Thursday, April 8, 2010
[The following, by Charles Jacobs, appeared in the March 19 edition of The Jewish Advocate.]
A couple of weeks ago, in an act of realpolitik opportunism, President Obama parlayed a diplomatic blunder in Israel into a full-fledged crisis in U.S.-Israel relations. Obama has declared that changing the way the Arab world sees America is key to his foreign policy. Israel, it seems, may have to pay the price for this change in direction.
The fight emerged when Bibi failed to forestall an announcement of new housing construction in East Jerusalem until after Joe Biden completed his visit to Israel. Biden was "offended." In fact, the apartments for Jewish residents are in a part of Jerusalem that nobody - the U.S. and Yitzhak Rabin included -- ever expected would be ceded to the Arabs in any imagined peace deal. Bibi apologized for the announcement's timing but went on to explain that, "No government of Israel for the last 40 years has agreed to place restrictions on building in Jerusalem." But now "offended," Hillary says Israel must "prove" that it wants peace by making (more) concessions. Nothing is demanded of the Arabs, who just named a public square for a killer of Jewish civilians. No offense was taken. Ambassador Oren sensed a tectonic shift in US-Israel relations. What has happened?
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd enthusiastically explained Obama's slap at Israel: Jews, she wrote, no longer speak with one voice -- the rise of J Street and post-Zionism in general give cover for the President to publicly fight with the Jewish state. She's partly right: the growing power of the Jewish far-left enabled Obama to express his ire. But it was more than the far-left: 80% of Jews voted for Obama. What explains that?
Did the man not sit for years in the pews of a virulently anti-Semitic church? Was he not intimate friends with former PLO spokesman, Rashid Khalidi? Did he not choose as his senior foreign policy advisor the anti-Israel Harvard professor Samantha Power who said that America should break with its Jewish constituents and impose conditions on Israel by
military force?
Many Jewish leaders were willing to overlook or ignore these "red flags" given the potential benefits of the Obama administration's transformative power.
I have a blushing confession to make. I too was taken in. It happened at the last AIPAC convention when Obama roused the crowd, promising to be on our side, pledging that Jerusalem would remain the undivided capital of Israel. When I heard that, along with the thousands of Jews gathered, I jumped to my feet in applause.
Flushed with excitement, I explained to a friend, "I came there a skeptic. I couldn't believe my eyes - some Jew must have gotten to him." The friend looked at me with pity -- "every politician tells people just what they want to hear." "But," I responded, "It was not the face of a liar." "That's what politicians do best," he said, "they look like they are not lying."
So, I'm not surprised that much of Jewish leadership, in spite of all the evidence, told to trust in Obama and help make him President. But now, many of these leaders are in shock. ADL's Foxman was (kudos to you, Abe!) first out of the box, issuing a blistering reprimand to Obama. AIPAC too, whose iron-clad policy is to be bipartisan, rebuked him and asked members to protest to elected officials.
So how in the world did these Jewish leaders get it so wrong in the first place? How did they ignore the clear evidence that this man (or Hillary of the Suha Arafat kiss) was going to have a different feel for our people? It's the politics of "Imagine." Recall John Lennon's hit "Imagine," where we croon together in a peaceful dream, imagining a world of no-conflict, of love between all peoples. Recall the 60's sing-song chant: "All we are saaaay-ing, is give peace a chance."
Well, the 60's kids who grooved to Lennon and fantasized about a Lucy-in-the-Sky utopia grew up and became quite successful. In fact, Russel Berman recently argued in Telos that they became a new dominant political class based on technocratic expertise, sheltered from the harsh realities of humanity, a class which seeks to make society fit its fantasy of world peace and selfless cooperation.
Berman writes that this class "privileges capacities of semiotic (meaning/verbal) manipulation over material production or even military prowess." It is enchanted with "'smart power' -
a term that nobly implies that boots on the ground are dumb and that some-still elusive-strategic rhetorical eloquence will make enemies vanish without ever firing a gun, since language is its ultimate power."
Many Jewish leaders are part of the new class. They believed in the "smart power" of Oslo and now the smart power of Obama. Many others, like me (for that AIPAC moment only!) and like Foxman, were snookered by his charm, but can now see behind the curtain. Yet others are still in fantasy land. The success and survival of the Jewish community depends on the effectiveness of its leadership. If America's Jewish leadership is unwilling to abandon its comforting fantasies and consider the possibility that it was betrayed by its hope for change, Jews all over the world will continue to reap the consequences.
Oh hello there Mr. [snip] Solomon. You post the most interesting information here - everything I want to know about the Israeli-Palestinian dispute all in one place. A great big thank you to you. I don't know how you manage to keep up this blog with all the information you post here, after all being a successful businessman from [snip] must take up most of your time. I'll honk next time I drive down [snip] but a big Hello to [snip].
Luv you!
I still (never) will understand how ANYBODY could believe (or have believed) ANYTHING that comes out of the dude's mouth. Now I'm no psychologist, but, I think it's pretty clear that the dude's a pathological liar and B.S. artist.
Dear Leila,
Stop trying to impress everyone with your amazing coupling of Google and veiled threats. You're just making yourself look like an idiot.
Thanks, M, for clarifying. It did seem like an invitation for a drive-by shooting. Look like an idiot? No, more like an piggish thug.
Leila, come by here. I've got a circular driveway with Magen Davids on the flagpole. We roast Palestinian children every other Wednesday. Free balloons for the kids!
Rot off.
Dear Leila, just remember that the Israelis are NOT the unarmed Jews of WW2 europe.
Oh Mr. Solomon my most humble apologies. I never imagined you would take offense at my saying hello to you - after all I didn't post your street number and phone number like you did about the Newton Granny terrorist. What's that golden rule Mr. Solomon - do unto others. Not to worry - I have plenty of other places to share your personal information should I desire to. Just thought you might enjoy the taste of a cold dish since you served it up so well yourself.
leila, don't be surprised when you and your friends are on the receiving side of a little Nakba.
From the River to the Sea,
Pal-e-SWINE will never be.
Take comfort Mr. Solomon, you weren't so simple to find as a little google search. Your information doesn't appear on google unless you actually accomplish something like running a successful business. No, you can be reassured that other than your little blog, you reside in relative internet obscurity so fret not.
Oh Eddie, you big silly - I can't imagine whatever you could be talking about. Lets face it, you nice boys don't have the beginning of a clue how or where to get yourself a little Nakba action, except in your fantasies (yawn). But thanks for the laugh!
LIEla, your islamofascist pals think that Jews regaining Israel from the ali baba 40 thieves cult is a NAKBA...
As Jolson said, you ain't seen nothin' yet.
Oh Mr. Eddie, you talk a good game but you're as harmless as a lamb. That's okay, I like you anyway. You make me laugh.
Even CJUI (Christians and Jews United for Israel) got suckered by Obama when they gave its Genesis Award to Obama supporter Alan Dershowitz. CJUI organized a protest at a Sabeel Israel-Apartheid conference at Boston's United Church Of Christ Old South Church in 2007 - which is Obama's Trinity United Church of Christ's denominational sister church - and they were still bamboozled by Obama. The Bible is full of stories about Jews being stupid and God slapping sense into them. History is just repeating itself. And history will repeat itself again when future generations will be arguing about East Bank settlements.
Ah - whatever happened to civil debate?
Leila do you have anything to say? If so please share.
Otherwise, you know, your comments do come off as threats. But above all they lack substance.
If you'd like to debate a point or argue a point of view I'd be happen to discuss the issues with you and I'm sure others would join us.
As it is however this isn't getting us anywhere, it is just making people angry (with reason) and that's preventing communication.
You do wish to communicate, correct?
LIEla, do you laugh as you did on 9/11?
I hope you laugh when mecca and the kabba are vaporized - because the way islamofascists are behaving, it's going to happen.
Thank you Miss Sophia, for your very nice note but I think I made my point. When Mr. Solomon posted the name and address of that elderly woman from Newton it wasn't a very nice thing to do. I suspect she was worried about who might show up at her door, but I don't think anyone here expressed any concern for her; nobody expressed any concern for her safety at all. Ah, the golden rule: do unto others as you would have done to yourself.
Mr. Eddie, you sound so filled with hate and anger. I hope you do not make yourself ill with all that rage you have inside you. Good heavens a man can't live with that much hatred and anger - it will eat you alive from the inside out. Farewell.
I never post personal information on this blog unless that information is already widely circulated or there's some compelling reason. In fact, I have several times removed personal information from comments left here.
The post in question (I believe that's it) simply quotes an already circulating email. It does not include the person's address (though I think an argument could easily be made that her neighbors deserve to know that she's raising money for the local terror fans) and I snipped out her phone number.
And finally, in fairness to the Martin Solomon whose personal info you kept posting, THAT'S NOT ME. Get it?
LIEla, I can live with the destruction of mecca/makka and the kabba, for starters, in retaliation of course.
Bye, bye LIEla Sharmuta!
Eddie, that was not nice. Did I call your mother a puta? Tsk, tsk, and here I was worried about your blood pressure.
And Mr. Solomon, my most humble apologies if I mis-identified you. But it is so strange that you would wait so many hours to deny what I posted, and only after your friends expressed concern and only after you told me to stop trying to "amaze" everyone with my google skills. No, this is not what you would post if what I said was untrue. I spy with my little eye . . . you!
Oooh...you may be onto something Sherlock. Next thing you'll be offering to audit my Thetans or something.
I told you your search skilz were lacking from the start. Believe what you want.
LIEla, it's so sad how you dishonoured your family.
They will deal with you appropriately.
Jewish support for Obama remains at 75ish%. Latest poll.