“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: may they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122: 6
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With Netanyahu’s Victory, Israel Wins
Winning a political campaign is not easy under the best of circumstances. When the President of the United States intervenes personally to destroy one candidate and elect another, it’s even harder.
It’s no secret that Obama doesn’t like Netanyahu. He’s made that crystal clear so many times that you need help to be confused. That doesn’t mean that a lot of self-professed “Israel experts” in the U.S. aren’t confused. They have been saying that Obama and Netanyahu get along fine for more than 6 years. How wrong they are.
It’s equally clear that Obama thinks Herzog and Livni make a great team and that they should run the country. That’s no surprise. They have done everything except lick his feet. I’m just guessing, though. They may have done that, too.
Be that as it may, Netanyahu’s victory is a win for Israel. By reelecting him under trying circumstances, the Israeli people sent a strong message to the meddling president, and this is it: we don’t trust the Iranians, we don’t trust the Palestinians, and we don’t trust Obama.
All the facts support those conclusions and I mean all of them. The only people who have confidence in Obama or pretend to have confidence in him at this point are political beggars, a few Islamist malcontents like Turkey’s President Erdogan, and left-leaning politicos in Israel and the United States.
Mahmoud Abbas is a political beggar. He’ll lick the hand that feeds him and bite it if things don’t go his way. It’s time for him to get his comeuppance.
Hamas is openly at war with Israel. They have been at war with Israel for almost 30 years. No-one will change that: not Netanyahu, not Herzog, and not Livni. The next war with Hamas should be their last.
Iran’s leaders think Israel shouldn’t exist. Their attitudes won’t change until they are removed from power. That will take some doing, and with Obama in the White House, it’s not likely to happen.
Candidly, I don’t think anyone really trusts Obama. How could they? He’s proven that no relationship is strong enough to protect people and nations from the proverbial bus when Obama detects personal political advantage.
Obama is playing his own game, and everyone who gets close to him loses. With him as president, the American people are the losers. Obama and his personal friends are doing fine at our expense. That’s what we get for electing him.
If Herzog and Livni had won the election, in short order they would have found themselves at odds with the Israeli people or with Obama or with both. It would have been a no win situation for them, and Israel would have been the loser. It would have been unavoidable.
Now, Israel is united behind Netanyahu despite Obama’s best efforts to unseat him. That means it’s not just Netanyahu any longer: it’s the people of Israel, and Obama will be playing with fire politically in the U.S. if he continues to wag his ears at them. American voters have made that as plain as day.
Even so, the battle isn’t over. Obama is a devious and spiteful human being. He will continue to try forcing his way on Israel for the next 22 months. You can put that in the bank. Now Netanyahu can push back with conviction—the same way he did in his speech to Congress.
As I said before, elections matter, and this one mattered more than most. Israel is finally standing on its own two feet against a foe in the Oval Office. I wish it had happened a long time ago.
I have never doubted Israel’s support for the U.S. That won’t change. It’s time for Obama to reciprocate. If he can’t or won’t do his job, Netanyahu should bypass Obama again and take his message to the American people. They will support him and Obama will be the loser.
Social conditions in Israel and the economy will remain important. They deserve a lot of attention going forward, but they pale by comparison with foreign policy issues at this stage of the political game. Netanyahu knows that; the Israeli people know that, and now Obama knows that.
If Obama doesn’t know it, he’s slower than I think he is.
See “Netanyahu declares victory in election; Herzog says Likud celebration is premature”. I’m leaving town for a few days, so I’ll go with Netanyahu. He’s proven to be a very astute politician and, as I have said before, the Leader of the Free World.
Offense to Obama intended.
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