Israel Matzav

Obama's State of the Union message to Israel

President Obama's State of the Union address was mostly about domestic issues, but there was a brief section about foreign policy, which Barry Rubin analyzes here. It included this brief section about Israel.

“Our iron-clad commitment to Israel’s security has meant the closest military cooperation between our two countries in history.”

This is a carefully constructed sentence which I find makes me even more suspicious about Obama’s commitment toward Israel. Why? Because it is true that the bilateral military cooperation is as good as it has ever been. But all other areas of relations are terrible. This sentence tells me that Obama understands that and wants to accentuate the positive without doing anything to improve the negative. He thinks U.S.-Israel relations are good enough and will not—even if, or especially if, elected to a second term.

Another point to notice is Obama’s failure to mention–much less highlight–the Israel-Palestinian “peace process.” They’ve given up on that one, at least for 2012.

The fact that the 'peace process' has been put on ice until after the elections is the good news from Israel's perspective. It means less pressure to make dangerous concessions to the 'Palestinians' for the next nine and a half months.

But Barry has also pointed out the fundamental flaw in Obama's Israel policy - that 'all other areas of relations are terrible.' They sure are. From Obama's refusal to make the 'Palestinians' take responsibility for their own actions to Obama's refusal to take timely and effective action on Iran (which Barry discusses at length), this administration has been a dangerous and unmitigated disaster for Israel.

Four more years? What could go wrong?

Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, US-Israel relationship

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 6:20 PM