NEWS,24.10.2012

Obama and Israel: The Record, the Facts

 

President Obama has been criticized for being wrong for Israel. Even in the third debate of the Presidential campaign, a lovefest toward Israel, which was mentioned 31 times by the candidates, Governor Romney managed to get in a couple jibes against Obama's Israel policy. "I think the tension that existed between Israel and the United States was very unfortunate." He went on to complain that Obama had not visited Israel, inferred that Obama had a poor relationship with the Jewish State, and accused Obama of wanting "to create daylight between ourselves and Israel." Others opposed to the president have even been known to claim that Obama is the worst president for Israel in American history. But history emphatically tells us otherwise. Many presidents saw Israel as a burden and acted accordingly. Truman recognized Israel's existence six minutes after its birth, but also embargoed arms before and during Israel's War of Liberation. Eisenhower, who doubted whether Israel should have even been created, forced Israel to return its gains in the Sinai and Gaza in 1956 by making a variety of threats, including ending tax-deductible gifts to Israel. Ford set up a reassessment of America's Middle East policy in 1975 because he was angry at the Israelis for refusing a proposed disengagement agreement with Egypt. Carter brokered the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, but otherwise endlessly clashed with Israel. George H.W. Bush's secretary of state told Israeli Prime Minister Shamir publicly to phone the White House when he was ready to talk peace, and later denied Israel critical loan guarantees when refugees from the Soviet Union were arriving. There are no similar episodes in Obama's record. Instead, he established the closest working military and intelligence relationship with Israel in the country's history: joint exercises and training, increased security assistance every year, unprecedented advanced technology transfers, doubling of funding for Israel's missile defense system, and assistance in funding for the Iron Dome system that today intercepts rockets headed for Israel. Indeed, in the debate he was emphatic that Israel "is a true friend and our greatest ally in the region," and went on to say later, "I will stand with Israel if they are attacked. And this is the reason why, working with Israel, we have created the strongest military and intelligence cooperation between our two countries in history."More facts. The Obama administration has opposed efforts to boycott or divest from Israel. It backed Israel on the infamous Goldstone Report, the anti-Israel Durban Conference, the Gaza flotilla incident, Palestinian effort to gain recognition as a state, and others. And the U.S. voted with Israel at the UN 100 percent of the time under this administration, a first in modern history.So what's the problem? Certainly, the poor personal relationship between the Israeli and American leaders does not help. But this is not the first time that an American president found an Israeli leader frustrating, yet managed to enhance U.S.-Israeli relations. Ronald Reagan had a number of diplomatic conflicts with Israel the peace process, the U.S. sale of AWACS jets to Saudi Arabia, Israel's attacks against Iraq's nuclear reactor and the Lebanon War yet strengthened security ties with Israel. Like Reagan, Obama has exponentially enhanced U.S.-Israel security cooperation. But unlike Reagan, Obama did not suspend arms transfers to Israel because of a disagreement with its leaders.Recently, the Israeli-American discord has centered on Iran. The president and prime minister disagreed over setting a red line delineating when military action would be taken. But few noticed when the U.S. and Israel quietly resolved the issue, with Netanyahu agreeing to delay action until next year at the earliest and praising the president at the UN for his efforts.In fact, Obama has supported the toughest sanctions on Iran in history, in pursuit of the goal of preventing Teheran for gaining nuclear weapons. In the foreign policy debate, he stated categorically that "...as long as I'm president of the United States Iran will not get a nuclear weapon. I made that clear when I came into office."His statements and actions are far tougher than anything provided by President George W. Bush. Standing with Prime Minister Olmert in Jerusalem in January 2008, Bush could only offer, "I believe it's incumbent upon the American Presidents to solve problems diplomatically. And that's exactly what we're in the process of doing. I believe that pressure economic pressure, financial sanctions will cause the people inside of Iran to have to make a considered judgment about whether or not it makes sense for them to continue to enrich.''For Obama, opposing Iran's nuclear weapons is part of his longstanding opposition to nuclear proliferation. In 2004, even as he opposed the war in Iraq, Obama told The Chicago Tribune editorial board: "The big question is going to be, if Iran is resistant to these pressures, including economic sanctions, which I hope will be imposed if they do not cooperate, at what point are we going to, if any, are we going to take military action?" Admitting that attacking Iran might hurt America's image in the Arab world, he concluded, "On the other hand, having a radical Muslim theocracy in possession of nuclear weapons is worse." Obama's Iran policies have been working, with intensifying sanctions helping to cause accelerating economic chaos, and protests, in Iran, which is today weaker than four years ago. Tehran may have made advances toward a nuclear force, but the costs of that movement are clearer than ever, and the worldwide opposition more determined and tougher. Iran is paying a heavy price for its pursuit of nuclear weapons, and that price will grow higher. There is no argument between Israel and the U.S. on that score.The critics are simply wrong. Obama has been an exceptional supporter of Israel where it counts on the hard-core security and diplomatic issues that provide assistance and protection in a very dangerous region.

Obama, Romney plunge into final 2 weeks

President Barack Obama set off on a marathon, two-day campaign journey on Wednesday  touching down in five states and making an appearance on a popular late-night television programme as he tries to break out of the neck-and-neck race with Republican challenger Mitt Romney with just 13 days left before voters cast their ballots on 6 November.Obama is hammering Romney over his sudden shift to moderate positions both at home and abroad after months of campaigning as a hard-right conservative. Romney, looking to sustain momentum that grew out his overwhelming victory in the first presidential debate three weeks ago, is bashing Obama as a leader who has failed to bring the economy back to full speed after the Great Recession and warning that re-electing the president is a prescription for continuing hard times.Both men are making extraordinary efforts to sway the small pool of undecided voters while imploring their millions of supporters to vote, particularly in key battleground states such as Ohio and Iowa where early voting is already under way.Casting own voteObama planned a short stop in Chicago on Thursday to cast his own vote - the first time an incumbent president has opted for early voting.In remarks to an Iowa newspaper that were released Wednesday, Obama predicted he'll reach agreement with lawmakers to reduce the US deficit in the first six months and overhaul immigration law within the first year of a second term if he's re-elected.His comments to The Des Moines Register were originally off the record, but Obama's campaign agreed to release a transcript under pressure from the newspaper.On immigration, Obama said he'd be blunt since the interview was off the record. He said if he wins a second term, "a big reason" will be because Republicans have "so alienated the fastest-growing demographic group in the country, the Latino community".Battleground statesThe election map has shrunk to no more than nine of the 50 US states, and that's where both candidates will be spending virtually all of their time in the final days before the election.Residents in those so-called battleground states do not reliably vote either Republican or Democrat. The states assume outsized importance because the president is chosen according to state-by-state contests, not the national popular vote.Obama was planning to cover 8 500km on Wednesday in the most-travelled single day of his re-election bid. He was going from Washington to Iowa, Colorado, California and Nevada, and then overnight to Florida. It was the first time Obama was spending the night flying on Air Force One for a domestic trip but far from unprecedented by incumbents scrambling to keep their job.Obama will break for an appearance on the widely watched The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and make calls to voters from the plane.Pace picking upRomney, too, was picking up the pace. He was campaigning on Wednesday in Nevada and Iowa before a three-stop campaign in Ohio on Thursday.Romney told a crowd of 10 000 supporters on Tuesday that Obama's promise of more of the same is "why he's slipping and it's why we're gaining".Obama's campaign insisted that the president was holding on to a slight lead in most of the nine battleground states - Nevada, Colorado, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and New Hampshire"We have the ball, we have the lead," Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod insisted.Obama's challenge is to convince voters who may be hurting financially that he is better qualified to lead the country back to economic prosperity than Romney, who made a fortune as the head of a private equity firm.TrustworthinessObama is trying to capitalise on polls that show voters see him as more trustworthy than Romney. A Washington Post/ABC News poll last week showed 55% of likely voters said Obama is "honest and trustworthy" compared to 47% who felt that way about Romney.The president has spiced his rhetoric with humour to temper his underlying charge - that Romney is lying about what he would do as president."You know me. You know I say what I mean, and I mean what I say," Obama told an Iowa crowd on Wednesday. "With your help, I've kept the commitments that I made."Obama's remarks came after Monday night's third and final presidential debate, where Romney revealed dramatic shifts to the centre on foreign policy and largely expressed agreement with how Obama has conducted US foreign policy.The Obama campaign responded this week to the complaint that the president had, after more than a year of speeches, failed to articulate his second-term vision.
The campaign produced a 20-page booklet called the Blueprint for America's Future outlining his proposals, including spending more on education, boosting US manufacturing jobs and raising taxes on the wealthy.

Berlusconi calls it a day

Italy's Silvio Berlusconi said on Wednesday that he would not run in elections early next year and hand his People of Freedom party over to a successor, ending months of uncertainty over his candidacy."I will not be presenting my candidacy but I will remain at the side of younger people who can play and score goals," said the media magnate, who founded the party in 2009 and is famous for talking politics in football terms.The 76-year-old tycoon, who owns AC Milan football club and three national television channels as well as several private villas, said in a statement that his successor would be appointed by the end of December following a party vote."I still have good muscles and a head on my shoulders, but my role will be to give advice", he said, adding that the vote may take place on 16 December."For the love of Italy one can do crazy and wise things. Eighteen years ago I came onto the scene, a mad move that did not lack wisdom: I now take a step back," the billionaire said, putting to an end speculation over his return.The move came as his scandal-hit PDL party tries to boost its credibility following a series of investigations into misuse of party funds.The former prime minister had retreated from the political frontlines after handing over power in November 2011 to former European competition commissioner Mario Monti amid a parliamentary revolt and a wave of financial market panic.There had been speculation since then as to whether he would try a comeback.The PDL has suffered a series of local election setbacks and is riven by infighting, and many supporters had been urging Berlusconi to return to lead the party in the upcoming elections, set for April next year.Ruby the Heart StealerBerlusconi said it was now up to the party secretary Angelino "Alfano and a new generation of young people to reproduce the miracle of 1994", when the man famed for his love of wild parties was first appointed prime minister.His decision to step aside revealed fears that he could not hope to muster enough support to lead Italy's centre-right to victory.The former premier, who was seen as a blast of fresh air when he burst onto the scene in the 1990s after a period of political corruption and scandal, has been hit hard by his own fraud and sex scandals and has lost many supporters.The PDL has been unable to persuade smaller centrist parties to join forces with them for the upcoming elections despite several attempts at deal-making.Berlusconi will be hoping that a fresh face at the head of the party can help it regain ground in the polls.The former premier has been fighting legal battles for 20 years. Despite some initial convictions for fraud and lingering accusations of alliances with convicted crooks, all cases against him were won on appeal or have expired.He is currently on trial for fraud, bribery and paying for sex with a 17-year-old prostitute nick-named "Ruby the Heart Stealer".The sex trial was one of the last in a series of scandals that helped precipitate the media tycoon's downfall.