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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Israel's Friend, USA's Obama

Nadene Goldfoot
June 5-10 1967 Six Day War.  Israel was attacked by surrounding Arab states of Egypt (United Arab Republic), Jordan and Syria.  Israel won and the result was to be able to have settlers live in Judea and Samaria again, our ancient stomping grounds as well as Gaza and East Jerusalem .  Israel wanted peace  within secure defensible borders.

 Arabs held a Summit Conference in Khartoum, Sudan in August 1967 and ended with 4 principals: 1. No peace with Israel; 2. No negotiations with Israel; 3. No recognition of Israel; 4. Insistence on rights of the "Palestinian people in their own country'.  Since then, Arab efforts have been towards withdrawal of Israel to pre-1967 lines by every means other than negotiations with Israel.  Who recently said that this is the way to go?  Didn't Obama bring this up? 

At Camp David, September 17, 1978,  a 5 year period was time allotted to Palestinian self-government in Judea and Samaria (the territories).  Israel's Prime Minister Menachem Begin  agreed to a 3 month freeze of settlement building only, which was understood by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.  Sadat said, "We agreed to put a freeze on the establishment of settlements for the coming 3 months, the time necessary in our estimation for signing the peace treaty."     Sadat went to Jerusalem on November 19, 1977 for a 3 day visit where he was cheered and loved for being so brave.  By January 1980 Egypt and Israel had normal relations.  Egyptians assassinated him on October 6, 1981. 

It was then in September 1980 that my husband and I made aliyah to Israel as teachers to teach English because they needed real American teachers for English. 

Netanyahu announced November 25, 2009 that he would have a 10 month settlement freeze on Judea and Samaria to "restart peace talks."  They  would freeze the building of new homes and apartments, not synagogues or schools.  It would not include Jerusalem. 

Again in November 2010, Obama tried to get Israel to renew another 3 month moratorium but it was too vague for Netanyahu as to what would happen at the end of the period.  Always the pressure was on settlement building.   Israel stopped building but it didn't bring about any peace from the Arabs, only shelling. 

Election time is drawing near.  Obama ran on being Israel's friend.  After these 4 years, we shall look to see if he kept his word.  The one thing he has been harping on is that Israel must freeze "settlements" in Judea and Samaria, as if this is the problem that keeps the Arabs from signing any peace pact.  Up till 1967, there were no "settlements" and still they wouldn't sign and have had the opportunity since 1948.  I don't know why he thinks this is now the cause.  The cause could be that making peace with Israel is not their goal.  Destroying Israel, this only Jewish state in the midst of all the Muslim ones is not to their liking.  They haven't learned to accept.  They will never learn if everyone lets them have their way.

Israel is always the one to be shamed and scolded and told to stop doing something.  Not once has a voice been raised to tell the Arabs to knock it off and get real.  I feel that Obama has tried a very different tacit to get the Arabs to consider him a friend and go along with goals of the USA, but it isn't necessarily working.  What they respect is strength, not umbrage. 

We tell each other to chill out if we are getting too worked up.  The talks between Obama and Netanyahu have been quite chilly, but at least Obama has seen to providing Israel with military aid.  Israel was receiving $2.6 billion in 2009 from USA and it has been increased to $3 billion in 2012.  USA is helping with many other facets of military aid as well.  According to the speeches I heard today, having a friend in the Middle East is to the financial advantage of the USA as it is.  They had to rent the airport to land in other countries.  Money spent on Israel is a cheaper bargain besides being the moral thing to do.  . 

The following video is an eye opener, or rather a reminder of events of the past 4 years of the treatment towards Israel. 

* Resource: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wbH5KVPrPo&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Here’s a video from The Committee for Israel above. :
http://www.oregonlive.com/today/index.ssf/2011/05/update_netanyahu_fires_back_at_obama_calls_1967_borders_indefensible.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_David_Accords
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anwar_Sadat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhu-YgCyPz4 Assassination of Sadat
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/12/09/why_the_us_israel_settlement_deal_fell_apart
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/sadat_speech.html Sadat's speech to the knesset
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-201203051037usnewsusnwr201203020302israelmar05,0,6654726.story
Myths and Facts by Mitchell G. Bard and Joel Himelfarb
Facts about Israel Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six-Day_War

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