The Obama administration has been conducting an all-out charm offensive in recent months aimed at convincing American Jews that the president is Israel’s best friend. Polls have shown that the effort has not been enough to prevent a precipitous drop in his share of the prospective Jewish vote from the 78 percent he garnered in 2008. However, it will probably help him maintain a comfortable majority of Jewish votes in November as most of this predominantly liberal demographic is prepared to either ignore his past history of conflict with Israel or actually believes in the sincerity of his election-year conversion. But even as American Jews argue about Obama’s attitude toward Israel, the intended objects of the supposed solicitude continue to hold starkly different views about him.
A new Smith Research poll sponsored by the Jerusalem Post shows that although perceptions of Obama in Israel have improved in the last year, most Israelis don’t consider him much of a friend. The survey showed that 36 percent of Israelis believe Obama is neutral in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians with 24 percent seeing him as pro-Palestinian and an equal number perceiving him as pro-Israel while 16 percent expressed no opinion. These numbers make one wonder what it is that the three quarters of Israelis who don’t see him as being in favor of their country know that the majority of American Jews who think he is pro-Israel haven’t figured out.
The contrast between Israeli public opinion of the president and the views of American Jews is all the more startling when one realizes that these dismal numbers are actually a vast improvement for Obama over past polls conducted by the same firm. In the summer of 2009 after the first fight picked by the president with Israel and his Cairo speech to the Arab world in which he equated the plight of the Palestinians with the Holocaust, only 6 percent of Israelis saw him as their ally while 50 percent saw him as pro-Palestinian. Last year after his ambush of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in which he expressed support for the 1967 borders being the starting point for future Middle East negotiations, only 12 percent of Israelis saw him as pro-Israel.
While few American Jews are single issue voters and most consider liberal positions on domestic issues a higher priority than support for the Jewish state when choosing a president, Israelis are only focused on whether the resident of the White House is seeking to undermine their security or force them into unwanted and dangerous concessions. That’s why, although it is fair for Democrats to argue that Obama has not sought to unravel the U.S.-Israel security alliance, most Israelis still see the president as either neutral or hostile to their fate.
The opinions of Israelis ought not be dispositive to American voters on any issue. But those Democrats who will spend the year loudly proclaiming Obama to be Israel’s best friend ever to sit in the White House might want to take a moment and consider the fact that most of the people who they claim to support have a very different view of the question.
One should but one never ceases to be amazed at the utter cluelessness and stupidity of Jews. ONLY 24% of Israelis believe Obama is pro-Palestinian? Impressive.
Post forgot to give us what that 78% dropped precipitously to. I guess he has a different definition of "precipice". Because he fell off three or four logical ones by the fifth paragraph and never noticed. n nIf by "not a friend" of Israel you mean, not degrading its internal politics to suit the Israeli whim; subordinating its foreign policy to Israeli interests; supporting Israel generously with foreign and military aid–the US could reduce all of this by half and still be Israel's best friend in the world. And Israel would still probably attempt to steal American technology, influence American politics, and display broad contempt for American institutions. That apparently makes you folks happy. Which makes me wonder: why are you still here? n nice9
Well, on the bright side, if Obama went from 6% to 12% in Israel, doesn't that mark a 100% increase? n nBut I don't think it's what Israeli Jews know about Obama that American Jews don't; it's what Israeli Jews know about the world. This knowledge may come from a higher proportion of Israelis being (or being the children and grandchildren of ) Holocaust survivors, or refugees from oppression in Arab and Muslim lands, or in former Soviet bloc countries. It may also come from decades of being constantly threatened with annihilation by enemies who reject any overtures toward peace, and being libeled by much of the world as the only obstacle to peace — not only their own, but the world's. Here are some of those things. n n1. Being liberal will not keep you from being slaughtered. n2. Wanting peace won't keep you from being slaughtered by those who want what you have, or who want you dead or gone. n[more]
[cont'd] n3. To many people, anything that a Jew has is stolen property, even though the Jew bought and paid for it from the prior lawful owner. (The events of the fathers are a sign for the children — see the story in Toldos about the wells that Avraham dug near Beer Sheva.) n4. Wishing for peace won't bring peace, and wishful thinking that your enemies want peace leads to more war and death. n[More]
Well, according to the most 'liberal' Jews, the followers of Beinart and Friedman, and readers of Time Magazine and NYTIMES, the question should more properly be phrased as 'What do American Jews know about Obama that Israelis don't?" n nAfter all, how many Israelis read the NYTIMES, after all? n nAnd how many attended the White House Seder, where the four questions revolved around what wonderful things the Obama did for America? n nAfter all, the abstract reality of a coddled Jewish America that has traded in its religious and ethnic identity for liberalism OF COURSE trumps the day to day experience of Jewish suckers (as they seem them) putting their lives on the line in Israel, while abusing the civil rights of the 'authentic', brown (and therefore virtuous) Palestinians. n n(Perhaps, if the race obsessed liberal left actually visited Israel, they would see that for the most part, Israelis are every bit as 'brown' as the Palestinians, and therefore deserving of a little respect too.)
[cont'd] n5. No matter how egregious an attack on innocent Jewish civilians, many people will find a way to justify it as the Jews' fault, and even more will ignore that it happened and get angry with you if you mention it. n6. If Jews don't help each other, no one else will help them. n7. Affluence, material comfort and smug self-satisfaction are not the most important things in life. n[more]
[finally] n8. (Correl. to #7): A given Jewish community may temporarily enjoy material comfort, relative safety, a modicum of political or cultural influence and social acceptance, but places itself in danger if it thinks that continued enjoyment of these things is guaranteed. n9. There are many things in Jewish religious tradition that are liberal in outlook, but there are at least as many that are conservatism. Political parties and their platforms — liberal or conservative — should not be confused with religion. (Please do not confuse this issue with that of Israel's religious parties, which — it seems to me — have theri originin large measure because of the economics of paying the costs of religion in what began as a largely a state controlled economy and protecting the rights of a religious minority in what began as a largely anti-religious state.)
I think your premise is wrong…Jewish Americans know the same thing about Obama that Israelis do. Well some may still be unrealistically naive, but the most are not. Most Jewish Americans do not care about Israel, they care about themselves. What they deem to be in their own interests namely abortion. The right to murder your unborn disabled child in the womb is more important to the Jews of America then making certain that the 6 million Jews of Israel are here a decade from now.
For liberals, it's all about moral vanity, which is secured by certifying victims. You can give yourself the right to do so only if you can somehow claim responsibility for their status. With regard to the ME, American support for Israel is our original sin, expiation for which is a simple matter. Conflicted American liberal Jews –ever anxious lest they appear out of step with those who command the heights of the moral high ground– must either accept that the world is governed by forces independent of their sorry souls –which would finish them as liberals– or throw Israel under the bus.
When one argues that the term "Israel Firster" is a legitimate part of any discussion of US-Israel relations, he or she can do no better than referring to this or for that matter, any of the other columns written by Jonathan Tobin in which he puts what he perceives to be Israel's interests over those of his fellow Americans, if indeed, he sees them as such.
Very wise observations Ahadhaamoratsim. I always attributed the popularity of Obama to a people who has known only peace and prosperity for generations and therefore has forgotten how to evaluate character.
A person would have to be in complete denial to not see Mr. Obama's sympathies lie with the world of Islam. Like his twenty year spiritual mentor (Jeremiah Wright), Obama has deep-seated issues with Israel and with right-leaning Jews who believe the land of Israel is the Jews' national home either by covenant or by international law.
WHY CAN'T PEOPLE JUST RESPECT EACH OTHER AND CO-EXIST? WARS DESTROY FAMILIES AND COUNTRIES, EVEN IDIOTS KNOW THAT. WHAT IS WRONG WITH "GOOD NEIGHBOR" PRACTICE? THE REAL PROBLEM ARE EGOS AND GREED OF ALL KINDS. SO, WHY CAN'T LEADERS OF THESE COUNTRIES JUST HAVE AN HONEST DIALOGUE TOWARDS PEACE? BECAUSE THERE IS MONEY IN WARS? GO FIGURE…..
The problem with this article's statistical massage is that the other side can just as plainly say that "most Israelis still see the president as either neutral or sympathetic to their fate." n nThe real issue here is that so many Israeli's have been conned by obama's charm offensive, and this has occurred even with the Palestinians breathing down their necks. n nPut the blame where it lies, in our addiction to soundbite visual media. obama is a master of manipulation, and he is so smooth you don't know he's lying unless you know the facts. And most people don't.
A good rule of thumb: Never trust, believe the words of or deal with a racist. Churchill understood this historic lesson. Neville Chamberlain did not.
Depends how the poll was conducted.r nWho did they speak to/question?r nDid they go into industrial areas, vegetable markets etc., or just confined their efforts to undergraduates?r nThen again a lot of Israelis get their news from the liberal media which can do as good a job of misleading as the NYT.
Many of the Diaspora Jews have integrated the concept of dhimmitude vis a vis Christians and post Christians (seculars) as much as vis a vis Muslims. They absurdly believe that if they do not rock the boat they will incur ONLY minimal demonization and spoliation. Better that then to assert oneself. They have not acquired the fighting spirit of the Israeli Jews. They consider themselves less at risk for destruction. They prefer the European and US ghettos and discrimination than a life in or a straight forward support for Israel. Obama has clearly demonstrated an Islamic bend. But the US Jews do not care and prefer the anxieties of illusions.
c-in-c Ben Gantz did not say what is attributed to him
Jonathan: n n"The opinions of Israelis ought not be dispositive to American voters on any issue." n nHow generous of you. It also destroys whatever point you think you're making. n n
Wouldn't American Jews be more likely to know and understand the President and it's a matter of what Israeli Jews don't know?
Israelis are racists and regularly call President Obama "filthy shvatz goyim". That is the difference.
Please, Jewish People-Wake Up! Obama is not a friend to Israel and will never be because of his Muslim beliefs.r nIf the recent DNC was not a wake-up call to all the Jewish people-about how the democrats really feel about Israel-all of you must be deaf and dumb.