An American friend emailed me to ask "What's Israel's/your take on Obama's remarks in Cairo?"
I had to smile, because if there is one thing that has held true throughout my years in Israel, it is that there are as many opinions here as there are people. I can't speak for all of Israel, nor is there one unified reaction in Israel vis a vis President Obama's speech. But I can share what my reactions were, from this busy corner of downtown Jerusalem.
When Obama was elected, I felt a combination of hope and dread that I think was typical of many liberal people living here. Hope, because a rational and intelligent man had been elected; dread, because the familiar cycle of disappointment and disillusionment that so many of us have felt with American presidents might now begin again.
Speaking for myself, it's immensely frustrating to hold liberal views on all manner of topics, but still be derided for not subscribing to a specific, wholly negative view of Israel. It creates an odd cognitive dissonance when our allies around the world -- on issues relating to everything from the environment to health care to gay rights -- suddenly evaporate if we put forward a view of Israel that does not lockstep with their perception of a vast, rapacious empire. That the picture might be more nuanced is an idea that apparently cannot be countenanced even for a moment.
I mention this because I so dreaded seeing Obama join that list of allies. It would have been saddening on a personal level. In the course of the U.S. elections I joined my fellow Americans overseas in the excitement and anticipation of a new and better vision for America.
Some of my fellow Jews have complained about the speech. Some of them are even right in their points. Yes, it's true that Israel does not exist solely because of persecution and the Holocaust, so to say that "the aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in a tragic history" might reinforce the common propaganda that Israel is a European colony, created without preamble in 1948. How many people realize that a large proportion of Israel's Jews are in fact descended from Yemenites, Iraqis, and Moroccans? How many realize that Jews were living in Jerusalem for hundreds of years before there was any talk of establishing a State -- and that some, for religious reasons, opposed it?
My own ancestors, though from eastern Europe, lived in Jerusalem for many generations before the creation of the State of Israel, and are a famous family among the old-timers of the city. My grandfather was legally a Palestinian, with a Palestinian passport. He immigrated temporarily to the U.S. in search of work, married my grandmother, and passed away very young before he could fulfill his dream to return to his beloved homeland.
However. It is important to see the speech in context. In a climate of pervasive anti-semitism and Holocaust denial -- in Cairo, where "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" and "Mein Kampf" are strong sellers -- Obama spoke unequivocally against anti-semitism and Holocaust denial. He validated the necessity of a Jewish homeland. The reasons for that homeland's right to exist are almost an afterthought, in that context. Considering that the main purpose of the speech was to reach out to the world's Muslim population, it was a tremendously brave stance to take. And after the outpouring of hatred against Jews that took place at rallies throughout the world during the Gaza war, it was especially meaningful, to me, to hear these words.
It was also deeply meaningful to me that Obama recognizes that violence and terrorism are an insurmountable obstacle to coexistence. They are the only reason that I, personally, oppose making territorial concessions at this time. I oppose it because what happened after the disengagement from Gaza seems a clear indication of what will happen again: Rockets will be lobbed in our direction from the new, closer borders. And what does that solve?
Many of us are willing to make concessions if there is an atmosphere of cooperation. So I appreciate that Obama made this point even as he instructed us to stop building in the settlements. I am glad that he understands that he ought not issue this directive to us unless he is also in support of a safer future for us and our children. Many of us will live contentedly with smaller borders, if it means that we can move on from the senseless horror of this conflict, and stop raising our boys to face an eternal war.