On Tuesday the Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg wrote an essay called, The Crisis in U.S.-Israel Relations Is Officially Here, that began:
The other day I was talking to a senior Obama administration official about the foreign leader who seems to frustrate the White House and the State Department the most. “The thing about Bibi is, he’s a chickenshit,” this official said, referring to the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, by his nickname.
(...)The relationship between these two administrations— dual guarantors of the putatively “unbreakable” bond between the U.S. and Israel—is now the worst it's ever been, and it stands to get significantly worse after the November midterm elections. By next year, the Obama administration may actually withdraw diplomatic cover for Israel at the United Nations, but even before that, both sides are expecting a showdown over Iran, should an agreement be reached about the future of its nuclear program.Washington insiders understand that this was no rogue senior Obama official; it was a direct intended message/threat from the President which was leaked to Mr. Goldberg on purpose. The official went on to say that Netanyahu's threats about possibly attacking Iran weren't real because Bibi, who served in Israel's special forces on the front lines in two wars, was a coward.
Without knowing Goldberg's column was coming later in the day Bret Stephens of the Wall Street Journal pointed out on Tuesday:
Since coming to office in 2009, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed, against his own inclination and over the objections of his political base, to (1)recognize a Palestinian state; (2) enforce an unprecedented 10-month settlement freeze; (3) release scores of Palestinian prisoners held on murder charges; (4) embark on an ill-starred effort to reach a final peace deal with the Palestinians; (5) refrain from taking overt military steps against Iran; and (6) agree to every possible cease-fire during the summer’s war with Hamas.Goldberg's article instantly went viral. Less than twelve hours after it was posted a Google brought up 9,490 references when Netanyahu+Chickenshit was searched.
As the Atlantic piece began to filter through Washington, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus issued a statement that said in part:
“ISIS is on a rampage through the Middle East, slaughtering innocents and committing mass murder while plotting to kill more Americans. The priority of the Obama administration should be defeating our enemies; instead they are once again insulting our allies. It’s inexplicable and dangerous.
This administration consistently gets it wrong on foreign policy. Instead of taking the ISIS threat seriously, President Obama called them the “JV" team. Now, instead of working with our allies in the region to protect democracy and innocent lives, the administration is hurling expletives at Prime Minister Netanyahu."From the DNC there was nothing! It could be understood that the party itself would be silent, but there was nothing from individual Democratic party members of congress who claim to be pro-Israel.
Actually this is nothing new, it has been true ever since this President came into office and began his anti-Israel polices, those so-called supporters of Israel in the Democratic Party have been silent. As the Obama/Hillary team threw out an agreement between Israel and the United States they were silent. When Obama left Netanyahu to sit and stew in a White House conference room for hours they said nothing. When this President said that negotiations should start with Israel going back to the 1949 armistice lines rather than making it a negotiation point their heads were in the sand.
When the DNC on Obama's direction removed four pro-Israel provisions from their 2012 platform and only one was put back all you could hear was crickets. (The four removed items were: Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, not negotiating with Hamas till they renounce terror, refugees should be repatriated into Palestinian territories not Israel; and the need for adjustments to the 1949 armistice lines. The only one put back was the plank on Jerusalem). When Obama used Hamas-provided numbers to unfairly criticized Israel for civilian casualties during Operation Protective Edge no one, not one of these Democratic Party supporters of Israel stood up before the cameras and said, this is wrong! There are plenty other examples of Obama's mistreatment of this close ally.
Republicans spoke out--- Lindsey Graham, John McCain, Mitch McConnell, Peter Roskam, Eric Cantor, John Boehner, Ted Cruz, and many, many more stood up and criticized Obama for his unfair treatment of the only Democracy in the Middle East.
Debbie Wasserman Shultz Chairman of the DNC, who went around the country in 2012 proclaiming that Obama was a friend of Israel never offered criticism. Chuck Schumer who never met a TV camera he didn't live cameras or Israel enough to speak out. Jerrold Nadler who shows up to speak at every pro-Israel rally he can find never showed up when it counted. Even Steve Israel chairman of the DCCC another supposed friend of the Jewish State who seems to be on TV every day bashing member of the Tea Party hasn't once spoken out bashing Obama's anti-Israel policies.
Despite the fact that many of them claim to support Israel, none, not one of the 240+ Democratic Party members of the House or Senate has had the guts to speak out. Not one has said, I agree with most of Obama's policies but on Israel he is wrong. A true friend, a true supporter would stand up against Obama's unfair attacks and policy on Israel, but Democrats can't even generate the courage to speak in an election year when their party isn't doing well.
If anyone is "chickenshit" it is those silent Congressional Democrats who claim to be friends of Israel.
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