survey conducted by the Israel Project to measure support for
Israel or the Palestinians in the United States indicates that the
withering criticism of Israel by the new administration has taken a toll
on support for Israel in the U.S. In five months, support for Israel [2]
has dropped from 57% to 49%
The administration has made three arguments in support of its new tougher
approach with Israel:
1. The Israeli settlements are at the core of the conflict between
Israel and the Palestinians.
2. The Israel-Palestinian conflict, and in particular, the perception
that the U.S. is on Israels side, is a primary reason for Muslim hostility
to the U.S.
3. If Israel wants the United States and other nations to increase
pressure on Iran to end its nuclear program, it needs to stop settlement
growth and be prepared to abandon all settlements in the West Bank (as it
did in Gaza) and retreat to the green line (the pre-Six Day War border).
This last argument fully encapsulates the Saudi peace plan, which may be
why the president bowed to the Saudi prince when they met. While it may
not be good to appear to be pro-Israel, appearing to be pro-Muslim and
pro-Saudi is just fine.
Unfortunately for the Obama team, the current unrest in Iran has been
inconvenient for their three-part fairy tale of the conflict; making nice
to the mullahs and casting aside Israel has not made the mullahs more
reasonable and open to the West. So too, it would be hard to argue with a
straight face that al-Qaeda would have abandoned their 9/11 attacks if
only Israel had frozen settlement growth.
It is also inconvenient for Obama that the Islamic terror group Hamas,
which controls Gaza, continues to reject any reconciliation with the
Palestinian Authority, rejects Israels right to exist anywhere, and
rejects any end to the use of violence to achieve its goals. For Hamas,
Israeli settlements that need to be abandoned include Haifa and Tel Aviv.
Finally, it has been inconvenient that the administrations point person on
Iran, Ambassador Dennis Ross, now moved into the White House to a new job,
has specifically dismissed the linkage between the Israeli Palestinian
conflict and the Iranian nuclear program.
The administration has made a bet that by focusing on settlements, an
issue that has been controversial both within Israel and among American
Jews, it can divide and conquer. There are many liberal Jews who are
totally in thrall to the Obama agenda on domestic issues and to Obama
personally (psychiatric textbooks could be written on this latter item,
but regrettably, they would need to be autobiographical).
During the campaign, there was concern among some liberal Jews about
Obamas history and long friendship with people hostile to Israel such as
Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Professor Rashid Khalidi, Ali Abunimah, and
Samantha Power. To counter this, the campaign rolled out a chorus line of
Chicago Jews who could swear for Obamas bona fides as to his love for both
Israel and the Jews. For most liberal Jews, Israel is an issue but not
the issue. Abortion rights, separation of church and state, stem cell
research, universal health care, saving the planet these issues are what
ignite real political passion for many liberal Jews, not support for
Israel. When I [3] appeared on a panel for the NJDC at the Democratic
convention, people in the audience seemed annoyed that the subjects of
support for Israel or the Iranian threat were even raised as issues.
But the poll results from Israel have got to be worrying to the Obama
team. Liberal Jews are a critically important fundraising group and voter
bloc for Democrats. With the economy remaining very weak and Obamas
national [4] approval ratings sagging, the 2010 midterm elections and the
presidential race in 2012 could be more competitive than were the
Democratic sweeps in 2006 and 2008.
Will some liberal Jews step back, uncomfortable with the perception that
Obama is hostile to Israel? Has Obama crossed a threshold among Jewish
voters, much as Jimmy Carter did in 1979-1980, leading to a greatly
diminished level of Jewish support in his run for re-election (Carter won
but 45% of the Jewish vote in 1980).
To counter this perception, the lapdogs of the Jewish left in particular,
[5] J-Street (a group whose real mission seems to be to reduce the power
and influence of AIPAC) and [6] the NJDC are furiously spinning how Obama
is still fond of Israel and the right choice for peace (which presumably
is just around the corner if only Israel caved on the settlements issue).
It is too early to tell if Obamas near daily haranguing of Israel has cost
him any substantial Jewish support at home. Blindness, after all, is not
cured by taking off an eye patch. And to be sure, Obama has more public
relations skills and personal charm than Carter ever had, and a far more
compliant canine-like obedient national media committed to protecting the
Obama brand.
But there is anxiety out there among some liberal Jews about Obamas cold
hand to Israel, coupled with Irans nuclear program, which despite all the
current turmoil is full steam ahead at the moment. Some Democratic members
of the House and Senate are clearly sensing there is a problem with a
normally reliable constituency group. In recent days [7] Senator Menendez
of New Jersey and even Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have created some
space between themselves and Obama by reiterating their traditional
support for Israel. So far, there is no evidence that the Obama team
(including Hillary Clinton and George Mitchell) is backing off its
settlement mantra.
As cautious as Obama has been in refusing to support the Iranians on the
streets, he has been quite abrupt in his willingness to cast aside decades
of ties between the U.S. and Israel. Israeli Jews have caught on that the
emperor is not wearing any clothes. Will American Jews wake up as well?
Article printed from Pajamas Media: http://pajamasmedia.com
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/american-jews-still-refuse-to-see-the-light-on-obama/
Also see http://inyourface.info/
