Israel against Obamacare

According to a report from a liberal Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Obama administration was not satisfied with insulting the state of Israel through media-outlets, and is now sending a list of demands. The list of demands is as follows:

1. Investigate the process that led to the announcement of the Ramat Shlomo construction plans in the middle of Biden's visit. The Americans seek an official response from Israel on whether this was a bureaucratic mistake or a deliberate act carried out for political reasons. Already on Saturday night, Netanyahu announced the convening of a committee to look into the issue.

2. Reverse the decision by the Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee to approve construction of 1,600 new housing units in Ramat Shlomo.

3. Make a substantial gesture toward the Palestinians enabling the renewal of peace talks. The Americans suggested that hundreds of Palestinian prisoners be released, that the Israel Defense Forces withdraw from additional areas of the West Bank and transfer them to Palestinian control, that the siege of the Gaza Strip be eased and further roadblocks in the West Bank be removed.

4. Issue an official declaration that the talks with the Palestinians, even indirect talks, will deal with all the conflict's core issues - borders, refugees, Jerusalem, security arrangements, water and settlements.


Note that Obama has not demanded anything from the open enemies of the US - Iran, Venesuela, Libya, North Korea and the like. He is also unusually silent about the actions of palestinian terror groups - Hamas and PLO. If anything, Obama was always courteous and understanding of their opposition to the American policy - if not downright apologetic about US and its assumed past indiscretions and injustices. But it's American allies - Israel, Honduras, Britain that were openly chastised by Obama. This is hardly surprising to the people who studied Obama's past close cooperation with such known antisemites as rev.Wright and Rashid Khalidi - but for many liberal Jews, Obama's uncompromising hostility to Israel is a very unwelcome surprise.

In the last few days, the patience of some major Jewish organizations wore thin, and some of them started to criticize the Messiah. Among those, was reliably liberal Anti-Defamation League, which called Obama's attacks on Israel "“gross overreaction.” The ADL National Director Abraham Foxman even proclaimed that he was “shocked and stunned” by the tone of the comments which were emanating from administration. This came after ADL graded Obama's performance a solid "F" barely a moth ago.

AIPAIC, a centrist pro-Israel group declared that Obama's hostility to Israel is "matter of serious concern." It also declared that Obama "should make a conscious effort to move away from public demands and unilateral deadlines directed at Israel."


So, what does it all have to do with Obamacare? I believe that Obama's reckless disregard of one of the most important US ally is partly due to his belief that American Jews will support his presidency irrespective of his position on Israel. I think that Obama in his arrogance underestimates Jewish intelligence and their love for the state of Israel, while overestimating his stronghold on the Jewish minds. His latest attack on Israel was particularly badly timed, given the fact that the Obamacare is hanging by a thread.

Any Jewish congressman who withdraws his support from the Healthcare Bill will put a lot of pain on the Obama administration. I personally believe that the ONLY way for Jewish Democrats to remind Obama that their support for the president is not unconditional is now. If the Obamacare is defeated, the president will be seriously weakened, and he will be able to re-access his dangerous policy vis-à-vis Israel. Any Jew who votes for Obamacare essentially votes for the further isolation of Israel from its ally, the United States of America.

It is well known that many regimes began to weaken once they turned against the Jews. I am not a religious man, but history indeed shows that an attack on the Jews very often leads to defeat of the formerly insurmountably strong regimes. As someone noted, the attack on the Jews is normally the last straw that breaks the neck of the camel. It is quite possible that Obama's reckless and unfair attack of Israel may be the last straw that would defeat the Obamacare.