Obama
Visits Israel: Welcome The Stranger?
By
Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency
Jerusalem,
Israel --- March 20, 2013
In a matter of hours, US President
Barack Obama will set foot on Israeli soil. This will be Barack
Obama's first visit to Israel as President. One needs to ask why?
This may very well be the least anticipated visit to Israel by
a US President. Many do not view Obama as a "friend"
of Israel - and for good reason.
Obama,
a Christian, grew up as a Muslim in Indonesia. As a Muslim he
learned to embrace Islam and expel all other religions.
These values were reinforced when he was in Hawaii receiving educational
training from Frank Marshall Davis, a radical communist who hated
Western colonialism. He later searched out and embraced academic
mentors Rashid Khalidi and Edward Said, two men who focused on
the Middle East with an abundance of hostility to Israel. And
then we have his Christian mentor, Pastor Jeremiah Wright, one
the most aggressive anti-Semites in the US.
There
is more. Much more that many of us were totally unaware of - such
as the Saudis who paid for his university education. But we failed
to take the time, a simple 10 minutes to discover where Obama
came from. Many of us just knew that we were Jewish or Christian
and were proud to vote for the first Black President.
Obama,
who told former French President Sarkozy that he "had to
deal with Netanyahu every day" and left Netanyahu at a White
House meeting to have dinner with his wife, has no love nor true
appreciation for the Jewish state. In Obama's first term as President,
he visited Egypt, Turkey and bowed to leaders in Saudi Arabia
(since when do US Presidents bow to foreign leaders?) but had
no time for the only democracy in the Middle East.
Obama
speaks about Israel returning to suicidal pre-1967 borders, inviting
the creation of another Hamas Gaza on the West Bank.
A Hamas West Bank that could shut down Ben-Gurion airport with
one home made rocket and terrorize Tel Aviv with many more.
Obama
speaks about dividing Jerusalem. The ancient, biblical, religious,
cultural and legal capital of Israel.
He
speaks of Israel removing settlements in the West Bank (Judea
and Samaria) as Syria massacres more than 80,000 of its citizens
and Iran does all it can to build a nuclear bomb. In speaking
about Jewish settlements he does the work of both the Iran and
Syria governments in deflecting the media away from their human
rights atrocities.
Barack
Obama comes to Israel but stays away from the Western Wall and
will not address the Israeli government in the Knesset.
Are we to think that Israeli security and the CIA cannot control
security around the Western Wall and that threats by Arabs against
Obama to visit the Western Wall should be obeyed? That Obama is
fearful of conversing with Israeli lawmakers who can articulate
Israel's existence in the Knesset?
Netanyahu,
a former commando who knows the security needs of Israel
is looked upon with contempt by Obama. Will this contempt turn
to respect?
Obama
comes as a stranger to Israel. Under Jewish law, we are taught
to welcome the stranger and give him bread. And this is what Israel
is doing.
But transcending Jewish law, are there those in the Israel Ministry
of Defense and the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs who feel
that they can honestly reach Obama? That we can enlighten Barack
Obama in three days?
I
have to give those in Jerusalem, including President Shimon Peres,
the benefit of the doubt. But never for one moment should we ever
forget that Obama is a master salesperson. He has choreographed
this visit minute by minute. He will attempt to control every
image and feel that the media takes and delivers through TV, news
print and social
media.
Israel
knows that it has the support of the American people. The support
of the US Congress and the US Department of Defense. Support that
overshadows a recently confirmed CIA director who calls Jerusalem
- Al Quds and a new Secretary of Defense who opposes calling Hezbollah
a terror organization.
We
can only pray that Obama's visit to Herzl's grave and a trek to
view the Dead Sea Scrolls will make him more of a friend. But
don't expect this tiger to change its stripes. We can smile, shake
hands and break bread with the stranger as we must remember that
it is the Office of the President that we must and will respect.
The
person holding that office, must gain our respect by understanding
Israel's security needs, mutual security issues - not through
soundbytes but through firm, immediate action against Iran, Syria,
Hamas and Hezbollah.
Mr. President
- democratic Israel is not 6,000 miles away from Islamic Jihad.
We face it on all of our borders. We cannot and will not allow
any security threats to manifest.
Israel:
Canada An Example To Global Democracy In Cutting Diplomatic Ties
With Iran
Joel Leyden,
journalist, media consultant, social media and SEO pioneer
working with both the Israel Defense Forces and the US Army in
Haiti.
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