We’ve
covered the back and forth today, from John Kerry’s angry policy speech
putting most of the blame on Israel for failure to reach an agreement
on the final status of the dispute, to Bibi Netanyahu’s equally
blistering rebuttal.
The rallying around Israel and Netanyahu by politicians on both sides
of the aisle is a reflection of both ideological support for Israel and
the fact that Israel remains hugely popular among the American public.
The maligned “Israel Lobby” consists of a substantial majority of
Americans who not only support Israel, but support Israel over the
Palestinians. The American people are the Israel Lobby.
B
ut that can’t explain the reaction
against Obama’s U.N. move.
In
Bibi Netanyahu we see something we have lost in our leader, an
unflinching sense of national destiny, an unapologetic pride in who we
are and why we are, and a willingness to stand up to tyrants and
neighborhood bullies regardless of the price.
It reminds me of something I explored several years ago. One of the
reasons Netanyahu has been so popular in the U.S. is that Netanyahu and
so many of us share a common experience.
Obama’s treatment of Netanyahu came to
symbolize how many Americans felt they were treated.
Obama has been dismissive, even derisive of Netanyahu almost like no
other foreign leader, much less a leader of an ally.
I explored that feeling on March 27, 2010
We
Are All Bibi Netanyahu Now:,
after an infamous Obama snub of Netanyahu at the White House, We Are
All Bibi Netanyahu Now.
[...]
I think the reaction to Obama’s treatment of Bibi Netanyahu hits home
because it was so personal in nature, and because it epitomized how the
American people have been treated by Obama and the Democrats, with
arrogance and disdain….
In Bibi Netanyahu we see something we have lost in our leader, an
unflinching sense of national destiny, an unapologetic pride in who we
are and why we are, and a willingness to stand up to tyrants and
neighborhood bullies regardless of the price.
To see a leader like Bibi Netanyahu treated so shabbily by someone who
treats us the same way was too much to bear.
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