The awkward phrasing and willful denial aside, this doesn’t sound like a very pro-Israel thing for the Israel Policy Forum to say. Which is surprised because I was told in no uncertain terms that these tools – one of the many in the interchangable cluster of leftist Obama worshiping Jewish groups – were the very essence of geniune pro-Israel advocacy. Instead, this sounds like the condescending sneer of someone who has a personal, visceral distaste for Israeli Jews.
A sample of the bloviation they just dropped into my inbox:
The general consensus was that he has already made a significant positive impact. His Cairo speech was particularly well received by the Arab world and the pro two state Israeli contingent, although his popularity in Israel is substantially lower than anywhere else in the world – this was also the case before the election, where Israel was one of only a literal handful of countries who favored McCain over Obama. The reasons are complicated, but a partial explanation is that the Israelis are not used to not getting preferential treatment and are off balance with this President,and everything that he represents.
Some of the Israelis were sufficiently self-aware to note that they like being the center of attention, which they were not in the Cairo speech, but many recognize that there needed to be a ‘reset’ with the Arab and Muslim world, and this was a highly intelligent and effective way of achieving this. As was relayed in many meetings, now comes the hard part.
Generally, the more enlightened observers recognized that the dismantling of certain checkpoints and a major road bloc, the removal of Israeli forces from four West Bank towns and the talk of a settlement ‘freeze’ were all due to Obama and his administration. He needs to pursue the same course, perhaps more privately and less publically in some cases. To a certain extent, the next step is very much to obtain concessions from the other side. Not so much from the Palestinians, who have relatively little to give, but from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States – there is talk of transport, trade, and diplomatic ties, for example.
Actually the Cairo speech wasn’t well received by any sector of Israeli society, the only thing “resetting” relations between Israel and its neighbors is mutual antipathy for Obama’s approach to Iran, Israel has been handing over West Bank towns and dismantling roadblocks for years, the Palestinians could make a symbolic but important concession by recognizing Israel as a Jewish State, and there is no serious talk of boosting Israeli-Arab ties from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States or, for that matter, from Egypt.
But I do like how they remind their Obama-voting subscribers that Israelis favored McCain during the last election. If you’re going to brazenly make shit up it’s always good to remind your readers whose side they’re supposed to be on.
References and previously after the jump…
References:
* Pro-Obama Jewish Groups: The Pre-1967 Arab Stranglehold On Israel Was "Pretty Wonderful" [MR]
* Pro-Carter Shill MJ Rosenberg: Why Aren’t Israelis More Excited About How Obama Is Going To Pressure Them? [MR]
* ‘Jerusalem Post’/Smith Poll: Only 6% of Israelis see US gov’t as pro-Israel [JPost]
* Obama Unites Jews And Arabs In Mocking His Moronic Iran Policy [MR]
* Fatah Weapons Champion, Abject Failure Keith Dayton Said Nablus Was Fatah’s “First Real Test” How’s That Going? (Plus: Dozens Of Fatah Soldiers Building Rockets, Targeting Israelis) [MR]
* Tony Blair: Israel agrees to ease West Bank restrictions [Ha'aretz]
* Netanyahu demands Palestinians recognize ‘Jewish state’ [Ha'aretz]
* White House: Arab States Will Tone Down Their “Israel Has To Commit Suicide” Demands. Arab States: No We Won’t. [MR]
* Egypt rejects U.S. plan for Arab-Israel normalization [Ha'aretz]
Previously:
* New J-Street Poll Is Rigged In Particularly Stupid, Obnoxious Ways
* Noted Democratic Shill Begs Nutroots Not To Viciously Attack Emanuel For Being Too Jewish
* Pro-Obama Jewish Groups Soliciting Creepy "Pledges" To Help Obama Detonate The US-Israel Alliance
