President Obama descended on Israel just before Passover, a
very inconvenient time for the residents of Jerusalem. Days ahead of
time, streets had to be closed to traffic near the venues the
president was set to visit. During his visit, traffic came to a
standstill for hours at some locations. Even more inconvenienced
were the residents living near to the Prime Minister and President
of Israel's residences. They were subjected to continual ID checks
and weren't allowed visitors during this crucial time. Nevertheless,
Jerusalemites and almost all Israelis were pretty satisfied with
Obama's performance.
Performance is the correct word, for every event and every
public pronouncement of the American president was carefully
choreographed. This was necessary to overcome the deficit in respect
and affection that Obama had caused by his visit to Egypt, shortly
after his inauguration in 2009. In Cairo, the president spoke to an
invited audience of students and Islamist party members, cozying up
to the Arabs, promising them a new American agenda, and "showing the
love" he had for them.
In
Cairo, the president directed his talk specifically to the Muslim
Brotherhood members (who had been seated up front), thus elevating
their status. He did mention Israel, but strictly in contemporary
terms, giving the impression that the State of Israel had no ancient
roots in the region and was almost a direct result of the Holocaust.
So, not only were Israelis offended, so was Mubarak, who was later
discarded by the Obama administration in favor of the
Brotherhood.
Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, in Cairo the
president called for a mandatory halt in Israeli construction beyond
the Green Line (1949 Armistice Line). The icing on the cake was the
omission of Israel from the presidents 2009 itinerary, in favor of
Turkey, whose democratically elected, Islamist leader (Prime
Minister Erdogan) became one of Obama's closest
cohorts.
Obama's visit last month was a different story. The places
chosen to visit emphasized Israel's deep roots in the region (The
Shrine of the Book and the model of Second Temple Period Jerusalem
at the Israel Museum); Zionism (the grave of Theodor Herzl at Mt.
Herzl National Cemetery); and the Holocaust (Yad Vashem). The words
he uttered during his public pronouncements were soothing to
Israelis, validating Israel's ancient history and promising to "have
Israel's back" regarding Tehran's nuclear
threat.
However, the question is, how much do the president's
statements to Israelis mean when taken in the context of promises
previously made by former presidents. We've been burned before by
"amnesia" on the part of sitting presidents.
Here
are selected statements made by sitting presidents, with
bolding added :
Jimmy Carter: "It's absolutely crucial that no one in our
country or around the world ever doubt that our number one
commitment in the Middle East is to protect the right of Israel
to exist, to exist permanently, and to exist in peace. It's a
special relationship." (1977)
"I
would rather commit suicide than hurt Israel."
(1977)
"I
am opposed to an independent Palestinian state, because in my own
judgement and in the judgement of many leaders in the Middle East,
including Arab leaders, this would be a destabilizing factor in
the Middle East and would certainly not serve the United States
interests." (1980)
"We
are committed to a Jerusalem that will forever remain
undivided with free access to all faiths to the holy places."
(1980)
President Carter was later to become an apologist for the
Palestinians, an avid anti-Zionist, and published the scurrilous
book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid."
Ronald Reagan: "Israel exists; it has a right to exist in
peace behind secure and defensible borders; and it has a right to
demand of its neighbors that they recognize those facts. In the
pre-1967 borders Israel was barely 10 miles wide at its
narrowest point. The bulk of Israel's population lived within
artillery range of hostile Arab armies. I am not about to ask
Israel to live that way again." (1982)
Reagan began the sale of powerful American armaments
when he approved AWACS radar planes for Saudi Arabia. He supported
the UN Security Council resolution condemning Israel for the attack
on the Osirak nuclear facility and he punished Israel following
Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights.
George W. Bush: "As part of a final peace settlement, Israel
must have secure and recognized borders, which should emerge from
negotiations between the parties in accordance with UNSC Resolutions
242 and 338. In light of new realities
on the ground, including already existing major Israeli populations
centers, it is unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final
status negotiations will be a full and complete return to the
armistice lines
of 1949, and all previous efforts
to negotiate a two-state solution have reached the same conclusion."
(2004)
"The
threat from Iran is, of course, their stated objective to destroy
our strong ally Israel. That's a threat, a serious threat. It's a
threat to world peace; it's a threat, in essence, to a strong
alliance. I made it clear, I'll make it clear again, that we will
use military might to protect our ally, Israel."
(2004)
President G.W. Bush was a great supporter and enabler of
Saudi Arabia, which funds terrorism against Israel on its own, and
through Hamas. Bush opposed the construction of Israel's security
fence and refused to repeat President Clinton's denunciation of
Yasser Arafat as a "terrorist."
All quotes are from www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org,
Barack Obama: "The United States does not accept the
legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. This construction
violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve
peace. It is time for these settlements to stop."
(2009)
"The
core issue right now is, how do we get sovereignty for the
Palestinian people and how do we assure security for the Israeli
people? If we solve those two problems [sovereignty and
security], the settlement problem will be solved. ...
Palestinians must recognize that Israel will be a Jewish
state."(2013)
Israelis heard President Obama's words, in Cairo (2009) and
just last month in Ramallah. In truth, no other president has been
so frank with the Palestinians, basically telling them to get over
the issue of settlements and recognize Israel as "Jewish," so this
breakthrough is promising. However, it was Obama who raised
Palestinian expectations in the first place in
2009.
We
know that Obama can "talk the talk." But will he "walk the walk"
concerning Israel's security, both with the Palestinians and with
the Iranians? And even if he does, what about the next president,
who will not necessarily be bound by previous presidential promises?
Clearly, Israel's most significant bulwark against Islamic jihad is
Israel itself.
Buddies?
photo: UPI.com
Stephen
Kramer, Author
"Encountering Israel - Geography, History, Culture"
"Encountering Israel - Geography, History, Culture"
Check
it out: www.encounteringisrael.com
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