Obama In Jerusalem
JERUSALEM -- Excitement is mounting as Senator Barack Obama and his entourage approach Israel and the West Bank. This trip is much higher profile than his junket
here as a junior senator in January 2006. As America's first mixed-race candidate for the presidency, the presumptive Democratic nominee will ignite at least as much enthusiasm as France's flirtatious first lady Carla Bruni Sarkozy did last month when she hit town with her sidekick President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Already Obama's advisers are likening Obama's galvanizing effect on foreign crowds to John F Kennedy 's. The campaign rhetoric underscores this: Obama's recent promise to Afghan President Hamid Karzai to fight terror "with vigor" deliberately echoes the cold war Camelot days of Kennedy. The Shin Bet, Israel's equivalent to the FBI, have rounded up a half dozen radical Arab Israeli students who they claim had plotted to shoot down President George Bush's helicopter earlier this year, so security could not be tighter in Jerusalem, although the U.S. Secret Service detail is officially protecting the candidate. This is expressly not a state visit; Obama is a first-term senator and not yet the official Democratic nominee .
The former Democratic president Obama won't want to evoke inside Israel is Jimmy Carter, who is widely reviled for labeling Ehud Olmert's wall-eyed approach to coexistence with Palestinians as "apartheid." (Meanwhile, Carter's post-presidential diplomacy efforts are concentrated this week on hammering out a deal to free Corporal Gilad Shalit through Egyptian intermediaries. He proposes an exchange of dozens of imprisoned Hamas officials for the young Israeli Defense Forces soldier who was kidnapped near the Gaza strip two years ago.)
Obama is traveling with fellow Iraq War-bashing senators Jack Reed and Chuck Hagel, on a bipartisan congressional fact-finding delegation that may also boost his modest foreign policy and security credentials. The whirlwind tour will make a pit-stop in Jordan before arrival in Israel late Tuesday. Surrounded by a scrum of 100 American reporters, including three network news anchors, Obama is under scrutiny 24/7 and is calling on leaders and analysts to help refine his policy positions in realPolitik terms. "I'm more interested in listening than doing a lot of talking," he insists. Diplomatic pressure on Iran will be the hottest topic, along with nuclear weapons containment and counter-terrorism.
Progressive activists here worry that Obama may not take advantage of the opportunity to conduct broad grassroots outreach to American voters in Israel, even though U.S. expatriates around the world who could cast absentee ballots are estimated to number somewhere between 4 million and 8 million. In a place with at least 100,000 dual national Israeli-Americans, who live in settlements, serve in the IDF, study at universities or Yeshivas (Jewish seminaries), intern at NGOs (non-profit organizations), or retire with access to free medical treatment, there are plenty of opportunities to campaign and press the flesh.
"No, I do not view Obama's visit as unusual, particularly since he is very aware of the potential of the millions of Americans living abroad, and of their voting strength," observes Joanne Yaron, Chairperson of Democrats Abroad-Israel. "Giuliani was here while he was still a candidate and advertised in the Jerusalem Post. McCain was here recently (in March). John Edwards was here just days before he announced his candidacy and met with us in Jerusalem. Kerry did not meet with us, but his brother Cameron did in his name. I've been in Israel a long time -- nearly 40 years -- but only became active in Democrats Abroad in 2004, so I was not too involved before then.
Although Yaron's organization appears to have been left out of the loop on this outing, which was organized by two Clinton-era envoys, Democrats Abroad have been hyper-active in registering new voters for the upcoming election. During a 4th of July weekend picnic held in Jerusalem, "the volunteer staff was constantly busy -- not a moment to rest. People were lining up to register. Interest was very high and brisk," Yaron said, " and our first shift of volunteers remained to help the second shift."
A recent poll
showed that Israelis, who tend to value military experience, prefer John McCain to Barack Obama by 11 percentage points, although an overwhelming majority earlier had backed Hillary Clinton as a surer bet for Israel than McCain. Says a liberal Israeli analyst, Yossi Sari:
Official Jerusalem has gotten used to the idea that Obama will be the next American president. At first Israelis didn't think he would be able to beat Queen Hillary, and they were proven wrong, as usual...the reality will be enough to spur Prime Minister Olmert to glad-hand Obama ...The government considers McCain a friend and we've had enough of Bush's friendship, which left us stranded and was remembered only after seven years. McCain is not as obtuse as Bush or as corrupt as Cheney, but he is their successor. McCain has even removed himself from the international arena when it comes to environmental issues... Obama has a good chance of becoming not just a president, but a world leader who wants to save himself from himself. Can it not be that, for a change, what's good for the world will also be good for the Jews, and what's good for the Jews, will also be what's good for the world?
Even though Israelis are well accustomed to hybrid marriages real and metaphorical -- their eclectic communities, Sephardic, Ashkenazy, Ethiopian and Russian Jews, all mixed together -- many are confused by the hybrid messages presented by Obama, the candidate of change.
Israelis seem perplexed but not necessarily put off by the Obama Kansas/Kenyan roots planted in Hawaii, transplanted to Harvard Yard and ultimately urbanized in Southside Chicago. A fatherless atheist who transmogrifies into a born-again orator is not politics as usual here.
The Economist
recently pointed to "some disquieting signs of a tendency ... to tailor his message to whichever audience he is talking to." Obama needs wiggle-room on his free trade promises and contradictory protectionist impulses. Withdrawal plans from Iraq; and his pledge that Jerusalem must never be divided may also require tweaking as the election nears.
Violet R. Witt, a platinum blonde grandmother from Chicago who has lived 30 years in West Jerusalem, minces no words. When asked about the presidential prospects of her Illinois senator, she crinkled her nose. "Not much. Obama, Osama. Say no more. I don't really trust him."
Politically conservative Witt remained unconvinced even after Obama's rather fawning speech to the Jewish lobby AIPAC's big conference in Washington, which recounted Obama's gratitude to Jewish Americans.
Jewish and African Americans have stood shoulder to shoulder. They took buses down South together; they marched together; they bled together; and Jewish Americans like Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner were willing to die alongside a black man, James Cheney on behalf of freedom and on behalf of equality. Their legacy is our inheritance; we must not allow the relationship between Jews and African Americans to suffer," he said. He also promised "$30 billion in assistance to Israel over the next decade, investments to Israel's security that will not be tied to any other nation.
Explanations are in the offing for the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who Obama will meet on Wednesday. Care must be taken in their Ramallah photo-op not to snap a portrait of Yassir Arafat looming over Obama's left shoulder like Bin Laden's face did in that satirical New Yorker cover. And he'd best skip any jocular fist jabs.
On Wednesday, Israel's Christian Zionist tourists and thousands of resident Millennial Jews are expected to come out in force to catch a glimpse of Obama. He may forgo a planned walkabout through the alleys of Old Jerusalem because of security concerns, but Obama is almost certain to don a skull cap and visit the Western Wall where prayers are scribbled on slips of paper and hang like chads from the chinks between the ancient stones. Some apocalypse-hastening Bible-thumpers already equate the Democratic candidate with the antiChrist, so there often is a mixture of mistrust and excitement whenever Obama's name comes up. All the tedious talk radio buzz about Hussein, his Muslim middle name, his Indonesian primary school, and his severed ties to a manic hometown preacher Jeremiah Wright gets re-examined in a neo-Zionist context.
After Obama dines with Prime Minister Olmert, who is beleaguered by corruption scandals, he will meet a namesake, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, as well as feisty opposition Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu. Then Obama will buzz over the occupied territories in a helicopter with the Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, a blonde ex-Mossad agent and best friend to her American counterpart, Condoleeza RIce. They'll visit the battered Negev town of Sderot, which is within rocket range of the Gaza strip, to shake hands with the mayor and shell-shocked students. As a tenuous ceasefire is now being observed, Obama will be as safe as when he choppered into Fassouta, a Katyusha rocket-riddled Christian village on the Lebanese border, two-and-a-half years ago. The one thing that is certain is that Obama is rocketing himself into the headlines before his last lap of the tour commences in Europe.
Follow Jan McGirk on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jmcgirk
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Just give the Arabs East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.
Show me a single quote by a Palestinian leader that this would satisfy their demands... Just one.
Hey, here's a correction. (What else is erroneous in this piece?)
The name of the liberal analyst you quote is Yossi Sarid (not Yossi Sari), He is the former head of the left-wing Meretz-Yachad party, founded by Shulamit Aloni, later headed by Yossi Beilin (father of Oslo and the Geneva Initiative) and which is now headed by kibbutz member Haim "Jumas" Oron.
Well, disappointing ... really no U.S. President or candidate for the office should visit Jerusalem until the occupation of Palestine ends, it is a validation of Israeli control of Jerusalem that runs counter to 60 years of American foreign policy.
But that's what we've come to in these crazy times.
Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, the Jewish state.
When did this happen?! When did it become legal and under what circumstances did it become legal for Americans to possess duel citizenships and vote in the U.S. elections??!!
Disclaimer: I am in the process of obtaining my Irish passport which i am entitled to because my grandfather was born there. And... it takes some imagination to create a scenario in which i could, as an Irish citizen vote against the interests of the United States, but in the past there were indeed times that might have happened.
I am sincere in my question. Does anyone know when it happened that Americans could have duel citizenship. It wasn't always so, was it? I think other countries allowed it, but didn't the U.S. used to make a person choose at a certain point?! I am astonished truely.
I hold dual US/Israeli citizenship, have fought as a member of the IDF, and live in Israel most of the year. I am as American as anyone, my Hebrew is spoken with a decidedly Southern accent.
When did this become U.S. policy?
Well, I've lived in the UK since 197l, divorced from my husband of 27 years, married a fine Englishman, he died last year, but I'm staying on in the UK. I took UK citizenship 20 years ago, but discovered then that I did not have to renounce the US citizenship, as I have still strong ties to the United States; my four children and 10 grandchildren all live in the US, and I visit them at least twice a year. I take a great interest in America politics. Always did. Got disillusioned lately, won't beat about the Bush on this. But now at last I take pride once more in being American in Britain!!!!
We transatlantic schitzophrenics are true nationals of both countries, AND THE WORLD. For the sake of all our children, we must work together, not pull apart. For the last two years since my husband was stuck in hospital (thats free over here, you poor poor underprivilgerd Yankees,) I have hosted in the summer language students from all over, learning English, and I am so happy that these young people understand what the old people have trouble understanding; we must coexist in this world. Isn't it obvious what candidate has won my enthusiastic support?
Beautiful!
Thank you!
"When did it become legal "
1776
http://tra
http://en.
Hmmm.... Ya misspelt Condescending Rice, but I don't imagine she'll mind much.
Is there a comma missing somewhere? " Christian Zionists, tourists & millennial Jews"...su
This was news to me, about the antiChrist comparison
Like the line about "Olmert's wall-eyed approach to coexistence with the Pals"...ni
Keep up the good work
It is one thing to present a positive view of a visit that has not happened, another to predict a reception that has not happened, but altogether strange to present a position of a candidate that has not formed. It seems unusual to pose Mr. Obama as a supporter of Israel while at the same time his campaign accepts the support of Mr. Carter, a politican more noted for his support of anti-Israel causes. Similarly, it seems difficult for Mr. Obama top appear a Middle east activist when his stated policies are for U.S. non-involvement or a sidelines position. Finally, Mr. Obama still has not explained his appearances of support at anti-Israel lunches, friendships and associations with unusual religious figures, as well as relationships with "retired" terrorists. If Mr. Obama wishes to reverse the perceptions of a less that favorable series of positions that are seen to be antithetical to Osraeli interests, he faces the risk of alienating supporters on the left. Mr. Obam's positions are likely to remain "obscure" a tactic his campaign seems to prefer allowing wiggle room. Whether this plays well domestically in the U.S. may be a moot point, where the most significant issue is the price of gasoline. On this issue, the majority of Americans apparently see the Democratic Party's posture against development of American resources a decided negative for the Party. Mr. Obama is cornered by both political and economic issues, trapped by his constituency and his Party leadership.
BORING! You think in such small terms. Obama is about UNITY. Period. Whether it's between Israelis and Palestinians, Dems and Repubs, east and west, it is all about UNITY. Are you so small minded that you can't see a man trying to see both sides of a situation so that maybe he can actually understand what the hell is truly going on? Or would you prefer him to only hear your Pro-Israeli side and operate from such a biased opinion? Obama has thought for himself during this entire ordeal. If he was afraid of alienating his supporters, he wouldn't have voted his own mind for FISA and gun control. I understand that you're used to the Bush way of things, but by the God's that evil is quickly coming to a humiliating end. Bush and Cheney are mass murderers who should be up in front of the World Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. That's what we've had. That's what we would continue to have with McBraindead (if the Gods choose to ignore or cries). If that's where you want to live, too bad. The rest of us require intelligence and grace in our new President. And I can't wait for Obama to usher in a new way of thinking, a new way to live. OBAMA/REED 2008-2016
On Wednesday, Israel's Christian Zionist tourists and thousands of resident Millennial Jews are expected to come out in force to catch a glimpse of Obama.
You mean no other Christians visit the Holy Land.
They'll visit the battered Negev town of Sderot... to shake hands with the mayor and shell-shocked students.
"shake hands with ...shell shocked students" indeed.
The new low in freelance journalism.
But for two changes, this phrase would be kinda prophetic: "The former Democrat[ic][,] president Obama ..."
Yes, has been the case for awhile due to court rulings in the late 60s & 80s.
The US State Dept says dual citizens " are required to obey the laws of both countries. Either country has the right to enforce its laws, particularly if the person later travels there. Most U.S. citizens, including dual nationals, must use a U.S. passport to enter and leave the United States. Dual nationals may also be required by the foreign country to use its passport to enter and leave that country. Use of the foreign passport does not endanger U.S. citizenshi
See more FAQ on this link
http://www
So... you can vote twice...ju
Here's a good link to news analysis of Obama & policy by a
writer on London's Independent
http://www
I use my US passport when I travel to Arab nations or in Europe, it is much safer for my daughter and I.
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