Does US Stand with Israel

                    There is some question in my mind about whether the Obama Administration stands with Israel - the only democratic government in the Middle East and good friend to the United States.  Barack Obama has not visited Israel at all since he became the President of the United States, but he did find time to make a tour of apologies to several Arab countries.  He has also sided with the Palestinians and against Israel on several different occasions.  During the 2012 Democratic National Convention there was a big problem about whether or not that party should recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. 

The problems between the United States and Israel have broken out into the open lately.  Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, requested a meeting with Obama while he was in the US for the UN General Assembly, but the White House refused.  Obama's excuse was that the two men would not be in New York City on the same day, but Israeli sources say that Netanyahu offered to meet with Obama in Washington.

Netanyahu apparently wanted to discuss recent US statements about Iran with Obama privately, but he openly criticized them after the private meeting was refused.  Netanyahu criticized Washington's refusal to draw a line in the sand - a "red line" - a point that would trigger US military action if Iran crossed the line.

                    Netanyahu warned the world about Iran moving ever closer to having a nuclear bomb.  Netanyahu said at a press conference, "The world tells Israel:  `Wait.  There's still time.'  And I say:  `Wait for what?  Wait until when?'  Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don't have a moral right to place a red light before Israel."  

                    There may be a political reason for the increasingly open feud.  Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential candidate, and Mr. Netanyahu are old friends, and Romney visited Israel a few weeks ago.  With their support for Israel and their position with Iran, Republicans are hoping to draw Jewish voters to vote for Romney, particularly in key states like Florida and Ohio.

                    Romney has consistently criticized Obama for his soft touch with Iran and suggested there should be a hard line on Tehran's nuclear intentions.  Secretary of State Hilary Clinton stated that the US would not set deadlines for negotiations with the Iranian government.  Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta indicated that he felt no need to set "red lines" because the US would have at least a year to make a decision after Tehran decided to make a nuclear weapon.  "We know generally what they're up to, and so we keep a close track on them.  We think we will have the opportunity once we know that they've made that decision [to] take the action necessary to stop [Iran]."  

                    The apparent problem causing disagreement between the US and Israel is on their perception of the threat.  Israel is watching Iran's capability to make a nuclear weapon while the US is focused on whether or not there will be an actual weapon.  The Obama Administration does not want to use the military route against Iran and prefers to give the UN sanctions more time to force Tehran to give up its nuclear intentions. 

                    So the question remains:  Does the US stand with Israel while Obama is President?  I do not think so.  I can easily understand why Israel is concerned about Iran having nuclear abilities because Iran has consistently stated that Israel should be destroyed.  I believe the US should at least show Iran and the world that Israel is our friend and we will be on the Israeli side of any war.  I believe that a Romney Administration would be acting much more positively with Israel.  I firmly believe that the US must stand with Israel!  Israel is God's covenant people, and any nation that fights against Israel will lose.  Israel has won every war forced upon it in the past sixty years.  Israel wins because God is with them; even the most powerful military in the world cannot win a war against God!

Obama and Israel

                    I guess his Jewish voters finally convinced President Barack Obama to be more supportive of Israel.  In his speech before the United Nations General Assembly today in New York, Obama actually declared that Israel had the right to be in their "historic homeland."  He did not repeat his comment about Israel going back to the 1967 borders - borders that are indefensible. 

                    Obama's comments to the UN must have had some effects on that body.  At least, the Palestinian Authority may delay its demand for immediate admission to the United Nations.  This delay will give members of the UN Security Council more time to look for an alternative that will restart the peace talks between Israel and Palestine.  The United States will continue to use its influence to encourage council members to vote against the Palestinian request.


                    Thanks to blogger Leo Rennert, I have some of Obama's remarks:  "Any lasting peace must acknowledge the very real security concerns that Israel faces every single day.

                    "Let us be honest with ourselves:  Israel is surrounded by neighbors that have waged repeated wars against it.  Israel's citizens have been killed by rockets fired at their houses and suicide bombs on their buses.  Israel's children come of age knowing that throughout the region, other children are taught to hate them. 

                    "Israel, a small country of less than eight million people, looks out at a world where leaders of much larger nations threaten to wipe it off the map.  The Jewish people carry the burden of centuries of exile and persecution, and fresh memories of knowing that six million people were killed simply because of who they are.  Those are facts.  They cannot be denied.

                    "The Jewish people have forged a successful state in their historic homeland.  Israel deserves recognition.  It deserves normal relations with its neighbors.  And friends of the Palestinians do them no favors by ignoring this truth, just as friends of Israel must recognize the need to pursue a two-state solution with a secure Israel next to an independent Palestine." 

                    I personally do not care what happened to Obama to cause him to stand up for Israel.  I am just grateful that he did.  I am also confident that Israelis are grateful for his verbal support.

Stand with Israel

I attended a wedding reception last weekend for two of my former students. The bride teaches preschool at a Jewish school and invited all of her students and their parents to the reception. Her students were so excited about going to their teacher's reception that they insisted that their parents take them. The rabbi and his family were among those who attended the reception.

The mother of the bride welcomed everyone to the reception and especially the Jewish guests. Then she made some comments that were very interesting to me. She said something similar to the following: "We are all aware of events taking place in the world. We want all of our Jewish guests to know that these people [she gestured to all the rest of us] are good people who stand with Israel. You are not alone."

I knew that I personally stand with Israel, but I didn't consider the many people that I know who also understand the importance of standing with Israel. I took a quick glance around the room at all my friends and associates; then I realized that I too could say, "These people are good people who stand with Israel."

Why is it important for Americans as individuals and the United States of America as a nation to continue to stand with Israel in their battle to survive as a nation? Three good reasons to stand with Israel are: 1) Israel or the Jews are God's chosen people. 2) Israel is the only nation in the Middle East that is a true democratic state. 3) What happens to Israel will eventually happen to the United States of America. Now I will enlarge on my three reasons.

My first reason for standing with Israel is purely a religious one. The scriptures are full of references to the covenant that God made with Abraham and then renewed with his son Isaac and Isaac's son Jacob (also known as Israel). The Lord spoke to Abram and said: "… Get thee out of thy country … unto a land that I will shew [show] thee:
"And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
"And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed." (See Genesis 12:1-3.)
Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and other people who joined them and went into the land of Caanan. The Lord appeared to Abram and said, "Unto thy seed will I give this land …." (See Genesis 12:5, 7.)
When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him again and said, "I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
"And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly."
Abram "fell on his face," and God continued to talk: "As for me, behold my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
"Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
"And I will make thee exceeding fruitful….
"And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant….
"And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God….
"And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah [meaning Princess] shall her name be.
"And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations….

Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born, and his wife Sarah was 90. Sarah died at age 127, and Abraham lived until age 175.

Abraham had children with three different women for a total of eight sons and great posterity. His first son, Ishmael, was born to Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian maid, who became his concubine. His second son, Isaac - the covenant son - was born to his wife Sarah. After Sarah's death, Abraham married Keturah, who bore him six sons. The house of Israel comes through Isaac, the son of Sarah. The Arab nations come through the lines of Ishmael, the six sons of Keturah, and Esau, one of the sons of Isaac.

The Abrahamic covenant continued through Isaac, Isaac's son Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel), and the twelve sons of Israel to the twelve tribes of Israel, otherwise known as the house of Israel. The Jews are descendants of Judah and are part of the house of Israel; therefore, they are part of the covenant people of God. Everyone who fights against the Jews is also fighting against God. Since God is more powerful than any number of humans, God's side will win! If Americans want to be on the winning side, we must stand with Israel!

My second reason for standing with Israel is the fact that it is the only nation in the Middle East that is a true democratic state. "According to the "Democracy Index" (published by the Economist, a British journal), the country in the Middle East with the highest Democracy Index score is Israel, with a score of 7.48, corresponding to the status of `flawed democracy", the only one in the region. The next highest scores of countries of the region are held by Lebanon (5.82) and Turkey (5.73), classified as `hybrid regimes.' Also in the `hybrid regimes' category are the Palestinian territories, Pakistan, and Iraq. The remaining countries of the Middle East are categorized as authoritarian regimes, with scores below 2 held by Libya, Iran and Saudi Arabia." (See Wikipedia.org.)

Wikipedia states that there are many theories on this subject that include the following: 1) "… democracy is incompatible with Islamic culture and values." 2) "… the lack of a clear cut difference between religion and the state stifles democracy in the region." 3) The Ottoman Empire, Britain, France, and the United States are "blamed for preferring authoritarian regimes because this simplifies the business environment, while enriching the governing elite and the companies of the imperial countries." 4) There is a "resource curse" in the nations of the region. 5) "… a gradual political opening is more efficient to reach democracy."

Participants in the recent revolutions in the Middle East apparently thought that they were rioting for democracy, but they are not being given democracy. Therefore, Israel is the only true democratic state in the Middle East. Israel is therefore our only true friend in that region.

My third reason for standing with Israel is the unfortunate fact that whatever happens to Israel will eventually happen to the United States. Israel is like the canary in the mine. If there was enough oxygen for the canary to live and be happy, it was safe for the miners to work there. If the Islamists, with the help of Barack Obama and other such leaders, succeed in destroying the nation of Israel, they will continue their evil ways by working to destroy the United States. As long as Israel stands, the full frontal attack will not come to the USA.

I am grateful to know that most Americans still stand with Israel. When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress recently, he receive a positive and supportive welcome from both sides of the aisle. This reception is consistent with the feelings of most Americans although other nations are becoming more and more anti-Semite. This worldview is shown by the nearly universal hatred, condemnation and discrimination against the state of Israel and its Jewish citizens.

Ron Lipsman [American Thinker, May 27, 20ll] wrote: "The people of America continue to recognize in Israel a kindred spirit - a nation devoted to freedom, justice, the rule of law, religious tolerance, equal opportunity, economic growth and the finer aspects of Western Civilization. … the American people [are] a truly exceptional nation - and our eagerness to stand with Israel is a testament to that fact."

There are probably other reasons why the United States should continue to stand with Israel, but I believe these are the most important reasons. I will continue to stand with Israel. I hope that you will join me.