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Obama Hasn't Turned on Israel...Yet

Tougher settlement stance doesn't hurt the security of Jewish state

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 2, 2009 8:09 AM CDT

(Newser) – Jewish Americans voted overwhelmingly for Barack Obama, convinced he was a supporter of Israel. Now, they “suspect they may have been victims of a bait and switch,” writes Alan Dershowitz of the Wall Street Journal. Obama’s rhetoric has certainly been harsher than it was during the campaign, but his only policy move has been to demand a halt to West Bank settlement expansion. That doesn’t affect Israeli security, and it's something the majority of American-Jewish Israel supporters also favor, as do a majority of Israelis.

But Rahm Emanuel’s statement linking the issue to Iranian nuclear efforts was dangerous; "if the Obama administration were to shift toward learning to live with a nuclear Iran and attempt to deny Israel the painful option of attacking its nuclear targets as a last resort, that would be troubling indeed." But the administration doesn’t actually appear to be letting up on its stance, or on Israel’s right to defend itself from Hezbollah and Hamas. Until it does, it’s not undercutting Israel’s security.

Israelis should feel free to expand up, but not out.
Israelis should feel free to expand up, but not out.   (AP Photo/ Tara Todras-Whitehill)
US Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., prays at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Thursday, July 24, 2008.
US Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., prays at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Thursday, July 24, 2008.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Palestinian workers walk next to a building at a construction site in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Maaleh Adumim, near Jerusalem, Monday, June 22, 2009.
Palestinian workers walk next to a building at a construction site in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Maaleh Adumim, near Jerusalem, Monday, June 22, 2009.   (AP Photo/Dan Balilty)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 10 comments
Stuart
Jul 8, 2009 1:08 AM CDT
Hey 'mack' - perhaps you should read some news. Israel pulled out of Gaza 4 years ago. Instead of using their new lands for peace, the Palestinians decided to use their new land to wage war. - - Israel returned the Sinai to Egypt for peace. It has kept its commitments to Jordan for peace. The ones not making any attempts at peace is not the Israelis but the 'neighbors'. Its time for some truth.
Stuart
Jul 8, 2009 1:05 AM CDT
Perhaps you picked a poll you liked, Factually though, you are wrong. ------------- " Some 23 percent of voters believed that Israel should return all lands captured in 1967, with 57 percent saying some should be retained for security." And thats from a poll saying support for Israel has dropped - so not a 'friendly poll' like the one you seemed to have searched to find - http://jta.org/news/article/20...
Stuart
Jul 3, 2009 7:42 AM CDT
Perhaps its time to put an ultimatum to those who care more about their hatred of Israel than they do about the US. The overwhelming majority of Americans disageree with your rants, so either learn something about which you speak or shut your mouth. YOur bile accomplishes nothing. And if you really don't know what Israel has done for the US, lets start with the little thing of making sure that when we did go into Gulf War 1, we didnt face Saddaam with a nuclear arsenal? Muslims hate France and France craps on Israel. Muslims hate Britain and Britain craps on Israel. Dont even try and pretend to use that excuse as a 'reason'. Oh yeah - and get off the IM since it was invented in Israel

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