Abba Eban (left), Foreign Minister of Israel, and Gideon Rafael, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations (UN Photo/Teddy Chen)

I remember as a young Jew being at my parents house and beaming with pride as Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Abba Eban, addressed the UN Security Council after Israel had repelled the Arab forces trying to eliminate Israel just after the “Six Day War”.  On June 6, 1967 Eban addressed, not just the UN, but the entire world in an emotional, brilliant defense of the state of Israel.    The whole world seemed to stop as they were riveted by Eban’s stirring speech.  I think all Jews, as indeed all Americans were moved by this great leaders words.
 

 

Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to UN General Assembly

Now we move to September, 2012. Israel once again faces an existential threat from Iran–should they complete their mission to successfully develop a nuclear weapon [s].   We have the Prime Minister of Israel, Binyamin Netanyahu, addressing the United Nationsabout this threat.  Once again, I am beaming with pride over Israel’s great leader’s words before the United Nations. But not everyone heard Netanyahu’s important speech. The Arab Muslim countries boycotted it, and they weren’t alone. Barack Obama’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, decided to skip Netanyahu’s speech and have lunch with Hillary Clinton instead. Hey, it’s only Israel’s very existence, so what the hell?

I have a question for my fellow [liberal] Jews.  When will enough be enough? Or does it even matter to you?

You’ve excused [i.e., made excuses] president Obama when he compared the suffering of Jews in the Holocaust to the suffering of Palestinians in the West Bank.  After saying in his Cairo speech to Muslims [in his first year as president] that the Jews suffered horror in the Holocaust, his very next words were: “On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people — Muslims and Christians — have suffered in pursuit of a homeland.”  This fact alone, that the president of the United States added an “on the other hand” when referring to the Holocaust should have made every Jew sick to their stomach.

You’ve excused president Obama when he demanded to Israel that they stop their settlement construction on the West Bank   [i.e., he told Israel to stop building homes on their own land].

You’ve excused president Obama when his Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, told Israelis “the settlement activity must stop that and to steer clear of comments that will provoke the Palestinians.”

You’ve excused president Obama when his vice president, Joe Biden, scolded Israel before the world saying Israel’s decision to approve 1,600 new homes in East Jerusalem was undermining Middle East peace talks.

You’ve excused president Obama when he humiliated the Prime Minister of Israel, Binyamin Netanyahu by leaving him alone in the White House to go and have dinner and then not having the normal photographs taken with a foreign leader.

You’ve excused president Obama when he undercut Israel’s negotiating position with the Palestinians telling the world [before any notice to Israel] that the borders of Israel and the Palestinians must start with returning to the ’67 borders with mutually agreed swaps.

You’ve excused president Obama when he cut short military exercises with Israel.

You’ve excused president Obama when he told Israeli leaders in March of 2011 that ” Israel must do some soul-searching regarding its commitment to peace”.

You’ve excused president Obama when he refused to meet with Binyamin Netanyahu saying he didn’t have the time, but in that same week he found the time to meet with Jay Z, David Letterman, the ladies of “The View”, and attend numerous fund raisers.

You’ve excused president Obama when he compared Prime Minister Netanyahu’s call for a red line on Iran as “noise”.

You’ve excused president Obama when making his first visit to Cairo, Egypt, never visited Israel. Obama will say other presidents haven’t visited Israel, but has there been another president who visited other countries throughout the Middle East without visiting Israel?

You’ve excused president Obama when he lowered Israel’s status before United States eyes, calling Israel one of our closest allies in the region”.  So, what does that mean?  Israel shares that honor with Iran?

You’ve excused president Obama when he [through his press spokesman Jay Carney] won’t identify Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. [this proved that Obama lied to AIPAC in 2008 when he told them that Jerusalem would remain the undivided capital of Israel]

You’ve excused president Obama when he was silent about his fellow Democrats booing Jerusalem, Israel [in effect booing the Jews]. [as a side thought–if this had happened at the Republican convention, the media would still be talking about it–and Romney would be asked every time he appeared anywhere what he thought of Republicans booing Jerusalem]

Susan Rice, US Ambassador to the United Nations

And none of that disrespect to Israel has moved [most of] the liberal Jewish community away from total support of Barack Obama.  Added to all of the above we now have Susan Rice, the United States UN Ambassador skipping the important speech by the Prime Minister of Israel before the United Nations.  Tell me, please tell me, how do you excuse this one?  What can the reason possibly be for this, except as another show of disdain by the Obama administration for Israel’s prime minister [i.e., for Israel]

So, for my fellow Jews.  Maybe you say Israel is not an issue to you. Okay. But what about your fellow Jews that live in Israel?  Do you care about their well being? We, as a people, have suffered through much discrimination and violence against us throughout history . We have also been protected and blessed so much by God. [Dayenu]  So, if you don’t care about Israel as an issue, or that it should be determinative in your vote in the upcoming election, please think about your fellow Jews who are living there.  It upsets me a little that you don’t care about the state of Israel itself, but at least you can think about the people that are living there.

I am pleading with my fellow liberal Jews to disembark the ship of fools you are on and show president Obama that he has finally gone too far by voting him out in November.

 

This post can also be seen on Tales From A Tribble