been the subject of much scrutiny in recent weeks.
Obama has repeatedly stated that he and his advisors
are staunchly pro-Israel, but these declarations have
not satisfied Zionist groups, and the witch hunt
continues. Many have pointed out his relationship
with the pastor of his church, Rev. Jeremiah Wright,
who has criticized Israel in the past.
In the week preceding the primary in Ohio, which
contains a sizable Jewish population, Obama met with
dozens of Jewish leaders in Cleveland to address the
concerns of the Zionists. The candidate went out of his
way several times to reiterate his support for the notion
of a "special relationship" between the U.S. and Israel,
declaring that "the defense cooperation between the
United States and Israel has been a model of success
and I believe it can be deepened and strengthened."
He said that Iran is the greatest threat to Israel and
a major supporter of terror worldwide, and vowed to
deal with it. And he spoke favorably of Israel "
as a Jewish state".
But then he angered the Zionists by daring to express a
small criticism of one of their political parties: "This is
where I get to be honest and I hope I'm not out of school
here. I think there is a strain within the pro-Israel
community that says that unless you adopt an unwavering
pro-Likud approach to Israel that you're anti-Israel and
that can't be the measure of our friendship with Israel.
If we cannot have an honest dialogue about how do we
achieve these goals, then we're not going to make progress.
And, frankly, some of the commentary that I've seen which
suggests guilt by association or the notion that unless we are
never ever going to ask any difficult questions about how
we move peace forward or secure Israel that is non-military
or non-belligerent or doesn't talk about just crushing the
opposition, that that somehow is being soft or anti-Israel,
I think we're going to have problems moving forward."
The Jewish Press commented in an editorial, "
So there we have it. A President Obama will decide for
himself what is in Israels best interests and lean toward
negotiations and incentives and against military action."
In the end, Hillary Clinton beat Obama in the Ohio and
Texas primaries on Tuesday with the support of most
Jewish voters, polls showed. Jews comprise only 1.3
percent of Ohios population but their proven practice
of going to the polls in greater numbers than other
demographic groups makes them an important voting
block for candidates who are locked in tight races, according
to Zogby polling company director Fritz Wencel.
Sen. Clinton has won the Jewish vote in every primary to
date except for Connecticut, Massachusetts and California,
where Jews backed Sen. Obama.
TRUE TORAH JEWS:
We are embarrassed by these belligerent Zionists
who demand that a presidential candidate be
unquestioningly loyal to the State of Israel,
whatever policies it may choose to adopt. The
President of the United States must be someone
who acts in the interest of the United States, not
in the interest of a foreign country.
The politics and policies of the Zionist state should
play no part in governing the United States or in our
elections. Rather, the focus should be on the needs
of the American people. Jews in the United States
are United States citizens and are as concerned
with improving the lives of the American people
as any other American citizens. Our politicians
should be addressing the many problems we are
facing here in the United States, not in the State
of Israel.
As Jews, we must be ever mindful of the needs of
our Jewish brethren, wherever they may live. But
dragging the issues surrounding the Zionist state into
American politics and constantly focusing on the
Jews is counter-productive. It fuels anti-Semitism,
furthers conflicts, and creates a potential danger to
Jews worldwide.
Despite the impression given by the Zionists, we point
out that most traditional Jews in America still view
themselves as American Jews, not Israelis. Like any
other voters, these Jewish voters will vote for politicians
whose policies they believe are right for America.
0 Have Your Say!:
Post a Comment