Obama Attempts to Appease Israelis and Appalls Arabs
OK, now that we appear to have a clear nominee who because of Democratic numbers is almost assured of beating any Republican nominee, can we begin to talk about substance instead of chanting "change"?
Obama has given me no reason to jump for joy, for in spite of his patriotic speeches, he does not seem prepared to make the changes that are actually necessary in the way our country does business. He recently spoke to the American Israel Public Affairs Council (Aipac) and his words have inflamed Arab anger and distrust of America. He pledged that Jerusalem must remain united and remain the capital of Israel. I wonder if he knows that the Israelis are negotiating with Syria about perhaps handing over Golan Heights to buy peace. I wonder if he knows how powerful the Palestinian separatist movement has become. Has Obama been too busy campaigning? Does he understand what is going on over there? Does he know the history? That is all debatable. He clearly knows American black/white history well. Whatever the case, he has added insult to the injury of the Arabs in the region. This in addition to the fact that his choice of Christianity over Islam, given his family history, is a crime punishable by death under Islam, means that Obama will not have an easy road trying to negotiate peace in the Middle East. He says that he will end the war in Iraq. I don't believe him. I don't think that he can. All he can do is call a retreat.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/93FE247B-452D-4022-8374-088D8704C1DE.htm
It seems to me that Obama is wrong, Israel is best broken up, and the Jews who believe they have a "right" to that land be damned. I recently met a Palestinian man whose family moved to Jordan in the 1960's. He was raised in Jerusalem. He said that it would all be just fine if Israel would stop combining religion with government, and begin to have a truly pluralistic society in which one's religious practices were not a reason for any kind of discrimination. Historically Israel has systematically discriminated against Muslims, and it is no wonder that many Arabs dispute Israel's "right" to exist. If they have a "right" to a state of their own, why don't the Palestinians? Barring Israel's not-forthcoming decision to be truly democratic and pluralistic, East Jerusalem and the West Bank are seen as being occupied by the Jews, and would be part of a fairly negotiated future Palestinian state.
Obama has given me no reason to jump for joy, for in spite of his patriotic speeches, he does not seem prepared to make the changes that are actually necessary in the way our country does business. He recently spoke to the American Israel Public Affairs Council (Aipac) and his words have inflamed Arab anger and distrust of America. He pledged that Jerusalem must remain united and remain the capital of Israel. I wonder if he knows that the Israelis are negotiating with Syria about perhaps handing over Golan Heights to buy peace. I wonder if he knows how powerful the Palestinian separatist movement has become. Has Obama been too busy campaigning? Does he understand what is going on over there? Does he know the history? That is all debatable. He clearly knows American black/white history well. Whatever the case, he has added insult to the injury of the Arabs in the region. This in addition to the fact that his choice of Christianity over Islam, given his family history, is a crime punishable by death under Islam, means that Obama will not have an easy road trying to negotiate peace in the Middle East. He says that he will end the war in Iraq. I don't believe him. I don't think that he can. All he can do is call a retreat.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/93FE247B-452D-4022-8374-088D8704C1DE.htm
It seems to me that Obama is wrong, Israel is best broken up, and the Jews who believe they have a "right" to that land be damned. I recently met a Palestinian man whose family moved to Jordan in the 1960's. He was raised in Jerusalem. He said that it would all be just fine if Israel would stop combining religion with government, and begin to have a truly pluralistic society in which one's religious practices were not a reason for any kind of discrimination. Historically Israel has systematically discriminated against Muslims, and it is no wonder that many Arabs dispute Israel's "right" to exist. If they have a "right" to a state of their own, why don't the Palestinians? Barring Israel's not-forthcoming decision to be truly democratic and pluralistic, East Jerusalem and the West Bank are seen as being occupied by the Jews, and would be part of a fairly negotiated future Palestinian state.