Will American Jews Abandon Obama Over Israel?
Are American Jews Slowly Moving Away from Israel?
Israel Goes After Assimilated Jews
How Israel Treats Mizrahi Jews
The Oriental Jews of Israel
President Obama is accused within some quarters of the American Jewish community of being cold if not hostile toward the state of Israel.
On the page, the assertion appears baseless. Obama has seconded ever pro-Israel policy of his predecessors from unconditional aid, to using the veto at the UN Security Council, and to the typical stream of effusive praise for Israel as American "unshakable" ally.
But Obama has not visited Israel, some irate Zionist whine, while setting foot on two Arab nations and three Muslim countries. But Obama visited Israel for 72 hours during his 2008 campaign and his dispatched numerous officials there. And then there are the settlements. Obama called for a "freeze" but eventually backed off and now no longer mentions them, so this as well is baseless.
Obama, by any measure and definition, is pro-Israel. But many just do not feel it in him. Obama meets the criterion, but somehow fails in emotional love and attachment for Israel. As if his checklist is solely marked off for political expediency, and Obama is subtly opposed to Israel and pro-Palestinian at heart. If so, Obama has an odd way of showing his love for the Palestinians by way of complete indifference to their plight under brutal Israeli military occupation and never once expressing condemnation or sympathy for Palestinian civilian victims of Israel, and at the same time working to sabotage a UN human rights report documenting Israeli war crimes.
But Zionists are never satisfied until a president warps the Israeli flag of occupation around his neck. Obama has not done that...yet, but give it time, the election is alone around the corner.
But the Wall Street Journal reported this week that while Obama won 78% of the Jewish vote in 2008, many Jews, including prominent and wealthy Jewish donors, are turning away from his because of Israel.
Will this be a trend? Unlikely, Jewish remain strongly liberal and Democrats and any shift will be marginal. Thus electoral consequences will be insignificant.
But the pro-Israel crowd may make a lot of noise. But will American Jews abandon Obama over Israel? No. They are Americans first who care about domestic policy first and foremost. Only a few are Israel-first.
Obama is in the clear, even if he does not know it. And thus will not use his granted Jewish support to actually apply pressure on Israel to seek peace.
