Rep. Bob Turner, Ed Koch: U.S. Position On Israel May Not Have 2012 Staying Power

NEW YORK -- When former New York Mayor and life-long Democrat Ed Koch endorsed a Republican for the congressional seat vacated by Anthony Weiner, he was hoping to send a message to President Obama over his perceived lack of support for Israel.

Two months later, the result was a stunning electoral upset in New York's ninth congressional district: in a heavily orthodox Jewish district that had favored the Democratic candidate for as long as anyone could remember, a Catholic Republican named Bob Turner emerged victorious.

Now, however, after a strong showing for Israel by the American delegation -- and a general assembly speech on Wednesday that earned Obama a verbal "badge of honor" from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- Koch and others in the campaign say that the Israel wedge issue may not have quite the same staying power in the 2012 presidential election.

"I think that message which I intended to send by joining in the [Turner] campaign has been heard," Koch said. "There's no question. I think that everyone who is concerned about the United States' position, vis a vis Israel at the U.N., was overjoyed by the statement of the president yesterday."

Earlier in the week, Republican candidates for president had seized on Obama's perceived unfriendliness to Israel in an attempt to cut into the normally reliable Democratic Jewish vote.

At a pro-Israel rally in Manhattan Tuesday, for instance, Texas Gov. Rick Perry assailed the Obama administration's approach on the Palestinian statehood bid.

"We would not be here today at the precipice of such a dangerous move if the Obama policy in the Middle East wasn't naive, arrogant, misguided and dangerous," he said Tuesday in New York.

"There's no question that the Republicans will seek to make it a wedge issue," Koch said. "But I think that they will fail."

In a phone interview with HuffPost, even the newly sworn-in Turner seemed unwilling to argue that Israel could produce the same benefits for the GOP presidential candidates as it did for him.

"The Israeli issue was very important to this campaign," Turner said. "It was an important issue, and it came to the forefront mainly because of President Obama's perceived unfriendliness toward the Jewish state, and I think that rallied a good deal of opposition to him."

But, he went on, "I kind of reject it as a wedge issue. I think we ought to have a fairly unified front in these difficult times with Israel, let the voters decide who they trust more. ... I think it's in our national interest, and Israel's national interest, that we have a strong partnership and that the president is perceived as a friend and ally of Israel. While he does that, everybody should be happy."

Earlier, Bob Turner wins NY-9 House race:

Comments

[Seawolf56]

07:31 PM on 10/05/2011

The only political candidate that hasn't caved to AIPAC and their crownies, is Ron Paul. As a matter of fact Ron has stated over and over he will cut all Foriegn Aid. INCLUDING ISRAEL! read up and vote Ron... At least America would get out of the war game

[BcemXAHA]

10:43 AM on 09/28/2011

You forgot your meds again! do you ever get tired of the mods wiping your posts clean?

[Lydda Palestine is Comin]

09:58 AM on 10/03/2011

Your insulting again? Don't you ever get tired of attacking Palestinians?

[lbsaltzman]

11:36 PM on 09/23/2011

Former Mayor Koch could do us all a favor and move to Israel. it is clear he is not a patriotic American citizen, or a loyal Democrat. He places Israel's interests above America's interests.

[vascopyjama]

12:37 AM on 09/24/2011

He should take all of the Congress and Senate with him.

[lbsaltzman]

04:30 PM on 09/24/2011

With one or two notable execeptions of members who have not drunk all the AIPAC koolaid.

[Domingo Cardoza]

07:11 PM on 09/23/2011

"On Jan. 16, two days after a killer earthquake hit Haiti, a team of senior military officers from the U.S. Central Command (responsible for overseeing American security interests in the Middle East), arrived at the Pentagon to brief Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The team had been dispatched by CENTCOM commander Gen. David Petraeus to underline his growing worries at the lack of progress in resolving the issue. The 33-slide, 45-minute PowerPoint briefing stunned Mullen. The briefers reported that THERE WAS A GROWING PERCEPTION among Arab leaders that the U.S. WAS INCAPABLE of standing up to Israel, that CENTCOM's mostly Arab constituency was losing faith in American promises, that ISRAELI INTRANSIGENCE on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict WAS JEOPARDIZING U.S. standing in the region, and that Mitchell himself was (as a senior Pentagon officer later bluntly described it) "too old, too slow ... and too late." "
Foreign Policy Magazine. March13, 2010

[BcemXAHA]

12:58 PM on 09/23/2011

It is precisely because of Obama's stance on Israel that the US and Israel where they are today.
Obama's policies in the ME and specifically on Israel will most definitely cost the democrats votes. No doubt about it. Obama will go down in history as the president that ushered in the third world war.

[amake616]

01:29 PM on 09/23/2011

"Obama will go down in history as the president that ushered in the third world war."

How so? Who all is going to be involved in this third world war?

[BcemXAHA]

02:03 PM on 09/23/2011

Well, my prediction that it will start with a clash in the ME, it will involve the Arabs and Israel. The world is not just going to stand and watch. Needless to say, I sincerely hope that I'm wrong.

[SirMartinM]

02:39 PM on 09/23/2011

Where is the Oath of Office for anyone is a pledge of fealty to Israel? Why must the U.S. always support Israel?

What does the U.S. get out of its alliance with Israel? We give them tons of money, weapons, tolerate their spying on us, theft of technology, manipulation of elections and public opinion, murdering of our citizens (U.S.S. Liberty, look it up), damage to our image, what have they done for us?

[BcemXAHA]

03:01 PM on 09/23/2011

For those of your likes, they could do nothing (Even though you are factually wrong and obviously quite ignorant). They were born Jewish.

[Anybodyseenthepopos]

04:04 PM on 09/23/2011

Obviously you should look up the liberty incident and have the integrity to acknowledge the investigatory outcome, the apologies made and the restitution rendered.
http://avpv.tripod.com/AmericanVictims.html

[Parthiban Yahambaram]

12:02 PM on 09/23/2011

In the meantime, the Chinese are (still) laughing all the way to the bank...

[american-dolt]

11:46 AM on 09/23/2011

Support the USA damn-it.

[colincolindale]

11:41 AM on 09/23/2011

By following the AIPAC agenda, Obama has almost certainly contributed to war in the Middle East. He knows, as everyone knows, that the LIKUD charter expressly denies a Palestinian state anywhere between the River and the Sea.

He knows that Netanyahu is the leader of LIKUD. He knows that the LIKUD agenda is to continue to induce more and more Israeli citizens to illegally settle and build on occupied Palestinian land. There are already over half a million illegal Israeli settlers in the West Bank alone!

He knows that Netanyahu will NEVER agree to a Palestinian state so we know therefore that his speech delivered to the UN this week must have been written by AIPAC.

When war comes, as it must – Barack Obama, President of the United States of America will be responsible. Let there be no doubt.

[wsmith9686]

03:35 PM on 09/27/2011

many of our past presidents share the responsibility for not standing against israel notjust obama.
so does our congress.
israel is doing to us what it did to france, using us for their own purpose a friend that is as harmful as any enemy

[eagleclaw]

10:51 AM on 09/23/2011

So now our elected officials are only legitimate if their stance on the Middle East is pro-Israel with no concern whatever to the wishes of the American public?

[Domingo Cardoza]

11:43 AM on 09/23/2011

It is the capitulation of our interest for those of a foreign government.

[eagleclaw]

12:35 PM on 09/23/2011

I , and many others that I know ,have no interests in a foreign government, only our very own United States governmental apperatus, so what do you mean by " our interest for those of a foreign government"?

[garysgary]

10:41 AM on 09/23/2011

George Washington wrote in his farewell address that the US should avoid becoming to close to any one nation.... lest their enemies become our enemies....and he was right.

The US should re-evaluate it's relationship with Israel. It is far too costly and with very few benefits to the American people.

[Rallis]

10:33 AM on 09/23/2011

Palestine and the United States are both occupied,
it's just that the Palestinians are aware of it...

[charlietuna11]

11:53 AM on 09/23/2011

i never thought of that. good one...

[Rianna]

01:42 PM on 09/26/2011

Great post, short and to the point. Fanned and favored.

[BcemXAHA]

09:04 AM on 09/23/2011

Today, the palestinians shall be recognized. Good for them.
Obama will forever be known as the President that ushered in the next World War.
If you think that his policies in the ME and specifically toward Israel wont impact the votes in the USA, you are either naive or simply mistaken.

[Marcus047]

12:20 PM on 09/23/2011

"Today, the palestinia­ns shall be recognized­."

You're going to be even more disappointed than the palestinians.

[BcemXAHA]

12:49 PM on 09/23/2011

Marcus you know my position. But they do have the majority. They are circumventing what is right, what is just, and the world is applauding their actions. Are you watching/Listening to Abbas in UNGA? I am.

[Rianna]

08:39 AM on 09/23/2011

It seems as if the last election for Weiner's seat was a warning for Obama. An indication that this would happen to him, if he did not toe the AIPAC line. Israel is now regarded as a pariah, and the US will forever be faulted for supporting and protecting one. The US will always be voting against reason in the UN, as long as the Israeli lobbies are allowed to thrive in the cesspit of our capitol.
It is unimaginable, that a powerful country like the US is dictated by a little leech that feeds off it.

[wildcherry69]

08:25 AM on 09/23/2011

The truth of the matter is our close ties with Israel won't really make a difference anymore. Mostthe world is turning on Israel and honestly there is nothing the U.S can do to protect Israel. Americans are not going to support going to war for Israel. Soon they will be on their own. As the baby boomers die off and the younger generation takes the leadership role in the U.S, the Israel lobby won't have much power.

[Haroldpom]

08:05 AM on 09/23/2011

In 2011 Obama faces reelection. He needs every vote and every dollar in campaign funds. He may not be a fan of Israel but right now he wants reelection more than anything. Supporting Israel helps him achieve that goal.
After the election in 2012 when he will not face reelection, he will be free to throw Israel under the bus. No appeasement of anyone will be necessary and his true feelings toward Israel and Jews will finally be shown. Did the anti-Semitism of Jeremiah Wright stick to his soul or has he learned otherwise?

[wildcherry69]

08:31 AM on 09/23/2011

Obama's position is the same as the previous U.S presidents. So people need to stop lying. Netenyahu is the really enemy of Israel. He is the reason why Israel has lost it's former allies Turkey and Egypt. Israel and Jewish Americans are going to have to face the reality that they are going to be all alone in the world. The U.S will not be able to protect Israel forever.

[Haroldpom]

11:56 AM on 09/23/2011

Israel protects itself with US support. Egypt was never an ally and peace was the cold variety. israelis would go to Egypt, but Egyptians would never go to Israel. israeli leaders had to go the Egypt for meetings. There were anti-Israel rants in the government controlled newspapers and other media. It is true Mubarek kept the peace but those that follow have indicated the peace agreement is "not sacred". It seems Arabs believe they can renounce peace agreements whenever they wish. Would you give Palestinians more land so that they could later renounce peace to make war?

Turkey was an ally of Israel when the Turkish government was secular. Now that it is Islamic they are opposed to Israel for religious reasons. Nothing Israel could do about that.

[bubbyejm]

10:08 AM on 09/23/2011

your comments are true - to a point. As a Democrat he really can't throw Israel too much under the bus as he would hold the democratic party's future in his hands - whether or not he likes it - he still have to maintain the Jewish support

[Haroldpom]

10:50 AM on 09/23/2011

Jonathan Tobin writing in Commentary today

Despite the abundant evidence to the contrary, the president is still convinced the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the key to solving all of America’s problems in the Middle East. And, though his own bitter experiences with Abbas should have taught him the PA is still unwilling to make the necessary historic compromises to make peace, Obama may answer his international critics with a new effort to re-launch the negotiations that will center on brutal American pressure on Israel.

Having earned the applause of Israelis for his speech at the UN and the prospect of a veto of the Palestinian resolution, the president will likely present a bill for services rendered to Prime Minister Netanyahu in the coming days and weeks. It will come in the form of further demands for Israel to make unilateral concessions in order to entice Abbas to return to negotiations. Netanyahu’s offer of talks without preconditions will be ignored. Instead, we will again hear of the need for Israel to accept the 1967 lines as the starting point for negotiations and for it to freeze building not only in the West Bank but in Jerusalem as well. As in his May speech, it is doubtful these demands will be accompanied by an American call for the Palestinians to give up the right of return and to recognize the legitimacy of Israel as a Jewish state.

There is more to be read online.