Apr 26, 2010

Obama and Israel

Okay. I can't help it, I have to say something. It will, however, be brief, as I know a firestorm is on its way in the comments section (right? right).

Obama is not out to destroy the Jewish State of Israel. He's not secretly uniting with all the Muslim powers to destroy the Jewish State of Israel. Have you ever heard of presidential choreography? Does it seem at all strange to you that this whole building in East Jerusalem thing came out of -- literally -- nowhere?

It's choreography. It's superficial. It's part of the game of being in bed with Israel, stam.

You can't be too tight with Israel, you can't be too against Israel (unless you're, you know, Iran). If the U.S. is super tight with Israel and Israel decides to take preemptive action and blow something in Iran up, the U.S. -- by association -- is screwed. So what does the U.S. do? It builds roadblocks (pardon the expression) in its relationship with Israel; it stays close, but not too close.

It's easy to come to an independent state's rescue. It's not easy to participate in its preemptive action against another sovereign nation. Right? Right.

This is my philosophy. Call me nuts, call me a collaborator, call me whatever you want. This kind of political choreography has always existed. You get close with some nations in order to screw them over, you have a faux falling out with another so that you don't get associated with their bullshit. It's choreography, it's superficial, that's it. The U.S. is famous for this stuff. Why are people in such a huff about this?

I'm really pro-Israel. I would pick up and move there tomorrow if Tuvia was down with it. I feel safe there, I feel at home there, I feel whole and complete there. I believe in a solution that allows Palestinians to live NOT under the thumb of Hamas and other militant organizations that plainly and flatly DO NOT even consider "peace" an option. I also believe in a solution that -- first and foremost -- allows Israel to continue to exist, as it does, as a sovereign and NECESSARY nation with its land and its freedom. Israel, to be sure, has every right in the world to defend itself, preemptively or postemptively.

I do, however, believe that peace in the Middle East will come at the cost of a huge and catastrophic event that I can't even begin to describe. It will happen, because it is only after catastrophe that we understand human life and its value in peace. It sucks, but that's how I have always seen the situation.

As someone said recently at a Shabbat dinner, "I am not optimistic, but I am hopeful."

8 comments:

Vicki said...

As someone who is also extremely pro-Israel, I think the key thing to remember here, which I tell everyone who thinks Obama is out to "get Israel," is that the U.S. continually provides Israel with military/civilian funding: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1070318.html Why does it matter what Obama says, as long as he keeps providing Israel money?

Chaviva Gordon-Bennett said...

@Vicki Excellent point. It's like how people are more than happy to accept the craptons of money that the Christians give to Israeli organizations (like, *cough*, Birthright) even though their motives are, you know, to get all Jews to Israel so their messiah will come and all but 10,000 Jews will die. Yup. We have no problems with that!

Suburban Sweetheart said...

I try not to touch Israel with a 10-foot-pole, but I'm glad to see this post.

Anonymous said...

Brilliant post, Chaviva. I was reading a lot of the vitriol at OlehGirl.com, an aliyah blog, and tried to make this same statement, but I was pretty much shot down. I am really pro-Israel too, but this stuff about Obama being out to get Israel is really off the law. I am so glad you wrote this.

Anonymous said...

That wasn't supposed to be "Anonymous"! This is Ofir. I couldn't get my name to post.

Chaviva Gordon-Bennett said...

I'm really glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. I'm surprised I didn't get anyone telling me I'm a leftist Nazi or something :)

Anonymous said...

Totally agree. Thanks for posting.

redsneakz said...

I've become pretty rabidly pro-Israel, and I have to say that I have James Baker/George Bush, and the Saudis for that. With that said, I agree that Obama is not out to destroy Israel, just as he's not out to impose a socialist system on the US. I will say, though, that his attempts to force Israel into any sort of accord with the reshaim who live in Damascus is more than a little bit alarming.

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