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Obama's Siege of Jerusalem

negotiating strategies that Israel disliked
or actively resisted. Genuine friends
such as Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and
he humiliating treatment
accorded Israeli Prime Minister George W. Bush as well as less friendly
presidents such as Jimmy Carter and
Benjamin Netanyahu during
George H.W. Bush all pushed hard at
his recent visit to the White House and
times for Israeli acceptance of
the 13-point diktat that he
unpalatable concessions.
received from President
But in spite these prec-
Barack Obama has brought
edents,
Barack Obama has
relations between the United
managed
to go where no
States and Israel to a point of
American
president has gone
crisis. But however this par-
before.
For
all of the problems
ticular dispute between the
created
by
all
of his predeces-
two countries is played out
sors
about
settlements
in
in the days and weeks ahead,
the
West
Bank,
no
previous
observers must ponder what
American leader has ever
will follow during the rest of
Jonathan S.
chosen to draw a line in the
the Obama presidency.
Tobin
sand about the Jewish pres-
Though much of the focus
Special
ence in Jerusalem. It is true
of Obama's foreign policy has
Commentary
that the United States never
seemed to be a fixation with
recognized Israel's annexa-
making nice with rivals and
tion
of
the
eastern
sector of the city after
enemies, it has also been accompanied by
Jerusalem's
unification
in 1967. In fact,
what appears to be a calculated decision
it
has
never
even
recognized
western
to create some distance between America
Jerusalem
as
Israel's
capital.
But
the new
and Israel. Indeed, just 15 months into
Jewish
neighborhoods
that
sprang
up
the Obama presidency, the U.S.-Israel
along
the
northern,
eastern
and
south-
relationship seems to be as fractious as
ern outskirts of the city as well as those
it has been in recent memory. In his first
months, Obama tried and failed to topple in the Old City were never a source of
contention even during the presidencies
Netanyahu's newly elected coalition last
of Carter or the elder Bush. Indeed, the
year by issuing a demand for a settle-
ment freeze. But in an attempt to smooth notion that places such as Ramat Eshkol,
Pisgat Zeev, Gilo or even Ramat Shlomo
things over with his country's only ally,
(the site of the "insult" to Biden) are
Netanyahu formally accepted the prin-
considered
"settlements" by the United
ciple of a two-state solution and agreed
States
and
thus
no different from the
to stop building in the West Bank, though
most
remote
hilltop
outpost deep in the
not in Jerusalem.
West
Bank
is
something
that has come as
But when an ill-timed announcement
a
complete
surprise
to
most
Israelis, let
of a housing project in eastern Jerusalem
alone
American
supporters
of
Israel.
coincided with the visit to Israel of Vice
President Joe Biden earlier this month,
Obama Clarity
Obama pounced again. The incident
During the course of his first go at
was portrayed as a full-blown insult to
Netanyahu, Obama made it clear that,
America that required the stiffest con-
contrary to a promise given by George
demnation. Indeed, the plan to build
W.
Bush in 2004, he considered the bulk
apartments for Jews in an existing Jewish
of settlements situated close to the 1967
neighborhood of Jerusalem was greeted
that Israelis believe they will keep even
by a more spirited American denuncia-
in the event of a peace deal, to be just as
tion than Obama had mustered for Iran's
stolen election or the brutal repression of illegitimate as more controversial com-
munities. In the hope of defusing the
protestors in the streets of Tehran.
argument, Netanyahu reluctantly agreed
to a freeze in these towns and villages
Plenty Of History
As the dispute between the two countries while still maintaining that Jerusalem
could not be treated in the same way.
entered its third week, Obama's anger
But Washington's decision to jump
at Israel and his determination to force
on the Biden incident as an excuse to
Netanyahu to give in on the question of
demand that the freeze be extended to
building in the eastern sector of Israel's
eastern Jerusalem signals that Obama
capital was apparently unabated. Yet
clearly believes that, like the big settle-
this is hardly the first dispute between
ments of Ariel and Ma'ale Adumim, the
the two countries. Every administration
since 1967 has proposed peace plans and homes of the approximately 200,000

New York

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Jews who live in eastern Jerusalem are
also on the table.
It is far from clear what Obama
thinks he can achieve with these
demands.

Abbas' Trump Card

Despite Netanyahu's concessions on the
West Bank, the Palestinian Authority is
still refusing to negotiate directly with
Israel. Indeed, the so-called "proxim-
ity talks" that Obama was in such a
lather to revive with further Israeli
concessions showed little promise. The
circumstances that have always pre-
vented the Palestinian Authority from
signing any agreement that legitimized
a Jewish state within any borders have
not changed. Even more to the point,
since Obama has followed every Israeli
concession with demands for more, why
should Mahmoud Abbas negotiate since
his failure to do so is inevitably reward-
ed with more pressure on Israel?
But despite that fact that his diplomatic
offensive has virtually no chance of suc-
cess, Obama has still done something
that will permanently alter Middle
Eastern diplomacy. By treating the
Jewish presence in eastern Jerusalem as
a vast illegal settlement, the continued
growth of which is an alleged impedi-
ment to peace, Obama has made it
impossible for any Arab leader to ever
accept Israel's possession of this part
of the city. This not only makes the
already near-impossible task of forging
peace that much harder it is a crushing
blow to decades of Israeli and American
Jewish efforts to foster international rec-
ognition of a unified Jerusalem.
This year, along with the conventional
four questions of the Passover seder,
some Americans are starting ask them-
selves: "Why is this president different
from all other presidents?" The answer
is that Barack Obama has now estab-
lished opposition to Israel's hold on its
capital as a cornerstone of American
Middle East policy in a way that is
completely new as well as dangerous.
Those wondering whether or not this
development ought to cause them to
re-evaluate their political loyalties might
want to remember the closing refrain of
Passover seders down through the cen-
turies: "Next Year in Jerusalem!" 17

Jonathan S. Tobin is executive editor of

Commentary magazine and a contributor to
its blog at www.commentarymagazine.com .

Jews For Jesus?

I

have a friend who has become
interested in Jews for Jesus. What is
the best way to approach this topic?
— Ari

Jews for Jesus is a touchy subject for a lot of
Jews. But before I go into a discussion of how
to talk about it with your friend, I want to
address the real possibility that your friend is
exploring Jews for Jesus because he (or she)
is going through a rough time and is looking
for some support wherever he can get it.
Jews for Jesus emphasizes outreach and
may have resonated with your friend if for
any reason he's been looking for a way to
connect to other people. When you talk
about it with him, you might want to find
out if there's anything difficult going on in
his life. Make sure your friend knows you
support him and that you're happy to help
him find some other community resources
if he is interested.
If your friend has been seriously inves-
tigating the theology of Jews for Jesus, you
can try to help him clarify some of the
theological issues at play. Though Jews for
Jesus like to refer to themselves as Jews,
theologically they are absolutely Christians.
The basis of all Christian theology is
that Jesus was the messiah and that he
died for the sins of mankind. Jewish theol-
ogy is built on the observance of mitzvot
(commandments) in order to hasten the
arrival of the messiah — who has not yet
arrived. Judaism simply doesn't recognize
Jesus as the messiah. Jews for Jesus, even if
they speak Hebrew, pray out of a siddur or
observe Shabbat, believe in a theology that
is in opposition to Judaism.
You can also seek help from Jews for
Judaism, an organization that aims to help
counter the efforts of evangelical Christian
organizations that target Jews for conver-
sion. Jews for Judaism will offer infor-
mation about how Judaism is different
from what is often practiced in Messianic
Jewish communities, and will present you
and your friend with opportunities to
strengthen your relationship with Judaism.
Religion and faith are complicated and
intensely personal subjects. However much
we might like to, we can't control how our
friends and family members feel about God
and Judaism. What we can do, and should,
is make sure that when they make decisions
about faith, we've given them opportuni-
ties to learn about the history and culture
of our own heritage, so they can make an
educated decision.
Good luck! ri

He can be reached via e-mail at:

For more information about Judaism and

jtobin@commentarymagazine.com .

Jewish life, visit MyJewishLearning.com .

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