Obama Strikes Against Israel

Mike L.

{Cross-posted at Israel Thrives and Pro-Israel Bay Bloggers.}

Two different stories, one in the Times of Israel and one in Y-Net, infer that the Obama administration is now taking a measure of revenge on the Jewish State of Israel for daring to build housing for its citizenry in eastern Jerusalem.  Given Obama's objection to Israel fighting back against Hamas, it may also be the case that Obama is punishing Israel for daring to defend itself from the Hamas rocketeers.

According to the Times of Israel:

NEW YORK — A series of hard-hitting amendments that would have severely penalized the Palestinian Authority, along with several states and international bodies, for the successful bid last week to upgrade the PA’s status to a “nonmember observer state” at the UN failed to pass in the Senate Tuesday. One of the defeated amendments would have closed down the PLO’s office in Washington...

According to Capitol Hill observers familiar with the amendments, they were removed due to pressure from the White House. While the Obama administration actively opposed PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s UN General Assembly move — which saw a vote of 138-9 last Thursday in favor of upgrading “Palestine” to a nonmember observer state — it was concerned that the proposed amendments would limit its options when dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian issue going forward.

While it's unclear just how "actively" the White House actually opposed dictator Abbas's successful UNGA bid to see "Palestine" recognized as a non-member state, it does seem clear that Obama has, in fact, actively prevented the the US Senate from taking action in support of Israel.  This is fully consistent with Barack Obama's ongoing hostility toward that country.  Obama wrecked whatever potential that there may have been in a negotiated conclusion of hostilities through his demand for total settlement freeze.  He blamed Israel for his own miscalculations.  And he then went forward to help usher the Muslim Brotherhood into power in Egypt and, thereby, assisted the rise of political Islam throughout the Middle East.

According to Y-Net:

The European countries plan to impose sanctions on the Israeli government: Freezing agreements, labeling items that are manufactured in the settlements and lowering the level of diplomatic relations.

"In the aftermath of the decision to upgrade the Palestinians' status in the UN to that of a non-member observer state, Netanyahu acted like the leader of a criminal gang, not like the prime minister of a country that is a member of the world body," the European official said. "We were shocked by the decision to build (more housing units beyond the Green Line). It shows that all of Netanyahu's statements regarding the two-state solution idea are meaningless."

It is safe to say that the Washington is encouraging Europe's conduct. The White House authorized Europe to punish Netanyahu's government. This has nothing to do with Netanyahu's behavior during the US elections. The Obama administration realizes that a way must be found to jumpstart the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians and reach an agreement.

It's difficult to draw hard and fast conclusions on stories such as the above.  Nonetheless, it is not unlikely that the Obama administration is taking behind the scenes actions against Israel as a punitive measure for green-lighting future homes in the eastern section of Jerusalem and for daring to defend itself during the recent conflict with Hamas.

Some will say, strangely enough, that smacking around Israel is good for the Jewish State.

There are any number of "progressives," including "progressive Zionists," who think that punishing Israel is the true yardstick of friendship and alliance with that country.  The more one smacks around Israel... for its own good, of course... the greater a friend one is.

I hope that I can perhaps be forgiven for doubting that a kick in the teeth is the behavior of a friend.

Barack Obama is no friend to the Jewish State of Israel, nor therefore a friend to the Jewish people, in general.

The evidence for this conclusion continues to mount, yet I am certain that it will continue to be ignored by Obama's "progressive Zionist" supporters.  Jeremy Ben-Ami and Peter Beinart must be very pleased.