Did Obama grovel before the Israel Lobby?

[mhgaffney]

The answer, unfortunately, is yes.

In fact, Obama went where no US president or presidential candidate had ever gone before. He declared that, henceforth, Jerusalem will solely be the capital of Israel -- thus, rulng out the possibility that the city could be an international city -- and the capital of Both Israel and a Palestinian state.

Obama lost credibility around the world for making this statement, which is going to make a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians almost impossible.

Why did he do it? That's what people are asking. Here is an op ed by former Senator James Abourezk. Below that is a link to a piece by Yuri Avnery, an Israeli peace activist who is similarly shocked and disappointed.
MHG

Deadly Fallout From Obama's Groveling Before Israel Lobby

By JAMES G. ABOUREZK
http://www.counterpunch.org/abourezk06102008.html

10/06/08 "Counterpunch" -- -- Like a Moslem undertaking the Hajj, the once in a lifetime trip to Mecca, or a Catholic chancing to see the Pope speak from his Vatican window, presidential candidates seemingly long to trudge to the annual AIPAC conference to pay fealty to Israel and its Lobby.

This year we were fortunate enough to witness John McCain, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton taking turns losing their dignity before the AIPAC crowd. At one point in his parody on The Daily Show , Jon Stewart spoke of John McCain taking with him Senator Joe Lieberman on a visit to Israel, advising McCain that when you visit Israel “you don’t need to bring your own Jew.”

Hillary’s declaration of support for Israel was merely icing on the cake that she earlier baked during the campaign by promising to “obliterate” Iran if it ever attacked Israel. That, without even a declaration of war called for by the U.S. Constitution should we attack another nation. (But see George W. Bush’s attack on Iraq without such a declaration as precedent).

It was left to Barack Obama, a candidate who at one time brought a great deal of hope to many Americans, including this writer, to complete the round robin of pandering to AIPAC, first by wearing not only an American flag pin, but one conjoined with an Israeli flag pin as well. Obama’s nomination has improved America’s image around the world, with the realization that, “everyone has a chance in America,” as the saying used to go. But that is what makes his pandering so painful.

Obama declared Jerusalem indivisible, presumably for the Israelis only, in contrast to the United Nations’ holding that Jerusalem was, and is, an international city, belonging to neither side.

This is all old news, however. Presidential candidates have been kowtowing to the Israeli Lobby for decades, so what else is new? Well, what is new is that the world has come to realize that all such blind, unquestioning support for Israel’s most criminal objectives is a real threat to world peace. Such rhetoric is no longer confined simply to the Jewish vote in America. It has actual impact on the lives of people in the Middle East.

Thus, presidential candidates, one of whom will really become the President of the United States, enabling Israeli aggression can, and has, resulted in the deaths and suffering of tens of thousands of Arabs, in Lebanon, in Palestine, and in Iraq. Such rhetoric allows Israel, with U.S. help, to attempt to starve into submission Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, people who had the temerity to take seriously Bush’s promises of democracy in the Arab world. Despite Israel’s blockade of medicines, food, electricity and other necessities to Gazans, the American government and the American mainstream media have voiced not one word of protest. The U.S. only gives Israel more money and more weapons to continue the attempted starvation.

Obama’s statement of unquestioning and unqualified support for Israel’s objectives will likely embolden Israel to once again try to invade Lebanon to destroy Hizbollah’s fighters, the only force strong enough to resist Israeli aggression in that country. And while the U.S. has no more troops left with which to invade Iran, as Sen. Joe Lieberman and the Israeli government wants us to do, both Israel and the Bush Administration have plans to bomb Iran’s phantom nuclear program. (Whatever happened to the CIA’s National Intelligence Estimate announcing that Iran has no longer pursued a weapons program?)

Over the years U.S. politicians have considered unqualified statements of support for Israel’s objectives to be a throwaway, that is, no political cost and all political benefit for the politician. But those days are forever gone, and the danger of increased violence in the Middle East is much higher than the threat level announced in the nations’ airports close to election time.

One would have hoped that Barack Obama would have taken note of the destruction left in the wake of what George Bush thought would be a benign invasion of Iraq, and not try to repeat this kind of mischief with repercussions so serious that the Middle East is on the verge of destabilization.

One would have thought that Obama would have considered the impact of the divisions created by Bush and by Israel in various Arab countries, all with the objective of giving Israel hegemony over the area. Thus, with Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinians being urged to fight internally with one another, those countries will be easier targets for eventual Israeli control.

That strategy, to which Obama seems to be acquiescing, will result in more destruction, more loss of innocent life, more internal divisions, and more destabilization than the Arab world can withstand.

That is definitely not the new kind of politics Obama has held out as his reason for being chosen over McCain.

The tragedy of it all is that as a candidate for the presidency only Ralph Nader has recognized the dangers that lie ahead by a continuation of that policy.

Watching the candidates pandering to the AIPAC crew makes one wonder if those in the Israeli Lobby’s audience felt any embarrassment at all by forcing such groveling for support on what were then three potential presidents of the United States. From what I saw on television, at least the leadership of AIPAC seemed to be reveling in the groveling as each of the three willingly handed over their dignity on national television as they bent over to kiss the behinds of the leaders.

James G. Abourezk is a lawyer practicing in South Dakota. He is a former United States senator and the author of two books, Advise and Dissent, and a co-author of Through Different Eyes. This article runs in the current issue of Washington Report For Middle East Affairs and appears here by permission.

Here is the piece by Avnery:
http://www.counterpunch.org/avnery06092008.html

[cutthemdown]

I posted somthing similar and no one really got into it Gaff. I also pointed out how huge Obama saying Jerusalum would forever be the Jewish capital and not ever be split in 2. That was HUGE!!!!!!!! I can't believe people didn't talk about that. Even Bush never said that because that is like saying 100 percent there will be NO SETTLEMENT. The Palestinians have said over and over without Jerusalum as their captital they will never surrender.

For sure Obama knows he can't get elected without appeasing some of the Jewish vote. Obama is really a slick politician I am very impressed.

[Dudeskey]

Of course... what I really want to know is who in washington doesn't lick AIPAC's collective balls

[W*GS]

Of course, anything critical of the Jews gets gaffney's A-OK.

[cutthemdown]

hearing Obama say things like that makes me more comfortable. Israel isn't perfect but they are a better then the other side.

[kappys]

The apartheid wall is nearly complete and the state of Isreal now has her defined borders. The Palestinian state is dead, and any 2 state settlement will continue to be blocked just as it always has been. I'm not surprised at all

[Hotrod]

Its the first time I've liked this Obama fella

[alkemical]

[Meck77]

Originally Posted by W*GS

Of course, anything critical of the Jews gets gaffney's A-OK.

Why are you so sensitive when it comes to Israel anyway?

[barryr]

The only people who don't like what Obama did and said are the haters of Jews. Plain and simple.

[alkemical]

Originally Posted by barryr

The only people who don't like what Obama did and said are the haters of Jews. Plain and simple.

Bah, that's kinda stupid.

[Meck77]

Australia is evil.

French people suck.

Can't stand those Guamanians!

hmm doesn't seem to have the same effect does it?

[W*GS]

Originally Posted by Meck77

Why are you so sensitive when it comes to Israel anyway?

Because no-one else here, so far as I can tell, really even acknowledges that Israel has a right to exist.

[alkemical]

Originally Posted by W*GS

Because no-one else here, so far as I can tell, really even acknowledges that Israel has a right to exist.

Oh please. I just don't like Zionism, i find it to be an extremist belief system.

[barryr]

Originally Posted by amesj523

Bah, that's kinda stupid.

I'd say what's stupid is the belief that a tiny country like Israel is the main problem of problems in the M.E. while it's surrounded by vast Arab countries that would all like to see it obilerated. And Israel is the problem? Talk about stupid, many have that warped, lacking sense thinking.

[cutthemdown]

Originally Posted by amesj523

Oh please. I just don't like Zionism, i find it to be an extremist belief system.

Zionism is basically the belief that the Jewish people have a right to nationhood in the state of Israel.

If you are against Zionism you are against Israel having the right to exist. That my friend makes you an anti-semite.

[SoCalBronco]

No, Gaff. The Mossad did not put psychotropic meds in our oatmeal.

[Bronco Bob]

So Mark, I take it you don't agree with Joe the Plumber when he said at a Palin rally that Obama would mean the death of Israel.
I'm having trouble sorting this out. Is Obama good for or bad for Israel.

[alkemical]

Originally Posted by cutthemdown

Zionism is basically the belief that the Jewish people have a right to nationhood in the state of Israel.

If you are against Zionism you are against Israel having the right to exist. That my friend makes you an anti-semite.

Actually, it doesn't make me an anti-semite. But thanks for the flawed logic.

PS - I'm jewish! oy!

[alkemical]

Originally Posted by barryr

I'd say what's stupid is the belief that a tiny country like Israel is the main problem of problems in the M.E. while it's surrounded by vast Arab countries that would all like to see it obilerated. And Israel is the problem? Talk about stupid, many have that warped, lacking sense thinking.

, this line of thinking is ridiculous.

[24champ]

Originally Posted by amesj523

Actually, it doesn't make me an anti-semite. But thanks for the flawed logic.

PS - I'm jewish! oy!

I thought you didn't believe in Religion?

[alkemical]

Originally Posted by A.L.F.

I thought you didn't believe in Religion?

I'm jewish through my mothers side - I have a claim to be jewish - i just don't. It didn't happen to find out till later in life, and i didn't deem it important to make it a major part of my life other than what i've learned from the religion.

I'm agnostic, it's not a matter of not believing in something - it's a matter of believing in everything.

[Spider]

I am anti everyone

[alkemical]

Originally Posted by Spider

I am anti everyone

I'm not, people are better when they're dead.

[Paladin]

Originally Posted by Spider

I am anti everyone

You always just go for the throat?