This has ominous tones:
It was just a phrase at the end of President Obama's news conference on Tuesday, but it was a stark reminder of a far-reaching shift in how the United States views the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and how aggressively it might push for a peace agreement.
When Mr. Obama declared that resolving the long-running Middle East dispute was a "vital national security interest of the United States," he was highlighting a change that has resulted from a lengthy debate among his top officials over how best to balance support for Israel against other American interests.
This shift, described by administration officials who did not want to be quoted by name when discussing internal discussions, is driving the White House's urgency to help broker a Middle East peace deal. It increases the likelihood that Mr. Obama, frustrated by the inability of the Israelis and the Palestinians to come to terms, will offer his own proposed parameters for an eventual Palestinian state.
LibertyPundits expounds:
... rather than stand fast with long standing American principles, and stand fast with our closest and most free and democratic ally in the region, the Obama administration seeks to assuage the Iranians rather than support an ally. And this is an easy call for Barack Obama, because he does not personally see Israel as an ally. Rather, Israel is a problem. (Quick: Name five individuals in President Obama's circle of advisors past or present who are steadfastly pro-Israel. It's harder than you think, especially if you ask an Israeli.)
As part of the "brokering," President Obama will "propose his own parameters for an eventual Palestinian state." This will be a hard sell, especially when one considers his and his advisors' past statements of desiring a "contiguous" Palestinian state. That's next, and it means Israel giving up land to the Palestinians in order to link the Gaza Strip to the West Bank.
In order to sell Americans the notion that the Obama Administration has the answers that no one else in the world has had in the history of Israel's cornered existence, it must be posed as a "vital national security interest" in order to gain the consent of the governed to proceed. Likewise, the same is also required in order to sell the intended subtle notion (that isn't so subtle) that Bibi Netanyahu is a roadblock on the road map to peace. But, as we've seen domestically, consent of the governed is simply desired but by no means required.
How can the administration best sell the bullying of Israel and the personal demonization and discrediting of Bibi Netanyahu as a "vital national security interest"? Why, link it to the safety of our deployed forces. The Left detests them, yet they do make for fantastic political props. Because, after all, who can be against the safety of the troops?
And so, in the name of the American troops in the region, it will be necessary for peace to finally be ushered into the Middle East by an infinitely wiser and fairer American administration.
Allowing Barack Obama and his Democratic allies to continue their policies unabated may prove not only to be the undoing of America as we know her, but may very well have lasting negative consequences globally that are simply tough to swallow.
The American people, her allies in Israel and in Europe, all need to see the handwriting on the wall.
Crossposted at Brutally Honest.
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Barack Obama, Middle East
Comments (16)
"Quick: Name five individua... (Below threshold)1. Posted by jim m | April 15, 2010 7:12 AM | Score: 8 (8 votes cast)
"Quick: Name five individuals in President Obama's circle of advisors past or present who are steadfastly pro-Israel."
5? How about 1? Obama's policies are not contingent upon what is best for the country or the world, but rather on what Barry in his adolescent fantasy world believes to be the right thing. Barry has never lived in the real world. Never had to work a real job. Never had anyone challenge his beliefs. Challenging his positions is something he simply does not tolerate.
Israel is barry's foreign policy 'health care reform'. Destroying it is the centerpiece of his foreign policy. He will not turn aside or stop in his drive to destroy the Israeli state and establish a palestinian one in its place. THAT is what he wants his legacy to be.
Being that he may have achieved a pyrrhic victory of epic proportions on health care, who wants to bet that he isn't willing to accept the same in the Holy Land?
1. Posted by jim m | April 15, 2010 7:12 AM |
Score: 8 (8 votes cast)
Posted on April 15, 2010 07:12
2. Posted by Not Oyster | April 15, 2010 8:02 AM | Score: 5 (7 votes cast)
It's not enough that the UN, in particular, and a plurality of its member countries, in general, hold an anti-Israel view. Obama has such a high regard for the UN and its various kleptocrats and dictators that he pushes toward accepting those views as a matter of American policy. He can't dive in head first and be entirely as anti-Israel as they, (the backlash would be too great) but he can take a leap in that direction and all they while pretend that it's a "balanced" and "reasonable" change.
He is by no means done here. All his high and mighty, unconditional support for Israel before and during his campaign was "just words". I said as much way back then. This will get worse before it gets better.
If it ever does get better.
2. Posted by Not Oyster | April 15, 2010 8:02 AM |
Score: 5 (7 votes cast)
Posted on April 15, 2010 08:02
3. Posted by Oyster | April 15, 2010 8:05 AM | Score: 5 (7 votes cast)
oops, still posting as Not Oyster :)
I knew I'd forget to change that.
3. Posted by Oyster | April 15, 2010 8:05 AM |
Score: 5 (7 votes cast)
Posted on April 15, 2010 08:05
4. Posted by Jay Tea | April 15, 2010 8:13 AM | Score: 4 (6 votes cast)
GOTCHA! OYSTER, YOU'RE BANNINATED!!!11!!!111!
boing
...oh, crap.
Someone done took and hid my Ban Hammer and replaced it with a foam rubber lookalike.
DARN YOU, OYSTER! DARN YOU TO HECK!
J.
4. Posted by Jay Tea | April 15, 2010 8:13 AM |
Score: 4 (6 votes cast)
Posted on April 15, 2010 08:13
5. Posted by Constituion First | April 15, 2010 8:34 AM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
Hussein's chickens are coming home to roost.
5. Posted by Constituion First | April 15, 2010 8:34 AM |
Score: 4 (4 votes cast)
Posted on April 15, 2010 08:34
6. Posted by Hank | April 15, 2010 9:58 AM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Couple of thoughts...
Obama's ego really is out of control, if he thinks he can solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
As for "balance support for Israel"...this is ominous. The Israeli's aren't stupid. Obama has treated them with the same disdain he's shown our other long-term allies. I expect he'll try to strong-arm them into an agreement. If they fail to agree, he'll cut off their foreign aid and leave them stranded, all the while blaming them for not cooperating.
6. Posted by Hank | April 15, 2010 9:58 AM |
Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Posted on April 15, 2010 09:58
7. Posted by GarandFan | April 15, 2010 10:33 AM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Just another 'former' ally to piss on.
7. Posted by GarandFan | April 15, 2010 10:33 AM |
Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Posted on April 15, 2010 10:33
8. Posted by 914 | April 15, 2010 12:02 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
"Israel is barry's foreign policy 'health care reform'. Destroying it is the centerpiece of his foreign policy"
Yes, seems like I read about this somewhere before?
Revelations?
8. Posted by 914 | April 15, 2010 12:02 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on April 15, 2010 12:02
9. Posted by Caesar Augustus | April 15, 2010 2:15 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
It's as if Jimmy Carter and Ward Churchill had a love child who became president.
9. Posted by Caesar Augustus | April 15, 2010 2:15 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on April 15, 2010 14:15
10. Posted by Jim Addison | April 15, 2010 3:22 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
It is difficult to conceive of the hubris which enables someone to believe they can impose an outside solution between two parties with irreconcilable differences. But if hubris can reach such heights, our Narcissist-in-Chief is the man to have it.
Amazing the ego on a guy who has never accomplished a single thing of note in his entire life. Israel's best hope to survive until we can elect a real President is to send a gift of two dozen full-length mirrors to the White House. Obama may not be able to tear himself away from them long enough to do any more damage.
10. Posted by Jim Addison | April 15, 2010 3:22 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on April 15, 2010 15:22
11. Posted by McGehee | April 15, 2010 5:15 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
I suspect Crater still blames everyone else for Camp David's failure, and we know whom Bill Clinton blamed: Yasser Arafat.
Obama will just blame Bush.
11. Posted by McGehee | April 15, 2010 5:15 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on April 15, 2010 17:15
12. Posted by Paul_In_Houston | April 15, 2010 7:37 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
I'm afraid that Obama's idea of "balancing support for Israel" would be to try to keep them from "overreacting" if Haifa or Tel Aviv disappears under a mushroom cloud someday.
12. Posted by Paul_In_Houston | April 15, 2010 7:37 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on April 15, 2010 19:37
13. Posted by poptoy | April 16, 2010 5:44 AM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
The Kenyan will learn the hard way not to mess with Israel.
13. Posted by poptoy | April 16, 2010 5:44 AM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on April 16, 2010 05:44
14. Posted by 914 | April 16, 2010 7:22 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
"The Kenyan will learn the hard way not to mess with Israel."
No His ass wont. He is moslem and as we've seen to date, he is a slow no, in fact, he doesn't learn from his radical failed beliefs. Its been a year and a half now and 22 trillion new debt and 11 million jobs lost and he continues on the same path.
Face it, he wont learn. He's just dumb.
14. Posted by 914 | April 16, 2010 7:22 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on April 16, 2010 07:22
15. Posted by scarygary | April 16, 2010 10:01 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Obama's playing a very dangerous game, and he's too foolish to even realize it. In the past, the only thing that has held Israel back is the fact that they know that the U.S. has their back. If they ever stop believing that, and they are attacked, they will (rightlyfully so), feel that they have nothing to lose. If they ever believe that their country is in danger of being destroyed, they will use their nuclear weapons (it is estimated that they have dozens of them).
15. Posted by scarygary | April 16, 2010 10:01 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on April 16, 2010 10:01
16. Posted by Paul_In_Houston | April 16, 2010 10:52 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
they will use their nuclear weapons (it is estimated that they have dozens of them).
15. Posted by scarygary
Dozens? I've seen estimates that they might have couple of hundred of them.
And what makes us think that's all that they have.
They also have world class scientists in chemistry and biology.
They are surrounded by folks who openly wish for their annihilation (which was tried once) and have no reason whatever to doubt their enemies. They wont consider those threats as "just words".
And, they NOT of the "turn the other cheek" stripe; that philosophy is not in their part of the book.
So, the question is, if they truly believe they are facing doom, what kind of "Samson Option" might they employ to take their enemies down with them this time?
Might they also consider a valentine for so-called "friends" that just stood by and allowed it to happen?
Think these questions are ludicrous? Try to really put yourself in their place, and remember their promise of "never again".
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16. Posted by Paul_In_Houston | April 16, 2010 10:52 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on April 16, 2010 10:52