American Middle East Policy

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למי אובמה טוב? [Hebrew version of “Are You Better Off Today Than You Were Four Years Ago? Yes!”]

This column  originally was published in Ha’aretz


למרבה הצער התשובה לשאלה לא תמיד שלילית. ישנם רבים שבשבילם כהונתו של אובמה הביאה שגשוג ופריחה. הנה רשימה חלקית של המרוויחים הגדולים שהיו עונים על השאלה “האם מצבכם היום טוב יותר?” בכן מהדהד.

אז הנה אנחנו, בתום סדרת העימותים בבחירות לנשיא ארה”ב. מאז שאל רונלד רייגן שאלה פשוטה ויעילה את הבוחרים – “האם מצבך היום טוב יותר משהיה לפני ארבע שנים?” – מנסים מועמדים חדשים לנשיאות לשחזר את ההצלחה הזאת. במערכת הבחירות הנוכחית, כאשר הנשיא ברק אובמה מציג כלכלה אמריקאית מקרטעת, אחוזי אבטלה גבוהים ושיא בגירעון הלאומי, מיט רומני יכול להניח כי שאלה זו תעורר מחשבה בקרב הבוחרים. Continue reading →

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Waiting for Obama. And Waiting. And Waiting…

If Obama has been so heavy-handed in dealing with Israel up until now, while Israel still ostensibly maintains the ability to cripple Iran’s nuclear development, just imagine the concessions he’ll demand from Israel as the price of American action when he alone holds Israel’s security in his hands.  
Speculation simmers as to how and when Israel may launch a preemptive attack against Iran’s nuclear-genocide facilities.  But as Iran races toward nuclear capability, a couple of things are becoming clear: first, whatever else Israel may have up its resourceful sleeve, the window in which Israel by itself is capable of inflicting serious damage in conventional air strikes is closing fast; and second, once that window closes, relying on a second-term Obama administration to take out Iranian nukes would be a grave mistake for Israel.
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The Democrats Were for Jerusalem, Before They Were Against it, Before They Were for it, Before They Were Against It

The Democrats’ 2012 platform omitted any endorsement of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.  Furthermore, it no longer calls for the creation of a democratic Palestinian state, no longer calls for isolating Hamas until it renounces terror and recognizes Israel, and opens the door to endorsing the so-called Palestinian “right of return” to Israel.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
Are we really supposed to trust these people?
The outrageousness of the stories surrounding the Democratic Party platform’s now-you see-them, now-you-don’t sections relating to Israel and Jerusalem grows daily, exceeded only by the cynicism of the party spokesmen peddling them.  On the bright side, the entertainment value of the saga is pretty high. Continue reading →
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The Democrats of 2012: For Israel, Is the Party Over?

This column was originally published in American Thinker magazine.

While Israel faces existential doomsday, the Democratic party– certainly the convention — seems firmly under the control of those ambivalent about, if not outright hostile to, the Jewish State and its people.

As the Democratic National Convention proceeds, watching the degradation of a once-great, once pro-Israel party is as sad as it is alarming.  Continue reading →
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Tampa Journal: Observations from the Republican Convention

This column was originally published in The Jerusalem Post.

Israel is a hot topic here, and support for Israel (and criticism of President Barack Obama’s treatment of Israel) seems to run across the board. I’ve done radio interviews here with hosts who are more enthusiastic Zionists than I am–and I live there.

These are people with an attachment to Israel that runs deep, and they are excited discuss it. There is no better opening line in this group than saying, “Hi, I’m Abe, from Republicans Abroad Israel.”

It is fascinating to attend this year’s Republican National Convention as a representative of Republicans Abroad Israel. Continue reading →

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Barack Obama: No Better Friend in the World (to Russia)

This column was originally published in American Thinker magazine.

Since the “Reset,” Russia has blackmailed Europe and the Ukraine with periodic stoppages of critical natural gas shipments.  The Kremlin has repeatedly blocked or evaded sanctions against Iran and Syria while selling Iran advanced weaponry and ensuring that Syria is armed sufficiently to massacre its people.  Russian bombers simulate attacks against America while violating U.S. airspace, while armed Russian attack submarines operate in U.S. waters, and Putin turns human rights back a generation, liquidating and imprisoning political opponents. Continue reading →

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The “Opposite” of Obama: a Primer for Democrats

This column was originally published in The Jerusalem Post.

The Obama administration has distinguished itself by innumerable calculated insults and slights designed to show “daylight” between Obama’s America and Israel.  I ask those defenders of Obama’s Israel record: would you have a problem with the “opposite” of the following partial list of incidents?

In June, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney told an audience of Christian conservatives that he would do the “opposite” of what US President Barack Obama has done in terms of Israel. “I think, by and large, you can just look at the things the president has done and do the opposite.” Romney explained that his “overarching” message was that “I would not want to show a dime’s worth of distance between ourselves and our allies like Israel. If we have disagreements, we can talk about them behind closed doors. But to the world, you show that we’re locked arm-in-arm.”

Did anyone not understand what Romney meant? Continue reading →

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Are You Better Off Today Than You Were Four Years Ago? Yes!

This column was originally published in FrontPage magazine.

For many, Obama’s term has brought tremendous success. Following are just some of the big winners who would answer the are-you-better-off-today question with a resounding “Yes!”

(Iran, Hezbollah, the Muslim Brotherhood, Russia, China, North Korea, the Taliban…)    Continue reading →

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Leaks as Political Theater

Americans of all stripes take national security seriously. Even prominent Democrats are irate: Senator Dianne Feinstein complained that the “avalanche” of leaks is compromising America’s security and intelligence capabilities. Voters understand that secure information is a national asset, not a campaign asset.
 
This administration treats classified information as if it’s part of Obama’s own campaign war chest, to be spent whenever most politically advantageous. 
In matters of national security, the best politics is no politics” — former Democratic Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson.
Sorry, Senator. That’s honorable, but it’s apparently not how things work anymore. Continue reading →
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Seven Minutes: The Limits Of Obama’s Pro-Israel Pronouncements

Obama told Jewish supporters: “This administration — I try not to pat myself too much on the back — but this administration has done more in terms of the security of the State of Israel than any previous administration.”
 
Stop laughing; he actually said it with a straight face. 
A seven-minute Israel-loves-Obama promotional video?  Is that the best this administration can do?  Perhaps it’s time for an administration whose pro-Israel record will last more than seven minutes. Continue reading →