Ha'aretz Columnist Asks Obama To Stop "Sucking Up To Israel"

The Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, doesn't have some of the same editorial traditions of our own media, in which nationalist exceptionalism is not to be challenged under any circumstances. So, from time to time, you get pieces like Gideon Levy's opinion column, demanding that Barack Obama stop "sucking up to Israel."

Before no other country on the planet does the United States kneel and plead like this. In other trouble spots, America takes a different tone. It bombs in Afghanistan, invades Iraq and threatens sanctions against Iran and North Korea. Did anyone in Washington consider begging Saddam Hussein to withdraw from occupied territory in Kuwait?

But Israel the occupier, the stubborn contrarian that continues to mock America and the world by building settlements and abusing the Palestinians, receives different treatment. Another massage to the national ego in one video, more embarrassing praise in another.

Now is the time to say to the United States: Enough flattery. If you don't change the tone, nothing will change. As long as Israel feels the United States is in its pocket, and that America's automatic veto will save it from condemnations and sanctions, that it will receive massive aid unconditionally, and that it can continue waging punitive, lethal campaigns without a word from Washington, killing, destroying and imprisoning without the world's policeman making a sound, it will continue in its ways.

And, hey, good points and everything, but I think Mr. Levy might be losing sight of two things, here. First, the purity tests for Israeli support are much more treacherous and administered by much hollower clowns in America than are the ones you've got over there. And secondly, while it's true that our guy is still working out how to unlock the secret powers of the Nobel Peace Prize, maybe you should take stock of the situation and reflect that paving the way for Avigdor Lieberman's ascension to the role of Minister of Foreign Affairs isn't exactly meeting us halfway.

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Comments

[Val Valerian]

02:54 PM on 11/04/2009

Good idea ... but then again, the NATURE of the game here cannot be changed.

[saintdeb]

03:00 PM on 11/03/2009

Once again, the Palestinians have no voice. So-called "liberal" Nancy Pelosi is presiding over a House that is about to dismiss not just the Goldstone report, but any allegations of war crimes by Israel, even when the evidence is overwhelming. Because if we accept that Israel is perpetrating crimes, we might have to revisit our military support.

Was it Noam Chomsky that said the Democrats are a close 2nd favorite party of the military industrial complex?

[Countess]

02:05 PM on 11/03/2009

Obama is merely repeating the ritual for any American president which is to bow down before Israel making sure to excuse their war crimes and preventing the United Nations to take actions against them while promoting war with Iran for having the audacity to want what Israrl already has.

[MarcusT]

09:59 AM on 11/03/2009

Founded in the 1950s by Isaiah L. "Si" Kenen, AIPAC's original name was the American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs. According to UCLA political science professor and author, Steven Spiegel, "the tension between the Eisenhower administration and Israeli supporters was so acute that there were rumors that the administration would investigate the American Zionist Council. Therefore, an independent lobbying committee was formed, which years later was renamed AIPAC." In his book describing the early history of AIPAC, Kenen wrote that AIPAC's Executive Committee decided to change their name from American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs to American Israel Public Affairs Committee "to enlarge constituency and support."

US Department of Justice files reveal that the Kennedy administration ordered the American Zionist Council to register as the agent of Israel under the Foreign Agents Registration Act; these files were declassified in 2008.

[NYkid]

09:48 AM on 11/03/2009

The PaIestinians have the right to return to their homes and their land. No one has the right to forbid it.

[Albert Amato]

09:21 AM on 11/04/2009

Do you think Egypt, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon will let the Jews back and take their land and businesses that they were forced out of between the the late 30s and 1948?
Study a little history before you shut out truth.

[SEQUOIABISON]

08:38 AM on 11/03/2009

We hear more criticism of Israel coming out of Israel than we do from timid cowardly journalists here in the USA.

This comment published in an Israeli newspaper is spot on and correctly goes to the heart of the issue, we Americans are sponsoring a callous bully that has no respect for their Palestinian neighbors and are abusing their military superiority in the region by mistreating the Palestinians.

We cannot continue to support the fanatical theocratic right wing regime now controlling Israel, either we face the realization that Israel will lead us into continuous war with her neighbors, due to her harsh inhumane policies or we stop supplying the money and munitions that are killing defenseless civilians?

[US1st2009]

11:34 AM on 11/04/2009

look at who owns the main stream media and the overwhelming share of staff from executives, to directors, producers, writers, and stars. also consider their firm belief that war, conflict, and "drama," is good for their business. i wish i had a penny for every time wolf blitzer says "dramatic" or asks someone if they are antisemitic.

consider wolf's background - Washington Bureau Chief - The Jerusalem Post

"Before, moving to The Jerusalem Post he worked for AIPAC where he wrote for their propaganda sheet, The Near East Report. Currently, he travels the American TV talk show circuit as the "voice of Israel." Territory of Lies is a slick piece of damage control that would make his former employers at AIPAC (not to mention Israel's Defense Ministry) proud."

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/3751

from a review of wolf's book "Territory of Lies" in which wolf excuses convicted israeli spy pollard for stealing US military secrets for israel because he loved israel so much.

[Okieborn]

06:55 PM on 11/02/2009

STOP CATERING TO THE REPUBLICANS !!!

[spiderbucket]

05:28 PM on 11/03/2009

Damn, right. Did he win or not ? WTF ?!?

[SCLAW]

05:14 PM on 11/02/2009

AIPAC:

The A in the acronym means America comes first--before Israel.

Just look the other way from the rapacious espionage industrial
and military--some secrets Israel sold to China.

And of course we have a Chertoff--mother a member of mossad.

Perle denied security clearance for past treachery--but Wolfowitz trumps this
with a friendly call to a judge. How many moles in Washington?

Nota bene http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7060/is_11_7/ai_n28529262/

[FACTISFACT]

04:44 PM on 11/02/2009

It is nice to go through sensible writing from the unexpected that adds sauce to the daily stereo type of political news we read in our news published by printing Media and hear in our Electronic Media, miraculously seem to depict both MEDIAS products are of the same manufacturing authorities machines.

However, one has to remember what is easily done can not be easily undone.
During G W Bush the author of the Road Map severe damage had been done that is resulting the current impasse.

The government which need helped that was never given any help. Intelligentsia opines that the government should continue to try solve the dispute in it modest way avoid double edged suggestions and advise to avert complication .

To run a continent seems to many an easy matter by calling it a country sounds interesting and is amazing. The actual problem that has accumulated over the years and to expect in a go to solve is but not a wise way to view the issue.

To suggest the government of less than a year of age to suggest such words is but quite intriguing. May be it was written with excessive emotion towards the Palestinians suffering for such long.

But to hold the American Government squarely responsible may be too much where Israel have time again openly declared America is controlled by JEWS the truth of which should not have been left out of considering its impact in writing the articles.

[EightIsTooMuch]

03:54 PM on 11/02/2009

This reminds me to the story last year when Bush was making a speech but then Olmert called him by the phone and told Bush to reign in Rice... Such a shame America, the land of the free and the brave... No more...

[globality]

03:50 PM on 11/02/2009

Sucking up is what he does

Whether it be to Olympia Snowe, to tax havens, to israel, to big Pharma

We were scamed I should of voted for Hillary

[who38]

09:53 PM on 11/02/2009

she might have been good on health care as she would have wanted to even a score. Not likely to be different than Obama re/ Israel.

[NelsonBig]

02:35 PM on 11/02/2009

Israel warns against U.N. council seeing Gaza war crimes report

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE59M50Q20091023

[alysheba 3]

03:17 PM on 11/02/2009

How nice to know that Israel believes it should influence what is presented to the UN General Assembly. Would Israel also like to tell us what tea should be served in the UN Cafeteria?

[who38]

09:55 PM on 11/02/2009

Probably something from India as that country and Israel are BFs.

[kkrimmer]

02:22 PM on 11/02/2009

Israel is an OCCUPIER.. look up the definition. They did not OWN the land they took. They control the coming and going of Palestinians and control a lot of what goes on in the Palestinian territory. If Israel really wanted peace they'd have it. The reich-wing Zionists do not want peace.

The last peace of any significance was 30 years ago with Jimmy Carter. In 30 years they couldn't work out peace?

If the US occupied Mexico and Mexico resisted and the US killed those resisters calling them terrorists... Who has a better chance of deciding if there is peace, the US or Mexico?

[maninmiddle]

02:55 PM on 11/02/2009

Yo dude, the peace they worked out 30 years ago was with Egypt, and it's still in place. Read a history book (if you can read) before you make uninformed comments.

[NelsonBig]

03:14 PM on 11/02/2009

He can type. So obviously he can read. You're insults are not welcome here.

Plus, the rest of his post makes sense. Don't insult, my fellow human.

[Peter Noble 2]

04:03 PM on 11/02/2009

It took American resolve to make Israel give up the oil fields they had captured. The race laws in Israel are simply not something we would tolerate in another ally.
No Arab-Israeli can become PM or President, only a Jew.
Any Jew who marries a Palestinain cannot live with their Arab spouse in Israel let alone apply for citizenship. Even Germany gave up the last vestiges of its Race laws last Century.

Israel literally gets away with the kind of murder that would have Congress slathering at the bit for war: if they were Arabs using F16s on women and children.

We always like to think our country is wonderful, yet we allow Israel to kill now tens upon tens of thousands of Palestinians over the decades, with our weapons and our money; props up a racist regime. Why should Israel in the modern world be the only people who are allowed to have race laws?

I'm sorry but this is one Jewish-American who cannot support a nation based on the superiority of one race. My grandmother's entire family based in Berlin, was wiped out; first came the marital race laws and we all know what followed next. Today in Israel some of the same laws and almost the same reasoning.

I despair of Obama and Clinton.

Israel has a right to self defense. Israel does not have a right to a slow drawn out stealing land and the slaughter of Palestinians: not on our dime.

[StCuthbert]

05:23 PM on 11/02/2009

The Palestinians do not own the land of the West Bank either, so Israel is not an occupier.

[Freenation]

07:57 PM on 11/02/2009

who owns it, if neither israelis or palestinians have a stake? going by your definition it is still a stolen land which israelis are holding on to?

[who38]

09:58 PM on 11/02/2009

Really. Links, please.

[NYkid]

01:52 PM on 11/02/2009

PaIestine beIongs to the PaIestinians. There are no concessions whatsoever. Let alone "unprecedented". There is not a single chance for the US to make any "peace" (read paIestinian surrender) while sending biIlons of vveapons to the lsraelis. Not a single chance.

[mommamia526]

12:40 AM on 11/03/2009

Where is Palestine? If there is already a country named Palestine, why in the world do the *Palestinians* want Israel to give up part of its territory to create Palestine? IF there were a country named Palestine, how is it, that just recently, *Palestinians* who had lived for over a century in Iraq, were removed from Iraq? Why were they there? IF there is a country, named Palestine, why is there no people named Palestinians with a national identity, an army, passports, birth certificates, a constitution, but is there, instead, a variety of little groups who fight each other? Now, that said, how does all this arguing about what Israel's responsibilities are towards Palestinian Arabs help Palestinians? Why is Lebanon not integrating the Palestinians there, or Syria in Syria? So what if there would be a new nation named Palestine, does that imply that these people can not now be helped and integrated right where they reside? Or, does it imply that Arabs have no responsibilities towards them? What about the Palestinians themselves? Do they not have adult reponsibilities for their own lives and families? Some of those Palestinians are NOT muslims. Why should they be forced to become muslims, as is Hamas' intent?

[mommamia526]

12:51 AM on 11/03/2009

I am an American citizen, but I was not always one. I was an immigrant in 1967 as a spouse of a man who made the decision to come here. I made my life here, and committed to the U.S. and became a citizen. I have children and grandchildren who were born here and are Americans. They do NOT have my previous Dutch citizenship. I had property in The Netherlands. It is quite possible that an Arab now lives there, or a Moroccan. Should I be sent back to The Netherlands - I have not been here a century yet, just 43 yrs - or demand that the person who lives in my house in The Netherlands hand it back to me? Being an immigrant is not easy, especially not for the first generation. Remigration is not easy either. Mass scale remigration is even more difficult, but after a century, sixty years? IF these *Palestinians* can not now manage where they are, how would they manage after mass migration, without friends, work histories, networks, skills, education? If, moreover, there is no idealism for remigration, just the desire for revenge, imposing one's religion on others, how would that work out for those people, The Palestinians? I am just looking at this from a practical and experienced viewpoint. Again, also read what Daoud Kuttab writes today.

[WilliamProc]

01:51 PM on 11/02/2009

About time someone said what needs to be said. They have been sucking on the nation's teat for far too long. They get money from and spy on us and we just lap it up because some sheepherders wrote a bunch of religious crap about them. Let Israel go it alone!

[PartTimeRoadie]

02:39 PM on 11/02/2009

"we just lap it up because some sheepherders wrote a bunch of religious crap about them"

The proper pronoun to close that sentence is "Themselves", and you're missing the adjective, Self-Important....

"we just lap it up because some self-important sheepherders wrote a bunch of religious crap about themselves."