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Bad Timing
Arthur M. Horwitz
Publisher / Executive Editor
ahorwitz@renmedia.us
P
erhaps Israel Prime
tion. The retroactive authorization of
Minister Benyamin
nearby illegal outposts or the redraw-
Netanyahu needs a
ing of local settlement boundaries
course in how to make friends
does not change the fact that the
and influence people.
approval contradicts previous public
Most important, the course
statements by the government of
should include a section on the
Israel that it had no intention of cre-
most effective way of dealing with
ating new settlements.”
the United States and its president, Berl Falbaum
But let’s put aside the question of a
Israel’s most important ally.
two-state solution or other complex
As he has time and again, the prime min-
policy issues. This is about maintaining and
ister poked his finger in the eye of President
enhancing important and vital political rela-
Barack Obama again. This time it involved
tionships.
announcing a new settlement just a few
The timing of this decision is deeply
weeks after the U.S. agreed to a 10-year $38
disconcerting coming shortly after the agree-
billion military aid package, the largest of its
ment on the aid package and Shimon Peres’
kind in U.S. history.
funeral, which Obama attended. Did that
According to Washington officials, the
decision have to be made now? Couldn’t
funds will permit Israel to improve its mis-
Netanyahu have waited and, even better,
sile defense system, upgrade fighter jets and
discussed his plans with Washington? As the
strengthen ground forces.
proverb states, timing is everything.
While critics may argue that Israel should
This is not the first time that Netanyahu
have received more, it nevertheless is an
has been what we might call politically
agreement without precedent. So what does
insensitive in dealing with Obama.
Netanyahu do?
When visiting Washington, he has been
He announces a new settlement consisting condescending and lectured the president
of 300 homes designed for settlers from an
in the White House — in front of the entire
outpost, Amona, which the Israeli Supreme
press corps — on Israel, its political history
Court ordered demolished.
and its existential threats.
In announcing the new settlement,
Then there was his controversial speech
Netanyahu was probably catering to the far-
before Congress, which was disrespectful to
right constituency in Israel. But surely he
the office of the president and angered —
could have explained that the risks of offend- and rightly so — not just Obama but many
ing the U.S. required, at least in nothing else, pro-Israel senators and representatives.
a delay in expanding the settlements.
At that speech, it was not what he said,
The State Department called the action
but where he said it. It was totally unneces-
“deeply troubling” and in unusually strident
sary, and if the objective was to curry favor
language, “strongly condemned” the deci-
and garner support for Israel, it achieved the
sion.
opposite.
It said the settlement plan would “further
And that’s the major point. This discussion
damage the prospects for a two-state solu-
here is not about policy, a two-state solution
or how to revive peace talks. It’s about Israel
maintaining a healthy, productive, respectful
and, most important, trusting political rela-
tionship with the U.S.
Netanyahu, by his behavior, has done little
to enhance the political alliance with the U.S.
or assure that he values that relationship. He
has been criticized by strong pro-Israel law-
makers, and Israel cannot afford alienating
these allies. It has enough tsuris.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest
addressed the point about relationships
when he said, “I guess when we’re talking
about how good friends treat one another,
that’s a source of serious concern as well.”
Obama has only three months left in
office. How will he react to Netanyahu’s
“insult?” Obama probably could inflict seri-
ous damage before leaving office. Such a
response would be interpreted as “pettiness,”
but it boggles the mind why Netanyahu
would risk retaliatory measures, particularly
when he knows that the president has noth-
ing to lose politically given that he is at the
end of his presidency.
Overall, the prime minister has sent some
very disconcerting messages to an ally much
needed by Israel. Indeed, in his address to
Congress he implied — no, he did more than
imply — that Israel does not need the U.S.
He said: “For the first time in 100 gen-
erations, we, the Jewish people, can defend
ourselves.” In the context of the event, it was
more than an unwise statement.
Let us pray as we start the New Year that
the veracity of that statement never has to be
tested.
*
A veteran West Bloomfield journalist and author of
eight books, Berl Falbaum was an adjunct journalism
faculty member at Wayne State University for 45 years.
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continued from page 5
‘Feed The Need’
Provides Lunches
I read your article “Food For Thought” in the
Oct. 6 JN (page 18). The article focused on
hunger in our city and the wonderful organi-
zations that fight hunger and poor nutrition.
I helped to create and now co-run Detroit
Area Chefs Feed the Need. We arrange for
restaurants, hotels, caterers, country clubs
and hospitals to prepare and serve lunch at
either Cass Community Services in Detroit
or Baldwin Center in Pontiac. The lunches
are prepared by these facilities in their kitch-
ens and then transferred to the shelter by the
staff. All the food is donated and served by
volunteers every Wednesday.
Most restaurants serve lunch once a year,
some serve twice a year. These restaurants
and the other food services need to be rec-
6 October 20 • 2016
ognized for their generous contributions and
sincere concern for the homeless and hungry
members of our community. I am grateful
for the support to help us Feed the Need.
Anyone wishing to join our team may
email me at judisteve77@yahoo.com or my
partner at Feed the Need, John Carlin, at
jcarlin@cebhlaw.com.
Judi Shefman
Orchard Lake
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Funny Jewish Tweets
Matt Phillips
@Pillsy Oct 8
There’s a guy on
Michigan named
Ben Gedeon.
Whenever his name
is said, I think he’s Jewish
and want to know his first
na me. #GoBlue
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