[There is extensive coverage of this back and forth in the current Israeli papers — something to do with competition with McCain. Ed Kent]
……………………
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/rosnerBlog.jhtml?itemNo=865078
Obama the hawk
As if Obama did not have enough troubles with the pro Israel camp, the left is now starting to hammer him for supporting Israel too much. Look at this article from Tikkun:
Earlier in his career, Obama took a relatively balanced perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, aligning himself with positions embraced by the Israeli peace camp and its American supporters. For example, during his unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 2000, Obama criticized the Clinton administration for its unconditional support for the occupation and other Israeli policies and called for an even-handed approach to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. He referred to the “cycle of violence” between Israelis and Palestinians, while most Democrats were referring to “Palestinian violence and the Israeli response.” He also made statements supporting a peace settlement along the lines of the Geneva Initiative and similar efforts by Israeli and Palestinian moderates.
During the past two years, however, Obama has largely taken positions in support of the hard-line Israeli government, making statements virtually indistinguishable from that of the Bush administration. Indeed, his primary criticism of Bush’s policy toward the conflict has been that the administration has not been engaged enough in the peace process, not that it has backed the right-wing Israeligovernment on virtually every outstanding issue.
Rejecting calls by Israeli moderates for the United States to use its considerable leverage to push the Israeli government to end its illegal and destabilizing colonization of the West Bank and agree to withdraw from the occupied territories in return for security guarantees, Obama has insisted “we should never seek to dictate what is best for the Israelis and their security interests” and that no Israeli prime minister should ever feel “dragged” to the negotiating table.
1.23.2008
Obama: Israel was forced to close Gaza
The letter from the Senator to the Ambassador speaks for itself:
Dear Ambassador Khalilzad,
I understand that today the UN Security Council met regarding the situation in Gaza, and that a resolution or statement could be forthcoming from the Council in short order.
I urge you to ensure that the Security Council issue no statement and pass no resolution on this matter that does not fully condenm the rocket assault Hamas has been conducting on civilians in southern Israel…
All of us are concerned about the impact of closed border crossings on Palestinian families. However, we have to understand why Israel is forced to do this… Israel has the right to respond while seeking to minimize any impact on civilians.
The Security Council should clearly and unequivocally condemn the rocket attacks… If it cannot bring itself to make these common sense points, I urge you to ensure that it does not speak at all.
Sincerely,
Barack Obama
United States Senator
–
“A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope.” (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
–
Ed Kent 212-665-8535 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
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8 users commented in " Where Does Barack Obama Stand on Israel/Palestine? "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackEmail is being sent questioning Obama’s relationship to the Rev.
Farakhan and other religious figures in the African-American community
community and the suggestion that anti-semitism plays a part in his
in his philosophy. This could alienate a good number of
potential voters, as well as limit their contributions.
I think it to be in Sen. Obama’s best interest for him to
make a clear and uequivocable statement re his position on
the Israeli/Palestinian situation, and reaffirm his support
for a just solution to the problem, ensuring Israel’s
security, and his pledge to continue America’s promise to
protect the State of Israel.
I would like to know in laymen terms. Is Obama a true supporter of Israel? Does he believe that the land of Israel belong to the Israelis and that the Israelis should not be forced to give up the land? This is an issue very dear to my heart.
I believe that Obama supports a REAL peace with the Arabs. Until this is achieved )if ever), I believe he supports Israel’s efforts to protect itself from destruction for no other reason than that is not a Moslem State.
Because obama believes in abortion and gay marriage,i cannot vote for him.Any “Christian”who votes for him,is a vote for evil because the Bible teaches against these things.
Israel via 1948 does not have any right to this land. Is so, then perhaps the natives 9erroneously called Indians) have a right to their land; actually, they have more of a right than the Israelis because the Zionists come from various areas.
Moslems have the right in this land.
and Israel doesn’t have any right to this land.
with or without support from Obama, we (moslems) will win !
I believe that
I believe if God intended for Israel to exist, then it would have under peaceful conditions. This has not ever been the case. Therefore if Israel continues to practice violence against the native people of Palestine then eventually if God wills he will deal with Israel and their unfair aggression once again as He has done in the past, or perhaps on an even grander scale. Furthermore, the Jews hated Jesus, Gods messenger so much that they attempted to crucify him. According to the Bible, perhaps King James version, and Giddeons version for sure, Jesus was a man from Palasting, a Palestinian, and no wonder the Jews still massacre the Palestinians. God will punish them as in the past. May God punish them and their supporters as in the past with a unbearable blow here and in the hereafter. So while there is time (if God has not already decided), let there be peace and let there be some other land for the Jews, or whatever God Himself wills. Peace to all.
The American people trust that Barack Obama will conscientiously address international issues.
LONG LIVE PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA!
Speaking of Barack Obama:
Barack Obama is a racial-minority individual and does not like racism:
WORLDWIDE PROLIFERATION OF INFORMATION RELATING TO SCANDALS:
(I) I do solemnly swear by Almighty God that George W. Bush committed hate crimes of epic proportions and with the stench of terrorism which I am not at liberty to mention. Many people know what Bush did. And many people will know what Bush did—even until the end of the world. Bush was absolute evil. Bush is now like a fugitive from justice. Bush is a psychological prisoner. Bush often worries. In any case, Bush will go down in history in infamy.
(II) It is opined that Bill Clinton committed terrifying, racist, hate crimes during his presidency, and I am not free to say anything further about it. Numbers 32:23: “Be sure your sins will find you out.”
(III) What if basically all racial-minority people would subscribe to the interpretations that George Herbert Walker Bush committed monstrous, racist, hate crimes while he was the President of the United States? It will eventually come out: it is only a matter of time.
(IV) I know it may be hard to believe. However, Ronald Wilson Reagan committed horrible, racist, hate crimes during his presidency.
- A.W.
(I can type 90 words per minute, and there are thousands of copies on the Internet (by March 29, 2009) indicating the contents of (I), (II), (III), and (IV). And there are thousands of copies in very many countries around the world.)
“BAD NEWS FROM THE UNITED STATES: ON THE HATE CRIMES AND ETERNAL INFAMIES OF GEORGE W. BUSH, BILL CLINTON, GEORGE H.W. BUSH, AND RONALD REAGAN” BLOG OF ANDREW WANG
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‘If only there could be a ban against invention that bottled up memory like scent & it never faded & it never got stale.’ Off the top of my head, it came from my Lower Merion High School yearbook.
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