points of view EDITORIAL BOARD: Publisher: Arthur M. Horwitz Chief Operating Officer: F. Kevin Browett Contributing Editor: Robert Sklar >> Send letters to: Ietters©thejewishnews.com Obama's Goal Is A Secure Israel Washington/JTA A strong, secure Jewish State of Israel, sup- ported by the United States as a close ally, has been a central feature of my public and private careers. As a senior government offi- cial in several administrations, an American and a Jew, I see Israel from multiple perspec- tives. Israel plays a strategic role in advancing American interests in the Middle East and beyond; Israel and the United States share a common set of democratic values and have developed a partnership unique in the annals of history. Israel is the Third Jewish Commonwealth, returning the Jewish people to their homeland after 2,000 years of exile; and it is the home of relatives and close friends, and the final resting place of my great-grandfather and grandfather, both of whom made aliyah. I fervently believe President Obama's course is essential to achieve the hopes I have for Israel's future — notwithstanding the recent controversy over the president's remarks about Israeli-Palestinian negotia- tions and differences over Israeli settle- ment expansion. A Strong Plan First, the Obama administration has gen- erated unprecedented international pres- sure to confront Iran, Israel's most danger- ous security threat. President Obama is determined in word and deed to "prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons." The president and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have orchestrated increas- ingly biting multilateral sanctions through the U.N. Security Council, winning support even from Russia and China; strengthened them with comprehensive U.S. sanctions aimed at Iran's financial sector; and obtained European Union sup- port for similar sanctions. As a result, Iran is virtually cut off from large parts of the international financial system, its economy is hobbled and most large American and European companies have left Iran. The administration also has taken on Islamic terrorism more generally, from gravely weakening Al Qaida with relentless drone attacks and the courageous killing of Osama bin Laden to providing vast financial and military support to help gov- ernments throughout the Middle East and North Africa combat radicalism. Second, with bipartisan cooperation from Congress, the president has placed 26 August 11 • 2011 Obama's Policies Endanger Israel the military relationship with Beverly Hills, Calif./ JTA Israel at an all-time high. President Obama has expand- srael and America are at ed U.S.-Israeli security coopera- a dangerous crossroads tion from counterterrorism to in which the survival of preventing arms smuggling to Israel and the safety of the Gaza to missile defense. United States both hang in Despite the most difficult the balance. federal budget challenge in Year after year, the forces of our lifetime, Israel's military terrorism become stronger, assistance has increased to the and the claims of terrorists historic high of $3 billion. The become more acceptable Obama administration has to our European allies and assured that Israel will main- more powerful in the United tain a qualitative advantage in Nations. Year after year, the a region where the sophistication of arms Iranian dictatorship, with its openly is increasing by providing stated desire to annihilate additional support of $205 Israel and defeat the United million to help produce an States, moves closer to having Israeli-developed short-range nuclear means to do so. Year rocket defense system, Iron after year, Hamas grows stron- Dome, which already has ger in Gaza and Hezbollah intercepted rockets from Gaza grows stronger in Lebanon. and saved Israeli lives. Today, the greatest obstacle Third, the Obama admin- toward achieving a real istration has taken head-on and lasting peace is not the the insidious campaign strength of the enemy or the to delegitimize Israel as a unwillingness of Israel to make Jewish state. Obama is the great sacrifices for the sake of first president to repeatedly peace. refer to Israel as the "Jewish It is the inability on the part State of Israel." He told the of the Obama administra- U.N. General Assembly that tion and certain other world Is President leaders to tell the truth about "Israel's existence must not be a subject for debate" and terrorism, be honest about the Obama's said, "Efforts to chip away at publicly stated goals of our Israel's legitimacy will only woridview common enemies and devise be met by the unshakeable policies appropriate to an hon- in line with opposition of the United est accounting of reality. States." Moral confusion — for Israel's best The president withdrew example, not spelling out a U.S. participation in the interests? carefully defined ideology of Durban Review Conference radical Islamist terrorism — is in Geneva in 2009 because sadly typical of this adminis- of its anti-Israel agenda. And tration's elevation of political the administration strongly correctness above common opposed the Goldstone report following sense. The Obama administration's the Gaza War. policy towards Israel has been a victim of this dangerous confusion. Mideast Impact The controversy over the president's Confusing Remarks position on the Israeli-Palestinian peace In his May 19 State Department speech, process has colored the view of some President Obama rightly stated that supporters of Israel, who failed to listen Israel cannot be expected to negotiate to what the president said. His May 19 with a terrorist organization that denies speech on the Arab Spring and his May 22 its right to exist. But he then went on in American Israel Public Affairs Committee the same speech to pressure Israel to do (AIPAC) speech are bookends that should exactly that. be reassuring to Israeli supporters and are President Obama wants Israel to enter distinctly in Israel's best interests. into negotiations with a Palestinian It is critical to understand that the Authority that is now in league with the president was not only trying to reignite terrorist organization Hamas. The presi- the stalled peace process, but also head dent said that applying this pressure on off a serious looming danger to Israel: a Israel was not the politically savvy thing A Troubling Shift In his recent speeches, President Obama also called for Israel to accept the 1967 lines as the beginning of peace nego- tiations. He went to great lengths to have us all believe that what he said at the State Department and later at AIPAC was no different than what other American presidents have declared as official policy. Unfortunately, that's just not true. President Obama has, in fact, called for a remarkable shift in U.S. policy regard- ing the peace process. He wants Israel to accept the indefensible lines of 1967 as the starting point of negotiations. Accepting such a proposal would be a suicidal step for Israel. Fortunately for Israel, that proposal is a non-starter with the American people. Like Israel, we are committed to see- ing a peace agreement that protects POINT on page 27 COUNTER POINT on page 27 I AT I SSUE for him to do and that the safe thing to do in an election year is nothing. He is essentially telling us that he is doing the brave thing by pressuring Israel to negotiate with terrorists who want to destroy it. President Obama and his State Department should recall some basic facts. Hamas was founded as a terrorist organization dedi- cated to the destruction of Israel. Its charter openly calls for Israel's destruction and instructs its followers to kill Jews wherever they find them. Hamas goes well beyond words in its effort to destroy Israel. In 2010, more than 200 missiles were fired into Israel from Gaza. No country can be expected to con- duct peace negotiations with a terrorist organization dedicated to its destruc- tion, or with a Palestinian governmental authority that joins forces with such a terrorist organization. Twenty years of hopes for the modern peace process cannot change this funda- mental reality. It also means that entering into peace negotiations with any organization that includes Hamas is a fool's errand. It is something that no friend of Israel should ever ask Israel to do. I certainly hope this administration doesn't resort to the meaningless exer- cise of trying to artificially distinguish between the military and political wings of Hamas as a way of justifying pressure on Israel to negotiate with the latter.