Israel Matzav

Obama and Iran: Why are human rights on the backburner?

Anne Bayefsky makes the same argument that I have made many times about why President Obama is ignoring the human rights catastrophe in Iran. It's the Jews - and specifically Israel - of course! But I love how she makes the argument....

In short, the “unacceptable” smothering of democratic dreams in Iran turns out to have been quickly accepted after all, with President Obama fixated on moving on. Why?

With Merkel by his side, the two leaders filled in the mysterious gaps. Obama moved from the Iranian bloodshed to Iranian acquisition of nuclear weapons and then quickly to Israel and the Palestinian conflict. Likewise, Merkel went from current events in Iran to this: “We would like to have a diplomatic solution to preventing Iran from gaining possession of a nuclear weapon. So I completely agree with the president here. . . . I think we can be successful in the Middle East [peace] process, and then be successful in our talks with Iran.”

In other words, the explanation of the “do nothing in response to the Iranian uprising” policy is that breaking Israel comes first. Obama’s top priority is to create a Palestinian state now (regardless of its anti-Semitic policies and terrorist intentions); then, and only then, will dialoguing with Iran allegedly bear fruit.

To recap, take a Holocaust-denying president who has advocated genocide and the elimination of the Jewish state, a government hell-bent on acquiring weapons of mass destruction, said government’s brutal repression of its own people, and the subsequent “re-election” of the aforementioned maniac, and what do you get? A call from Obama to isolate this regime? An urgent campaign to impose harsh sanctions? Immediate support for the destruction of their nuclear sites before it’s too late? No. Obama’s focus is delivering Israel to the same Islamic audience he stroked in Cairo.

Indeed. And let us all say, "Kumbaya."

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:49 PM