Apparently Some in Israel Don’t Think the Relationship is so “Special”
President Obama spoke at the U.N. today and the reaction from the far right in Israel (ie. the Israeli government) was swift and fierce:
Rightist Knesset members slammed American President Barack Obama Thursday over his remarks during a speech at the United Nations General Assembly.
Responding to the president’s call for an extension of the West Bank settlement freeze, Likud MK Danny Danon said “Obama is invited to turn on CNN Sunday and watch the bulldozers resuming construction in Eretz Yisrael.”
“A person who presents the freeze as a condition for peace is completely detached (from reality,) and will apparently not get to be a partner for peace in the Middle East,” he said.
You know, I absolutely support Israel but this is just nonsense. Let me get this straight-if the U.S. government dares even to suggest that Israel stop building illegal settlements during negotiations over a two state solution as the administration did last year and is sort of doing now, that is considered totally inappropriate by Israel and the AIPAC crowd here in the U.S. because it’s seen as interference, and worse, a criticism of Israel. However, it is absolutely acceptable for Israeli politicians to criticize and lash out at the U.S. President in the most hyperbolic, obnoxious way and there is not one peep from the AIPAC crowd or Israeli officials in support of the U.S. administration? Nice double-standard. So we can’t criticize Israel or even make a request that they temporarily adhere to international law, but they can use the U.S. President as their political doormat? We have to constantly prove we support Israel, but not the other way around? Got it.
And there is more goodwill from our special friends:
Meanwhile, leaders of the Lobby of the Eretz Israel Front in the Knesset, MKs Zeev Elkin and Arieh Eldad, also slammed Obama’s call to extend the settlement construction freeze, calling it “inappropriate intervention.”
According to lobby members, the American president’s statement was an attempt to “forcefully overturn the democratic decision of the citizens of Israel, who voted in favor of strengthening the settlements in Judea and Samaria and against concessions and withdrawal.”
“Inappropriate intervention?” I have an idea, how about we have the U.S. taxpayer stop intervening inappropriately in Israel’s internal affairs by giving them billions of dollars a year? I mean, if Israel finds the terms of the relationship so unwelcome and unfair that it actually undermines their democracy, then perhaps they don’t need our financial aid or our CONSTANT diplomatic intervention on their behalf? I mean, we don’t want to interfere! Also, it’s nice to know that citizens of a country can vote away international law. I bet that wouldn’t go over so well if another country like say, Iran, claimed the ability to do that.
To view this animated banner you need to have Flash Player 9 or newer installed and JavaScript enabled. This 
secretaryclinton.wordpress.com 
Hey, that’s nothing. Last year some Israeli politician called Obama one of the biggest threats to Israel and said he wanted to enact Sharia law- and he said this on the floor of the Knesset! I’ve seen pictures of IDF military bases where they have posters of Barack Obama up where he’s dressed as a Muslim with a Hitler moustache! Do you really think the US military would allow soldiers to put posters up on base of Netanyahu with devils horns or something drawn on them?
At the end of the day, isn’t this the US own fault? I mean we’re not allowed to disagree with them publicly or criticize them and when treat us like crap we’re not allowed to say anything so of course they are going to do this.
It does seem like Israel is becoming more extremist. They sound a lot like the tea party in a way when they talk about Obama.
The land that God decreed to Israel is international. Unfortunately his camp is so high and mighty and an Anti-Christ pagan people. How can you negotiate a blessing. As you can see his chief of staff has already left so that goes to show he is not around the best of company, his own kind.
I told my parents about this Ynet article and my mother just made excuses for it. Basically said “well the President shouldn’t push Israel because Israel already makes so many concessions, yadda yadda.” I said “what concessions?” and she gave the line about how Israel will have to pull out of some settlements and when I reminded her they were illegal she pretended not to know that. Then she announced she didn’t want to talk about it anymore. My parents are Jewish Democrats by the way.
*sigh*
Sadly, my parents are a good example of a particular mindset in the Jewish community. At Synagogue the Rabbi talks politics and reminds them to support Israel against all the many, many threats she faces. I don’t think it ever occurs to my parents to question anything. They do seem concerned that I would dare question Israel as though I’ve fallen in with the wrong crowd, LOL.
Tovah, no matter how much you try to ingratiate yourself with Jew-haters and Israel-haters, you will always be a filthy Jew to them. Especially if Tovah is your real name.
You can not concede or what God has already decreed.
If you don’t know that then you will learn the hard way.
It’s sad to watch Israeli democracy get chipped away under the guise of security. What does the US do or say? Nothing. The missing Palestinian children, the preventative arrests of nonviolent activists, the laws making it illegal to support a boycott, the proposed loyalty oaths. It’s insane. Why are those who love Israel so silent?
Just another day in the occupation:
http://www.en.justjlm.org/226
Maybe they don’t appreciate stuff like this:
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/un-atomic-agency-rejects-arab-led-move-targeting-israel-1.315519
so while the US is preventing Israel from having to abide by the same nuclear rules as everyone else, Israeli politicians are trashing the POTUS and by implication, the US in general.
How long are we going to play this Israeli nuclear fantasy game? Israel won’t sign onto the NPT which is the only reason that can say they are in compliance with anything- by refusing to admit to their over 200 nuclear weapons they evade all responsibility. I love how they called out their ally Egypt this week over THEIR alleged violations of the NPT- that takes big balls on the part of Israel. Then again hypocrisy is their specialty.
This is rather telling, don’t you think. The State Dept. is home to so many AIPAC shills that it’s no wonder our policies towards Israel are in their current state. Secretary Clinton surrounds her self with AIPAC lieutenants- she did as Senator and she continues to at State.
http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2010/09/15/a-bipartisan-look-at-the-israel-lobby/
Most telling is this part of the article:
“…official Washington insofar as it relates to the Middle East is an AIPAC-run enterprise. Run through the list of the State Department’s Assistant Secretaries of State for the Near East and discover that all of them have been Israel-firsters ever since Martin Indyk, an Australian citizen and AIPAC lobbyist, obtained the post in 1997. Bush appointee and hawk Jeffrey Feltman currently holds the position, virtually guaranteeing that there will be no shifting of allegiance at Foggy Bottom. Describe to them the more than $120 billion that Israel has received directly from the US taxpayer and discuss with them the many spies for Israel that have avoided prosecution because of government fear to cross AIPAC.
And then there is AIPAC itself. You might explore with Dennis Ross why he thinks AIPAC should not be registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act even though it describes itself on its website as “America’s Pro-Israel Lobby.” And you can chat a bit in a friendly way about how it works through intimidation and a large number of pro-Israel PACs to control Congress. And then there are the Israel-firsters in the media, the gatekeepers of truth and managers of the narrative. Names like Will, Krauthammer, Horowitz, Zuckerman, Ignatius, Thomas, Kristol, Friedman, and Brooks come to mind but there are many, many more. And remind them of the stories that just won’t go away, like Senator Arlen Specter trying to make everyone forget how Israel illegally obtained uranium from a plant in Pennsylvania owned by one Zalman Shapiro and used it to make bombs. Or the nagging accounts of Israeli spying, the most aggressive effort to steal American secrets by any country considered to be friendly…”