ALLY
Commentary
Obama And Iran Deal Aftermath
My Journey Across
I
f there ever was a lose-lose situation
for Israel, it was embodied in its oppo-
sition to the proposed nuclear deal
reached with Iran by the U.S. and its part-
ners in the P5+1 (Russia, China, France,
England and Germany.) Talk about being
between a rock and a hard place.
Israel had a choice: It could oppose the
agreement or acquiesce and
face what it believed was an
existential threat from a coun-
try that has pledged to wipe it
off the map.
It chose the former, and
now that President Obama has
achieved a victory, Israel faces
the wrath of the world's most
powerful countries (the P5+1)
and many other countries as
well.
Without doubt, Israel also
will face a "nuclear" Obama
whose anger will be pointed at Israeli Prime
Minister Benyamin Netanyahu who has
been the most outspoken world leader
against the deal.
And Obama has 15 months left in office
to "get even:' and Israel can expect to suffer
his wrath. Obama, in one of his first meet-
ings with Netanyahu, warned the prime
minister that he (the president) knows how
to handle people who oppose him.
Anyone doubting Obama's animus
toward Israel should read Michael B. Oren's
Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israeli
Divide. An American-born historian, Oren
was Israel's ambassador to the United States
for four years from 2009-13.
As Oren writes, whatever the issue — the
settlements, Israel stopping an attempt by a
flotilla to break the Gaza blockade, failures
in negotiations, etc. — Israel was always at
fault.
What is particularly disturbing
is not just what Oren reports; but
one can speculate that he prob-
ably omitted many issues because,
while no longer in office, he most
likely still abided by "unwritten
rules" of diplomacy by not letting
it all hang out. Unlike some public
relations practitioners who write
bestselling books by violating pre-
vious confidentiality agreements,
Oren, one can assume, honored
his commitments and tempered
his comments.
In quite some detail, given a historian's
discipline, Oren chronicles the crises and
policy disputes he witnessed between the
U.S. and Israel, and the only conclusion one
can reach is that Obama's sympathies were
always with the Arabs and Islam. Israel was
not and is not in his kishkes.
The only time Obama lent his uncom-
promising support to Israel was during the
forest fires in Carmel in December 2010
when he approved giving Israel all the help
it needed. Of course, that was an apoliti-
cal issue, and the president could extend a
helping hand because there was no linkage
to the Israeli-Palestinians conflict.
He also was prepared to assist Israel
when lives of its embassy staff in Egypt
were at risk during a violent demonstration
but, again, it was not a political issue.
Oren cites very eloquent speeches in
which Obama celebrates the U.S.-Israel
"unbreakable" partnership, but his actions
did not match his soaring rhetoric.
Let us fast forward to the recent
announcement that the government plans
to release the convicted Israeli spy, Jonathan
Pollard, in November. Similarly, there is no
linkage to the politics in the Middle East.
Despite administration denials, the timing,
one cannot help but suspect, is designed to
make it appear that the administration is
not anti-Israel while it fights for approval of
the Iran deal.
One has to be totally naive politically not
to, at least, question the motivations of the
administration. If the timing was coinci-
dental, it raises the question: Since the gov-
ernment waited 30 years to release Pollard,
why could it not wait another two or three
months when the Iran deal will have been
settled?
So what now? Under the agreement, Iran
will have a nuclear weapon (even support-
ers of the deal concede) in 10-15 years.
Iran may even have the bomb sooner if it
cheats, and there is amble evidence — if
history is any guide — that it will. But,
supporters contend, that this was the only
the American-Israeli Divide
Michael B. Oren
FORMER AMBASSADOR OF ISRAEL TO THE UNITED STATES
viable option on the table.
They are right, but that's not the point.
The point is: This option should never have
been on the table in the first place.
Israel has lost on both fronts through
no fault of its own. It faces a nuclear Iran
and considerable political damage, some of
which may be beyond repair.
Sadly, the president has never demon-
strated any sympathy, understanding or
friendliness toward Israel or its body politic.
True, Israel had serious confrontation with
other presidents, i.e., Eisenhower, Ford,
George H.W. Bush. But those involved spe-
cific isolated issues. The divide with Obama
is ideological.
The next 15 months of the Obama
administration will test the political mettle
of Israel.
❑
Michael Oren will appear at Adam Shalom
Synagogue during the Farmington Hills con-
gregation's SYNergy Shabbat Friday-Saturday,
Oct. 2-3. Information at www.adatshalom.org
or (248) 851-5100.
Berl Falbaum is a veteran West Bloomfield
journalist and author author of eight books.
Dry Bones
THE 201.5 POPULATION SHUFFLE
transform into a bi-national Jewish-Arab state
and eventually an Arab state. Say goodbye to
"Hatikvah." Say goodbye to the blue-and-white
Star of David flag. Unfortunately, absorbing any
amount of Syrian refugees will only increase this
demographic threat.
Combating this threat is not an exhibition of
racism or a pursuit of ethnic purity – it is about
preserving the Zionist dream of a democratic
Jewish nation-state that respects national minori-
ties.
But admitting Syrian refugees, none of which
are Jewish, would be antithetical to this.
Instead of endlessly debating the impossible
idea of refugee absorption, we must consider
other avenues for Israel to fulfill its moral duty
and help ease the burden of the crisis.
One such avenue should be a joint effort on
the part of Israel and the Palestinian Authority in
which the Palestinians would agree to absorb a
number of Syrian refugees, with Israel providing
funding for the initiative and its necessary infra-
structure, such as housing and basic services.
Provided the project goes well, it is conceivable
it could even open the door for the resumption of
peace negotiations.
While the Syrian crisis has proved to be one of
the most difficult challenges for world leaders this
century, it cannot be solved by Europe alone. The
Arab world has a duty to offer refuge to its Syrian
brethren, who have suffered far too much at the
hand of a murderous despot and an evil terrorist
group.
The United States has a duty to fulfill its role as
a beacon of hope and the provider of safe harbor
for downtrodden peoples.
Israel, too, has a moral duty that it must exer-
cise in order to help Syrian refugees – but one
thing it cannot do is offer them a home.
❑
Noah Arbit is a student of political science
from West Bloomfield.
DEALING OUT
THE CARDS
114
SYRIANS TO
GREECE
MIGRANTS TO
... `^
...
AFRICANS AMERICA 0
TO EUROPE
AND FRENCH JEWS
HOME TO ISRAEL
September 17 • 2015
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