More Concern About Obama,Editorial Board

Barack Obama's presidential campaign has been dogged by concerns that the senator's all-encompassing emphasis on "change" might, should Mr. Obama win the White House in November, mean a break with President Bush's policy of supporting Israel's right to defend itself and define its security interests.

The concern was reignited recently when a high Hamas official stated publicly that Hamas would welcome a win by Sen. Obama (see story, page 2). The Democratic frontrunner was constrained to once again go public about Israel in an interview with The Atlantic, released on Monday. Unfortunately, some of what he had to say only served to raise more questions.

Asked whether he believes the Zionist idea "has justice on its side," Sen. Obama answered in the affirmative. But when asked, "Do you think that justice is still on Israel's side?" he said:

I think the idea of a secure Jewish state is a fundamentally just idea, and a necessary idea, given not only world history but the active existence of anti-Semitism, the potential vulnerability that the Jewish people could still experience.... That makes it a fundamentally just idea.

That does not mean that I would agree with every action of the state of Israel, because it's a government and it has politicians, and as a politician myself, I am deeply mindful that we are imperfect creatures and don't always act with justice uppermost on our minds. But the fundamental premise of Israel and the need to preserve a Jewish state that is secure is, I think, a just idea and one that should be supported here in the United States and around the world. [Emphasis added]

Further, in answer to the question "If you become President, will you denounce settlements publicly?" he said: "What I will say is what I've said previously. Settlements at this juncture are not helpful. Look, my interest is in solving this problem not only for Israel but for the United States." And in answer to the follow-up question, "Do you think that Israel is a drag on America's reputation overseas?" he quickly responded:

No, no, no. But what I think is that this constant wound, that this constant sore, does infect all of our foreign policy. The lack of a resolution to this problem provides an excuse for anti-American militant jihadists to engage in inexcusable actions, and so we have a national-security interest in solving this, and I also believe that Israel has a security interest in solving this because I believe that the status quo is unsustainable. I am absolutely convinced of that, and some of the tensions that might arise between and some of the more hawkish elements in the Jewish community in the United States might stem from the fact that I'm not going to blindly adhere to whatever the most hawkish position is just because that's the safest ground politically.

I want to solve the problem, and so my job in being a friend of Israel is partly to hold up a mirror and tell the truth and say that if Israel is building settlements without any regard to the effects that this has on the peace process, then we're going to be stuck in the same status quo that we've been stuck in for decades now. [Emphasis added]

When asked whether he was "flummoxed by" the endorsement of the Hamas leader, Obama said:

I wasn't flummoxed. I think what is going on there is the same reason why there are some suspicions of me in the Jewish community.... It is conceivable there are those in the Arab world who say to themselves, This is a guy who spent some time in the Muslim world, has a middle name of Hussein, and appears more worldly and has called for talks with people, and so he's not going to be engaging in the same sort of cowboy diplomacy as George Bush," and that's something they're hopeful about. I think that's a perfectly legitimate perception as long as they're not confused about my unyielding support for Israel's security....

So I welcome the Muslim world's accurate perception that I am interested in opening up dialogue and interested in moving away from the unilateral policies of George Bush, but nobody should mistake that for a softer stance when it comes to terrorism or when it comes to protecting Israel's security or making sure that the alliance is strong and from. You will not see, under my presidency, any slackening in commitment to Israel's security.

Several things become readily apparent. Sen. Obama is very forthcoming about his commitment to the survival of Israel. This is not some ogre with a hidden anti-Semitic agenda. The devil, however, is in the details.

Thus, while Sen. Obama is plainly a supporter of the notion of a Jewish state, he is not prepared to accept Israel's position on what it takes to secure that Jewish state. Exactly how far would a President Obama go along with an Israeli policy of continuous raids against Hamas in order to keep that terrorist group from building its infrastructure and maintaining its capacity to harass Israel with rockets?

Sen. Obama also seems prepared to excoriate Israel on its settlement policy as an impediment to peace without in any way factoring in the Palestinian failure to stem terror attacks against Israelis. In effect, he seems to be buying into the notion that Israel alone must produce in order to secure peace.

Finally, there is Sen. Obama's acknowledgment that, yes, the Muslim world can take heart in his public pronouncements on the Middle East. In the past, he has insisted his critics were way off base. Now, apparently, because a high Hamas official has read his lips in the same way, he has acknowledged that interpretation's reasonableness.

Read Comments (3)

HUSSEIN "BIG EARS" OBAMA
Date 02:05, 05-23, 08

LIKE ALL GOOD POLITICIANS HE TELLS THE GROUP THAT HE ADDRESSES WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR. HE IS NO MORE A FRIEND OF ISRAEL THEN THE MAD DOG OF IRAN.

HOW MANY JEWS EVEN KNOW THAT HAMAS IS ROOTING FOR BIG EARS TO WIN. SO MUCH FOR BEING A "FRIEND" OF ISRAEL.

THIS TRAINED HUMAN PARROT IS THE CREATION OF SLEAZY
BACK ROOM CHICAGO POLITICIANS.

HE IS A GREATER DANGER TO THE U.S.A. THAN BIN LADIN.

JOSEPH RIFKIN

Not Quite "Baruch" Obama Yet
Date 10:05, 05-25, 08

I am heartened that Sen. Barack Obama wants to solve the problem between Israel and the Palestinians by changing the status quo so as to realize a two-state solution. But does he really understand the obligations that would have to be in place on the part of the Palestinians to make this happen. In his first negotiations with them as president, Obama is likely to have a reality shock. I hope he has advisers that can prepare him. It would be a true blessing if he could break the impass. I think Obama's heart is in the right place; I don't know about his head.

Arlene Kurtis
Floral Park, NY

Obamunism
Date 08:10, 10-16, 08

The issue is not his "quotes" on Israel, but the fact that he is a Marxist-who still has ties to Islamist-Marxist figures such as al-Monsour.

Islam and Communism are *both* INEHERENTLY anti-Semitic, and his support for those ideologies overshadows anything he may try to sell to people about his beliefs on Israel.
The Jew represents "Tradition" and "Evil Capitalism" to the "Revolutionary Anti-Capitalist".
Don't forget that the Communists were horrible to the Jews for longer than the Nazis even were.

Hopefully, McCain will win and this leftist-extremist will no longer be of consequence, at least until the next election, should he choose to run again.

-Nox