US-Israel relations: A looming crisis?
The vibes from Washington, reconfirmed by President Obama's speech in Cairo, clearly suggest that the Obama administration may be heading toward a major confrontation with the Israeli government. The policy adjustments are being orchestrated in a highly sophisticated manner. President Barack Obama conveys warm signals to the Jewish community, expressing appreciation for the Jewish contribution to American society, hosting the first Seder ever held in the White House and visiting Buchenwald rather than Jerusalem after Cairo. He reassures Americans that the United States will remain "a stalwart ally of Israel and it is in our interests to assure that Israel is safe and secure." Yet when President Obama reiterates the need to be "honest" with Israel there is no doubt that he is signalling his intention of adjusting long standing US policies. Jewish Doves urge Obama to pressure Israel
"Dovish" American Jewish groups are frenziedly urging the incoming Obama Administration to prioritize pressuring Israel to make further unilateral concessions. Although it is idle speculation to try to predict the policy that President-elect Barack Obama is likely to adopt in relation to Israel, one would be tempted to assume that the Middle East would, in these times, be low in his order of priorities and he would primarily be concentrating his energies on the devastating domestic economic meltdown. Although undertakings made during elections are frequently repudiated, we can take comfort in the fact that over the course of the election campaign, Obama's stance towards Israel became increasingly supportive. My impression of Obama is that he seems to be more of a pragmatist than a hard core ideologue |
 |
 
Combined feed for all JPost.com blogs
Top Rated Posts
Tags:Blogroll |
Comments (40)
