Obama Delivers Right Message to Israel

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright March 20, 2013
All Rights Reserved.                                         

         Visiting Israel for the first time since taking the oath of office Jan. 20, 2008, 51-year-old U.S. President Barack Obama delivered the right message to 63-year Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  Obama’s GOP detractors hoped he’d continue the frosty relations with the savvy Israeli leader, looking for real signals that the White House was finally on the same page as Israel.  Promising to deal decisively with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad if he uses chemical weapons, Barack said all the right things to reassure Israel and U.S. conservatives.  While Netanyahu has growing concerns of chemical weapons falling from Syrian into Hamas and Hezbollah hands, its real worry comes from Iran’s feverish pursuit of enriched uranium.  Obama told Netanyahu publicly he’s on the same page as Israel to prevent Iran from getting an A-bomb, no matter what the costs.

           Barack’s views on Iranian nukes haven’t changed, promising that it won’t happen under his watch.  When his new Defense Secretary 66-year-old former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) was sworn in Feb. 27, conservatives interpreted it as leaning away from military confrontation.  Hagel told the Senate Armed Services Committee in his confirmation hearing Feb. 1 that Iran could be contained, nearly sending ranking GOP member Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) into a fit.  McCain wanted Hagel to say he takes a “prevent” not containment strategy with respect to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.  Obama told Netanyahu publicly in Jerusalem that he’s committed to keeping A-bombs out of the mullahs’ hands in Tehran.  “Today we have both the right and capability to defend ourselves,” Netanyahu told Obama, signaling that, if necessary, he would act unilaterally to stop Tehran.  

         After cobbling together a coalition government, Netanyah walks a tight rope placating many of Israel’s disparate parties.  He’s had to shun Israel’s ultranationalist Yisrael Beiteinu Party of his Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to appoint his new Likud Party Defense Minister 62-year-old Moshe “Bogie” Ya’alon.  Moving only a few degrees to the center, Ya’alon is considered more moderate than Lieberman.  Whether he’s more or less inclined toward unilateral military action with Iran is anyone’s guess.  Netanyahu’s had to make many Faustian bargains to cobble together a governing coaliton.  Bringing in his old nemesis 53-year-old Hatuanah Party member Tzipi Livni as Justice Minister shows just how far Bibi has gone to keep his grip as Prime Minisster.  Regardless of his artful balancing act, Obama has helped Netanyahu cement his grip as Israeli leader.

             Netanyahu’s critics have ripped him for his past conflicts with the White House.  Showing a united front with Israel helps Obama deal with conservatives on Capitol Hill that have painted him as pro-Palestinian.  When Barack meets with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas tomorrow in Ramallah, it will have a different tone than years past.  After touting the U.S. relationship with Israel as that of a 51st state, there’s no more pretense about the U.S. neutrality with respect to the Middle East.  Obama’s message to Abbas will be more nuanced, reminding the 77-year-old West Bank leader that the U.S. can only push Israel so far to meet the demands of more radical Palestinian groups like Hamas.  White House officials are well-aware of Hamas’ current role of joining forces with al-Qaeda to support toppling al-Assad’s Syrian regime, something that gives U.S. officials cold feet.

             When Obama goes to Ramallah, he’ll get an earful from Abbas about Israel’s continued building in the West Bank.  Abbas will warn Obama that he can’t contain Hamas from declaring a new “intifada” of uprising, sending prospects for peace into oblivion.  Abbas can’t have it both ways:  Placating Hamas, the radical Palestinian group controlling the Gaza Strip, won’t reassure Obama, now that it’s known that Hamas’ Leader in exile Khalid Meshaal, once a close ally of Syria’s al-Assad, has now joined forces with al-Qaeda to topple the 47-year-old former ophthamologist son of the late Hafez al-Assad.  “We have been clear that the use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people would be a serious and tragic mistake,” said Obama, warning al-Assad that chemical weapons’ use would trigger U.S. military intervention.  Syrian rebels would like to blame al-Assad to trigger U.S. military action.

             Navigating a treacherous Mideast landscape, Obama knows that the U.S. has no better friend than Israel.  His public love-fest with Bibi tells Abbas—and the rest of the Arab World—that the U.S. is no longer a neutral broker to resolve the Palestinian and Israeli problem.  Since Sept. 11, the U.S. is well-aware of Israel’s strategic role in protecting U.S. national security, and, of course, vice versa.  Sept. 11 changed U.S. collaboration with terrorists groups, even where they’re involved in Palestinian politics.  With Hamas joining forces with al-Qaeda to topple al-Assad, the U.S. can no longer show support to Palestinian groups with various motives, regardless of past U.S. agreements.  Without some resolution of the civil war between Gaza and the West Bank, there’s little an American president can do bring about Mideast peace.  Abbas will get a very different message on this trip.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.