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Obama the Zionist

May 23rd, 2008
By DAVID SCHRAUB, Assistant Editor

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Why Barack Obama would be the most pro-Zionist President in American history. He managed to single-handedly disprove much of the argument I made alleging that non-Jews could not effectively advocate for Zionism as understood by Jews in the public sphere. Obama’s interview with The Atlantic is simply fantastic — it hits every base I could have asked for. He called Zionism “just”. He related it to anti-Semitism — not just as something in the past, but as something Jews need to worry about today. He seemed to truly “get” why the Zionist idea has such a hold on Jews — not just intellectually, but in his gut and soul. And he recognized that keeping Israel in a perpetual, apocalyptic conflict with its neighbors and the Palestinians is not something ultimately in the interest of Israel or the Jews — something non-Jews often forget because their brothers and sisters aren’t the ones ending up in body bags.

This is something we haven’t seen from any major public figure in my memory. It is something immensely to Obama’s credit, and something that should earn him the support of that vast portion of the Jewish community which identifies as Zionist and progressive.



This entry was posted on Friday, May 23rd, 2008 at 2:22 pm and is filed under Newsweek Blogitics, Antisemitism, Jews, Judaism, Palestine, Barack Obama, Israel. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Viewing 31 Comments

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    Once again he really hits the nail on the head. I know many refer to people like me as an Obamamaniac, but I just can't ignore the fact he not only shares my exact opinions on issues but seems to have a grasp on how to go about dealing with them. Whatever claims there are about his inexperience I can't help but get the feeling he's the kind of guy who gets it right the first time.
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    I took some time to watch his town hall at B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton yesterday, and again today as he spoke at the extremely conservative Cuban American National Foundation in Miami (kudos to CNN for providing live streams).

    It is striking how he is able to articulate intelligent, common sense goals which reflect real depth of thought and an apparently instinctual understanding of how to move seemingly intractable issues forward.

    Are his advisers and speech writers just that good, or does Obama represent a true break with the conventional wisdom of the past? I'm betting on the latter, since you can only fake it for so long before being tripped up in your own lack of knowledge and empathy - especially among audiences as tough as those two.
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    So if Obama is this big staunch defender of Israel then what is he going to negotiate?

    When you go to the table with predisposed ideals then how is it your going to persuade the Iranians for example that they should give up their wmds for peace assurances when everything and I mean everything in the middle east is linked to Israel.

    This always has been the problem Obama strikes a chord with progressives who so much want peace in this region and yet if he is indeed this ardent supporter of Israel then he has already failed in his negotiations because he is approaching the table with the same dishonesty that every other politicians that has tried before him with the exception of Jimmy Carter. Yet now decades later when you see what Jimmy Carter is doing and saying it is very clear that he is not the biggest of Israel supporters and perhaps that is how he managed to get Egpyt to the table.

    This is classic Obama. In fact I pointed out repeatedly that Barak Obama was quoted as saying that "we want our enemies to know that we are moderate. That if Iran........." In essence calling Iran the enemy when they are not. Really. After about 3 weeks of this I have noticed that this quote has been removed from his website.

    But this speaks volumes to Barak Obama and his inability to see clearly the problems in the middle east and how they go beyond reasonable talk to solutions that are dirty and hard and beyond the progessive base to deal with comfortably.
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    Just like Obama's speech on race articulatied our difficulties with race issues, Obma's Atlantic interview articulated the problems Isarael faces, and by extension. the problems the US faces as Isrel's staunch ally.

    Being able to state clearly where we are at the moment is crucial as a refernce point from which we have to find a path forward. To the critics piling on, I would just say that no speech defining the siruation as it is can solve, or can even try to solve, the problem. That can only be tackled by what follows, by the choices we make from here on out.

    The most poignant part of the interview, for me, was his reference to how the Jewish community and the Afro-American community have split apart to an alarming degree. They have very different histories, of couse, but hey share so much in the experience of :injustice, it is tragic when more is made of the differences than of what they have in common..
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    So if Obama is this big staunch defender of Israel then what is he going to negotiate?

    Maybe he can broker a deal on verification and containment or disarmament of Israel's nuclear arsenal. Maybe he can broker a deal on the West Bank settlements. Maybe he can broker a deal on the Golan Heights.

    This isn't rocket science.
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    "So if Obama is this big staunch defender of Israel then what is he going to negotiate?"

    Is your position that the US government must be either pro-Israel or pro-Hamas? I don't see a conflict in believing that Israel has every right to exist in peace, that rocket attacks on Israel are acts of war, and that public statements saying that Israel is a "scourge" must stop, while still believing that Israel needs to refrain from building new settlements, should engage with moderates in the region, and must improve its image among the common people in other Middle Eastern countries. There is a HUGE role for this US to play in that process, and playing that role doesn't diminish America's support for Israel.
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    Now I understand Neocon. He's been reading Krauthammer.
    From Neocon:
    So if Obama is this big staunch defender of Israel then what is he going to negotiate? When you go to the table with predisposed ideals then how is it your going to persuade the Iranians for example that they should give up their wmds for peace assurances when everything and I mean everything in the middle east is linked to Israel.


    From Krauthammer:
    What concessions does Obama imagine Ahmadinejad will make to him on Iran's nuclear program? And what new concessions will Obama offer? To abandon Lebanon? To recognize Hamas? Or perhaps to squeeze Israel?


    Calm down Neocon. There is absolutely no reason to believe Obama will or can give away Israel. In fact, there is no reason to think that would actually be something Iran would want. Iran probably wants the United States to stop being so belligerent toward them.
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    "So if Obama is this big staunch defender of Israel then what is he going to negotiate?"

    The underlying assumption is what is he going to use successfully in negotiations... well, I think if we knew what would be successful then the Israel situation might well be on the road to being resolved.

    At any rate it's clear that Obama has clear thoughts on the issue and is not trying to distort facts to use for his own political gain. That is the absolutely best place to start. It's no guarantee of success but I couldn't ask for a better foundation upon which to begin the process.
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    ChrisWWW, on Neocon/Charles- that's a keen observation, thanks! I agree that Obama won't give away Israel. I also agree that Iran does want the US to stop being so belligerent towards them, but I also think that Iran believes that Israel is a mortal enemy. Though given the right carrots and sticks (and assurances) Iran can probably be persuaded to change its views on this. But the first step towards that is to stop shouting from the mountaintop that the US is going to bomb Iran.
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    You have no idea who I am Chris. Perhaps Krauthammer has been reading me.

    Lets try to set aside for a minute the emotion of the debate and try to look at this objectively.

    If you are a friend of Israel, by that very definition it sets you as an opponent of the Palestinians. As such then how is saying you are this staunch defender of Israel going to get you a leg up at the negotiating table without

    Without giving concessions in order to get an agreement?

    In the middle east negotiation is a sign of weakness. It always has been. The people to which we would have to negotiate have no compunction in negotiations and are unwilling to give anything at all.

    But lets even set all the the preceeding history of the region aside for this moment and simply answer me once again.

    What is Obama going to negotiate if