Posted on 04/06/2009 12:38:09 AM PDT by Cincinna
During the G-20 summit in London, Barack Obama took time out for a brief meeting with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia caught on video by two cameras, and by a still photographer, where the U.S. president bowed deeply in greeting the Saudi monarch. No major American media paid any attention to the startling, unreciprocated bow, gesture of subservience.
In tandem, there was scant paid attention to a disquieting comment by Obama when he spoke effusively about a 2002 Saudi peace initiative for normalization of relations between the Arab world and Israel. The Saudi initiative, which would end Israel as a Jewish state, is now also the official position of the entire Arab League.
In a brief press statement, the White House said "the President reiterated his appreciation for Saudi Arabia's leadership in promoting the Arab peace initiative."
Later, President Obama's Middle East Special Envoy, George Mitchell, said the U.S. intends to "incorporate" the initiative into its Middle East policy
That stops short of an explicit endorsement of the Saudi-Arab plan, but it comes uncomfortably close. Either way, Obama's gushing over the Saudi initiative hardly can be reconciled with his oft-repeated assurances that Israel can count on U.S "unwavering support" of its basic security interests.
The Saudi initiative usually is presented in mainstream media as a pretty good deal -- Arab nations would normalize relations with Israel in exchange for Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 line and a "just" solution to the refugee problem.
But there's far more to the plan, and the devilish details can't be swept away or ignored.
For starters, the plan would grant millions of Palestinian refugees and their descendants a "right of return" to Israel -- a demographic bomb in the megaton range that would end up creating two states -- both Palestinian. The Saudis pull off this feat by defining a "just" solution to the refugee problem as having to be "in accordance with" UN General Assembly Resolution 194 -- a non-binding 1948 measure that vainly pleaded for an end to Arab aggression against the nascent Jewish state. In the midst of the war, the resolution also pleaded for return of refugees -- not just for Arabs who were displaced but for all refugees, including a greater number of Jews who were being driven out of Arab lands.
Significantly, all Arab nations voted against Resolution 194 -- after all, they weren't ready in late 1948 to halt their war against Israel. But in later years, in a revisionist twist, they adopted Resolution 194 as a legal warrant for a "return" of all Palestinian refugees and their descendants.
As if this weren't enough, the Saudi initiative -- with its absolute insistence on Israeli withdrawal to the 1949-1967 armistice line -- would require Israel to pull back from all of Gaza (which it already has done), from the entire West Bank, from all of East Jerusalem, and from the entire Old City of Jerusalem, the site of Judaism's most sacred shrine -- the Western Wall.
Jewish worshippers again would be beholden to an Arab regime for access to the Western Wall, having tasted the bitter experience of not being allowed to pray there during Jordan's 19-year-old occupation of the Old City. Jordan destroyed numerous synagogues there and used Jewish tombstones from the Mount of Olives to build a road. It doesn't take much imagination to project a repeat of this tragic episode if Palestinians ruled the entire Old City since, in areas already under their control, they have fired on Rachel's Tomb near Bethlehem, demolished Joseph's Tomb near Nablus and desecrated an ancient synagogue in Jericho.
To comply with the Saudi initiative, Israel would have to uproot more than a half million Jews from the Old City, East Jerusalem, and close-in Jewish settlements that George W. Bush pledged would remain on the Israeli side in any two-state peace deal.
Prior U.S. and Israeli governments offered a cordial but nuanced reception to the Saudi plan over the last seven years. The diplomatic term usually was that the Arab initiative had some promising elements that could form a "basis" for productive negotiations. But neither Bush, nor Ariel Sharon or his successor Ehud Olmert, ever embraced it in its totality. King Abdullah and other Arab rulers, however, insist on full acceptance of their initiative -- take it or leave it.
Now comes Obama in his debut on the world stage and gets ever so close to a full endorsement of this Saudi "gift" to peace.
One is left to wonder if the President is aware of the full implications of the Saudi-Arab peace initiative, or how he's put Israel behind the eight ball by praising King Abdullah's efforts to put it front and center in future peace negotiations.
Since Obama previously was quoted as saying that "the Israelis would be crazy not to support this initiative," it is past time for him to explain how he reconciles the real Saudi plan with Israel's real security challenges.
If anyone sees any such article, post it--I bet a lot of us would be interested in reading it.
Obama just loves to spread slime.
President Hussein knows exactly what the implications are: Muslims win. It is his goal.
The Obommunist also ticked off the EU by playing the race card concerning Turkey. He thinks the EUrotopians should reach out to the Turk Muslims and let the most populous European nation in the EU. Forget that in 2005 Turkey had to chop off 6 zeros from its currency so that $1 = 1.57 New Turkish Lira.
yitbos
I absolutely despise this man in my Oval Office. How dare he "bow" to the Saudi Arabia King? Did he "bow" to the Queen of England? No evidence of that so far.
What the hell have we done? What is wrong with this little boy that he "bows"? I had major problems with Bush, but to "bow" to the Saudis is and will always be UNFORGIVABLE!!!
Lock and load boy and girls. Our Republic is being decimated as I write this.
“What is wrong with this little boy that he “bows”?”
Muslim protocol, I suppose. He doesn’t want to be denied his pilgrimage when the day comes.
Since the beginning of the Republic, Americans bow down to no man.
Obama’s disgraceful groveling goes against all US State Department and Diplomatic protocol.
Was bama bowing to the Saudi king or bending over for him?
We are going to have SUCH a collage of compromise on Obama by the time 2012 rolls around. Sound bite meet sight smorgasbord.
Bending over ! We have allowed a fool into the office of the President. America is doomed.
Honest to God, I’m so mad I could spit.
A couple hours ago, I got off the phone with my moderate left Jewish friend, who is like a younger brother to me. We’ve been friends forever,seems like. I was the first to tell him about the “bow.”
His excuses simply dumbfounded me. First, it was “I’m sure you misinterpreted it.” Then it was “He was just trying to be polite.” Then it became “The State Department made him do it, to ensure healthy relations with the Saudis.” Yeah, I’m sure that Hillary Clinton’s state department TOLD him to perform a sweeping bow to the Saudi King. Yeah right.
Never thought I’d be the one to say this, but I’d feel safer with Hillary in the WH than this idiot.
So this is how he intends to pay back the Jewish vote, eh? Splendid.
And now I know why so many on here are frustrated beyond words with the Obots. If I knew how to do it, I’d post one of those “pulling one’s hair out” cartoons.
Well, that does it. Bammy’s not gonna last more than one term now. I hope the appropriate people have recorded this bit to use in political ads.
You are not alone, DJ
I have never seen as many angry furious people posting at FR since His Barackness bowed down low to a foreign potentate.
A foreign potentate, I might add, who supports Islamo-fascist terrtosrists around the world , and from whose country most of the 911 terrorists came.
Until I signed up recently, I lurked here at least since 2004. No need to do anything other than read, because I didn’t feel America was threatened. On the wrong track at times, but not threatened. (I was a big open borders type when I was safely in Ohio, which is home to me. Then I moved to southern Utah. Yikes!) So Bush’s immigration stuff didn’t send a thrill up my leg or anything. LOL
But this guy, this one....now he’s quite the piece of work.
My son called me last night. (Age 23, voted for Sarah) and said “Mom, please tell me that my co-workers were punking me when they said Obama bowed to some king.” I told him what happened and he had to hang up. Five minutes later, on his way home from work, he called back and said “Please make sure that video is in my email tonight so when I get home in the next three minutes, I can watch it for myself.”
I did it. I’d love to post his response here, but I’m quite sure I’d get banned.
Seems to me that if Soetoro makes any serious, dangerous moves to destroy Israel, “the Jooooz” who run all the media, the banks, and the Congress will dispose of him, saving the rest of us.
Or, are “the Jooooz” actually NOT running the world?
Maybe Rev. Wright can clarify this.
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