Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Here's Sarah Palin's Reaction

Excerpted from a statement provided by an aide found here:

The Obama Administration reaches out to some of the world’s worst regimes in the name of their engagement policy. America and our allies watch as sanctions are eased on Cuba. Letters are written to Iran’s mullahs only to see that regime start killing protestors in the streets of Tehran. Envoys are sent to North Korea as they continue to defy the world’s demand to give up their nuclear weapons. The Burmese military junta’s representative is allowed to travel to our nation's capital. The President’s envoy for Sudan talks about giving that genocidal regime “gold stars,” while the President shakes hands with Venezuela’s tyrannical leader. In the midst of all this embracing of enemies, where does the Obama Administration choose to escalate a minor incident into a major diplomatic confrontation? With Iran, Cuba, Sudan, North Korea or Burma? No. With our treasured ally, Israel.

Last October, Secretary of State Clinton recognized Israel's desire for peace...Now, however, we see the Obama Administration has decided to escalate, make unilateral demands of Israel, and threaten the very foundation of the US-Israel relationship. This is quickly leading to the worst crisis in US-Israel relations in decades, and yet this did not have to happen. More importantly, it needs to stop before it spirals out of control...

Once again, the Obama Administration is missing the boat on a very, very important issue. They need to go back to the basics and acknowledge Palestinian leaders have not progressed any peace process since President Obama was elected. As Israel makes concessions (and is still criticized by the Obama Administration), Arab leaders are just sitting back waiting for the White House to further pressure Israel. The Obama Administration needs to open its eyes and recognize that it is only Iran and her terrorist allies that benefit from this manufactured Israeli controversy...It's time for President Obama to push the reset button on our relations with our ally Israel.

3 comments:

Jeremy said...

First off, America's traditional line on Cuba has certainly paid great democratic dividends . Second, America is hardly "bailing" on Israel. Third, if Israel wants to ally itself in military trade with a Russia that is autocratic-in-everything-but-name, that assassinates journalists, that oppressed Jews through much of its history, then American Jews would consider such a thing supremely idiotic and would not move there en masse.

Fourth, Obama has been in office little more than a year and has had to fend off a worldwide Depression as well as the corruption that pervades the U.S. government. I challenge Palin to find any evidence of advance in Israeli-Palestinian issues during the eight years her party was in power (and most of those years in power were absolute power, with majorities in the judicial and legislative branches as well as the executive).

From the liberal American Jewish point of view, Israel has an addiction to settlement-building at the precise moment that any advancement becomes possible. We largely believe that it's important to keep Israel a Jewish state, nay probably essential, but the division of Jerusalem into Jewish, Muslim, and Christian quarters means to me that integrated housing in an acknowledged border area is a step in the right direction.

I live in the South Bronx. I am a minority American Jew in a neighborhood of many religions and races. Five years ago I would have been beaten on these streets. The Great Recession has forced many economic refugees like me to the outer boroughs of New York. Integration has been great for the safety and community of this neighborhood. It is time to look for ways forward.

Anonymous said...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/18/world/middleeast/18mideast.html?hp

YMedad said...

I'm a South Bronxer myself: born on the Grand Concourse and lived for 6 years on Faile Street. My late father grew up in the South Bronx.