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Even His Most Ardent Jewish Fans Must Be Wondering about Obama's Support for Israel

(Jerusalem Post) Jonathan S. Tobin - By choosing to turn a minor gaffe into a major incident while ignoring far worse Palestinian provocations and specifically attempting to muscle Netanyahu into a pledge to stop building in east Jerusalem - something no previous administration had ever done - Obama showed that pressure on Israel remained high on his agenda. Having already reneged on pledges of American support for Israel's holding on to parts of the West Bank and Jerusalem, the president is doubling down on his drive to bludgeon the Jewish state into further concessions without any hope of reciprocation from the Palestinians. Washington has placed the onus for the certain failure of peace talks on Netanyahu despite the fact that he has accepted the principle of a two-state solution, frozen building in the West Bank and sought to minimize interference with the lives of Palestinians. And by responding more forcefully and with greater anger to a minor dispute with its ally than to the endless atrocities and provocations committed by the Islamist regime in Tehran, Obama has sent a clear signal that no one need take his pledge to stop Iran seriously. The latest round of bitter and pointless controversy over Jerusalem orchestrated by Obama must leave even the most ardent fans of the president wondering. The majority of American Jews do not wish to see Jerusalem divided. Nor do they believe that Israel needs to be saved from itself. Like most Americans, they understand that the Palestinians are the real obstacles to peace, not a democratically elected government of Israel. The writer is executive editor of Commentary magazine.
2010-03-26 09:32:55
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