Obama's message to Israel
Thursday, June 11, 2009
There you have it. It couldn't be any more clear.
But his stand on settlements is not sufficient for Barack H. Obama. He has to add insult to injury. So much for his "new diplomacy." I will take the approach taken by the Bush Administration any day of the week, thank you very much. At least during the previous years, Israel knew that she had a reliable friend in the USA. But now I suspect that they are not so sure anymore.
You might ask "how do you know that Obama intended an insult?" That has been the theme on left wing web sites about this. But look, Obama during his recent trip to Saudi Arabia and Egypt seemed to be aware of every nuance of Islamic culture. He made sure that he didn't inadvertently insult any Muslim sensibilities. So one might ask, why not extend the same courtesy to the Israelis if Obama really does want to be a fair arbiter of Middle Eastern affairs? If you ask me, Obama knew exactly what he was ding when he gave Bibi the shoe leather. And if not, he could have apologized, but no apology was forthcoming.
Obama can clear things up pretty easily however. All he has to do is withdraw his call for a freeze on settlement construction and stop getting cozy with Israel's Arab enemies. It is only a few months into the new administration, so perhaps things can change. And they had better change if Obama knows what is good for him, or he may very well be looking at a one term presidency.
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=164993
It is considered an insult in the Arab world to show the sole of your shoe to someone. It is not a Jewish custom necessarily, but Israel feels enough a part of the Middle East after 60 years to be insulted too.President Bush had shoes thrown at him while he was in Iraq, and now Obama disrespects Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu with this display, showing the soles of his shoes and crossing his legs while talking to the Bibi on the phone. And of course Obama makes sure that it gets photographed and the picture is released for all to see. But then that should be no surprise to Middle East watchers. The man who was educated in a Muslim school in Indonesia is making it pretty clear where his sentiments lie. He has already demanded that Israel stop building settlements on land that was given to her by God and that was won through blood sweat and tears and the loss of Israeli life during the Six Day War.
Certainly, crossing one's legs ankle-on-knee style should never be done in a public place for fear of offending the person next to you.
But his stand on settlements is not sufficient for Barack H. Obama. He has to add insult to injury. So much for his "new diplomacy." I will take the approach taken by the Bush Administration any day of the week, thank you very much. At least during the previous years, Israel knew that she had a reliable friend in the USA. But now I suspect that they are not so sure anymore.
You might ask "how do you know that Obama intended an insult?" That has been the theme on left wing web sites about this. But look, Obama during his recent trip to Saudi Arabia and Egypt seemed to be aware of every nuance of Islamic culture. He made sure that he didn't inadvertently insult any Muslim sensibilities. So one might ask, why not extend the same courtesy to the Israelis if Obama really does want to be a fair arbiter of Middle Eastern affairs? If you ask me, Obama knew exactly what he was ding when he gave Bibi the shoe leather. And if not, he could have apologized, but no apology was forthcoming.
Obama can clear things up pretty easily however. All he has to do is withdraw his call for a freeze on settlement construction and stop getting cozy with Israel's Arab enemies. It is only a few months into the new administration, so perhaps things can change. And they had better change if Obama knows what is good for him, or he may very well be looking at a one term presidency.
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=164993
1 Comments:
commented by 
Tony, June 12, 2009 at 7:31 PM
Tony, June 12, 2009 at 7:31 PM
So is he for all?