Obama Hopes to Win Over Jewish Voters
Developments yesterday in the Democratic primary race centered on an increasing variety of attacks by Senator Clinton’s camp towards Senator Obama. One of the attacks that has surfaced yet again is the accusation by some that Obama is not friendly enough towards Israel. A look at Obama’s record shows that he has more than pulled his weight in the Senate when it has come to maintaining and strengthening America’s “special relationship” with Israel.
Examples that show Obama’s unwavering support for Israel in recent years are great in number; I will mention only a few.
In January of this year, after Palestinians flooded over the boarder into Eygpt, Obama made a point to contact Ambassador Khalilzad in the letter he said,
“I understand that today the UN Security Council met regarding the situation in Gaza, and that a resolution or statement could be forthcoming from the Council in short order. I urge you to ensure that the Security Council issue no statement and pass no resolution on this matter that does not fully condemn the rocket assault Hamas has been conducting on civilians in southern Israel.”
In a speech given Sunday Obama stated to a group of Jewish-Americans in Cleveland:
“I will also carry with me an unshakable commitment to the security of Israel and the friendship between the United States and Israel.”
He has made speeches to the Jewish-American community on several occasions stating his commitment to the security of Israel, most notably AIPAC, to whom he assured that every option against Iran is on the table.
AIPAC president Howard Friedman stated in a letter to Newsweek that “Senators Clinton, Obama, McCain and Governor Huckabee have demonstrated their support for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship.” The only candidate still remaining that he did not mention was Republican Congressman Ron Paul.
With a record like Obama’s the question becomes: Where is the debate in the United States on Israel/Palestine that Obama is left open to such criticism.
Some point to fears being justified by the journalist Ali Abunimah who has written for the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times and has quoted Obama as saying during his Senate Democratic Primary campaign in 2004,
“I’m sorry I haven’t said more about Palestine right now, but we are in a tough primary race. I’m hoping when things calm down I can be more up front.”
This quote is ambiguous and only states that Obama was not willing to bring Palestine into the discussion whatsoever, not that he favored Palestine. Abunimah also points to having encountered Obama at an Edward Said event and at several Arab friendly events in Chicago.
Articles litter the Jewish press and recently Newsweek and several major American papers seriously entertaining the idea of Barack Obama being anti-Israel.
Ralph Nader disagreed with those that have labeled Obama anti-Israel on Meet the Press this past Sunday. Nader said of Obama,
“He was pro-Palestinian when he was in Illinois before he ran for the state Senate.”
Nader went on to say, “He (Obama) doesn’t have any sympathy for a civilian death ratio of about 300-to-1; 300 Palestinians to one Israeli.”
If Obama did at one time hold a position that was more sympathetic to the Palestinian situation, why did he feel the need to change upon his entrance into national politics?
Obama has the chance to open up the debate on Israel/Palestine in this country. But instead the debate has become Obama attempting to prove that he is indeed Pro-Israel enough to earn himself the Jewish-American vote in the United States, rather than shedding light on the reality of the Israeli occupation. In his speeches to the Jewish community, Obama has never taken the time to directly criticize Israel. Not a word about continuing settlement construction or the maze of Israeli settlements and checkpoints Palestinians must navigate in their daily lives, subjects that are widely questioned, even within Israel.
The fact that the charge of Obama being anti-Israel can be taken seriously in the U.S. is a yet another signal that the issue clearly is not seriously discussed in the Mainstream Press and therefore the public to a large extent remains uninformed on this key foreign policy issue.
Comment by jen on 26 February 2008:
I thought you might be interested in this article from the Philadelphia Jewish Voice. You can view it at, http://www.pjvoice.com/v33/33005curtain.aspx The Philadelphia Jewish Voice is an online non-profit volunteer based community newspaper serving the Philadelphia Jewish Community. It is dedicated to addressing the important social, political and cultural issues facing our community in a spirit of honesty, integrity and diversity.
Comment by jen on 26 February 2008:
You Could Be Voting Your Rights Away!!! READ THIS:
http://www.naturalnews.com/z022707.html
CLINTON WON’T COMMIT TO RENEW CONSTITUTION…
Illinois Senator Barack Obama has finally signed the American Freedom Pledge, joining his fellow Democratic presidential candidates in encouraging the restoration of basic Constitutional principles after the battering they have taken during the Bush-Cheney era.
All the Democrats, that is, except New York Senator Hillary Clinton.
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?bid=45&pid=239574
McCain told Imus that he would, if necessary, sacrifice “quote First Amendment rights” to achieve “clean” government. If on Jan. 20, 2009, he were to swear to defend the Constitution, would he be thinking that the oath refers only to “the quote Constitution”? And what would that mean?
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/05/our_right_and_his_wrongs.html
Comment by F.Bannourah on 26 February 2008:
What is new all candidates want to support Israel,because it is crime and antisemtic to critisize Israel from outside.
The Israeli /Palestinian problem will be solved one day,the only solution is to dissolve the palestinian authority and ask Israel to run the occupied west bank and Gazza then we should aim for one state call it Israel /Palestine ,but all Israelis and Palestinian should live in the land of Palestine under same rules and given same rights,one man on vote just like South Africa.
Comment by McLieberman@yahoo.com on 13 July 2008:
Obama is not winning over the JEWISH and ZIONIST vote… He’s pandering to it. For a man who objected to wearing an American Flag (which I don’t care), Obama pander’s to AIPAC, Jews and Zionists, by wearing an American /Israeli lapel flag.
There’s another example of U.S. Government HYPOCRISY, but even or shockingly, GOVERNMENT pandering at the tune of $10’s of BILLIONS in MILITARY AID, BILLIONS in TRADE AID, and the continued FACADE by both the U.S. SOLD OUT politicians and the ISRAELI international TERROR game to serve themselves, at the expense of the AMERICAN TAXPAYERS.
Hey, Let’s fund a 100 more JEWISH HOLOCAUST MUSEUMS in FOREIGN COUNTRIES by the U.S. Tax Payers. If you object? When was the last time the U.S.government funded Greek and/or Armenian Holocaust Museums in ANY country? Yes, you get the picture!