Obama: Pulling the carpet from under Israel

The Cinch Review ^ | 5/20/2011 | Cinch Review

[Merciful_Friend]

The last time President Obama attempted to fundamentally shift U.S. policy against Israel, when he tried to order the Israeli government to prevent Jews from building homes in Jerusalem, the backlash -- domestically, and from Congress -- was so severe that he had to back down. On this occasion, the situation is still developing -- Netanyahu meets Obama today, and will himself address a joint session of the U.S. Congress on Tuesday -- but I think in this case the damage to Israel is all but impossible to undo. (File it under "elections have consequences.")

President Obama will undoubtedly face a backlash at home from erstwhile Jewish supporters and from Congress, over his invocation yesterday of the "1967 lines" as being the basis for borders between Israel and the proposed state of Palestine. However, as least as I see it, he has left himself a technical escape clause by also mentioning "mutually agreed [land] swaps." He will fall back on that to defend himself from domestic critics; already spokespeople are saying, "There's nothing new here. Everyone knew a final agreement would start with the 1967 border and then swap things around so Israel was secure and 'Palestine' was contiguous." But there's a big difference when something is still up for negotiation between the parties, and when an external party -- in this case, the most important external party, and the only one Israel has been able to look to for any support whatsoever -- effectively announces that the issue is no longer up for negotiation.

And, to my mind most crucially of all, when the United States government advances the rhetoric in any way that weakens Israel's position, the rest of the world can be counted on to take it a further mile. When President Bush became the first

[Merciful_Friend]

Obama has shifted the rhetoric in a way that dangerously undercuts the Israeli position.

[screaminsunshine]

Scorned Gays are dangerous.