In response to Jennifer Rubin’s assertion that Barack Obama’s “animus toward the Jewish state is so evident that only a foolish prime minister would trust him with the survival of the Jewish state,” Jeffrey Goldberg argues Obama “has shown zero animus” to “Israel or to the idea of Israel” and that it is “plausible,” although not “probable,” that Obama would “contemplate the use of force” to defend U.S. allies such as Israel or Saudi Arabia.
Rubin’s response is here.
Perhaps “animus” is not the right word for failing to honor prior U.S. understandings on settlements; ignoring the 2004 Bush letter; slurring Israel in the Cairo address; repeatedly failing to visit Israel even while in the region; telling Jewish leaders the U.S. had been too close to Israel; vilifying Israel for announcing more Jewish homes in longstanding Jewish areas of the capital of the Jewish state; demanding pre-negotiation concessions from Israel but not from the Palestinians; repeatedly humiliating Israel’s prime minister during U.S. visits; failing to visit Israel after telling the prime minister a year and a half ago he was “ready” to go; having his UN ambassador castigate Israel at the UN in extraordinarily harsh terms; adopting a new U.S. position on Palestinian negotiations without notice to Israel and announcing it while the prime minister was traveling to the U.S. to meet with him; and complaining to the French president about having to talk to the Israeli prime minister all the time.
It might have been more accurate to say it is evident Obama can’t stand Israel’s prime minister and probably won’t use force to help defend Israel, and that it would thus be foolish to trust Obama with the survival of the Jewish state.
Goldberg . . .sheesh, what an ass . . . . n n nHe's a perfect example of why much of American Jewish opinion on Israel should be entirely discounted by Israeli policymakers – and thinking American Jews.
Goldberg lost his credibility as the centrist ( a useful position in the American war between the Jews) when he personally vouched for "Imam" Rauf in 2010. n nAs to using "force to help defend Israel"? I like to think enough admirals and generals would risk their stars and bars if it came to that.