Yesterday, Barack Obama told American ally Israel to give Old Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount and the most sacred sites of Christianity, to the Hamas-Fatah terror alliance.
In response to this suicidal proposition that would result ultimately in the destruction of Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Barack Obama to take it back.
The Golden Gates (the two enclosed arches on the Eastern Wall) were cemented shut centuries ago to prevent the prophets from returning to the Temple Mount.
This upset the left – How dare the Jews defend their homeland!
Today, Israel-hater Jeffrey Goldberg lashed out at Netanyahu for defending the Jewish homeland. Goldberg compared Netanyahu to anti-American Marxist Hugo Chavez.
For whatever reason, I tend to react strongly when a foreign leader disrespects the United States, and its President. I didn’t like it when Hugo Chavez of Venezuela insulted President Bush; I don’t like listening to Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan lecture the U.S. on its sins, and I’m not happy when certain Pakistani leaders gin-up righteous indignation about American behavior when it was their country that served as a refuge for the greatest mass murderer in American history.
And so I was similarly taken aback when I read a statement from Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday that he “expects to hear a reaffirmation from President Obama of U.S. commitments made to Israel in 2004, which were overwhelmingly supported by both House of Congress.”
So Netanyahu “expects” to hear this from the President of the United States? And if President Obama doesn’t walk back the speech, what will Netanyahu do? Will he cut off Israeli military aid to the U.S.? Will he cease to fight for the U.S. in the United Nations, and in the many international forums that treat Israel as a pariah?
I don’t like this word, “expect.” Even if there weren’t an imbalance between these two countries — Israel depends on the U.S. for its survival, while America, I imagine, would continue to exist even if Israel ceased to exist — I would find myself feeling resentful about the way Netanyahu speaks about our President.
This isn’t the first time that Goldberg has attacked Israel or its leader.
After the devastating fires that killed 42 Israelis in the the city of Kyriat Karmel, Goldberg urged his readers to turn their backs on Israel.
The fire was started by two Palestinians.
