In a new memoir, former US president Barack Obama detailed his encounters and impressions of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, and Jews in general.
A Promised Land, the first of two memoirs Obama is writing about his time as president, is coming out on Tuesday. A review of the book, in which excerpts of Obama’s often tumultuous relationship with Netanyahu and AIPAC are quoted, was published by Jewish Insider on Friday.
Obama wrote that Netanyahu views himself as” the chief defender of the Jewish people against calamity” and described him as “smart, canny, tough and a gifted communicator” who could be “charming, or at least solicitous” when it benefited him.
As an example, Obama wrote about a conversation he had with Netanyahu after he was elected to the Senate, during which Netanyahu “lavished praise” on him for “an inconsequential pro-Israel bill” he supported when he served in the Illinois state legislature. But when Netanyahu disagreed with his policies during his terms as president, Obama added, he used his know-how of US politics and media to push back against his administrations’ actions.
Obama wrote that his chief of staff at the time, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, warned him: “You don’t get progress on peace when the American president and the Israeli prime minister come from different political backgrounds.”
Obama also complains about his treatment by the leaders of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), who questioned his policies on Israel, saying that politicians who “criticized Israel policy too loudly risked being tagged as ‘anti-Israel’ (and possibly anti-Semitic) and [were] confronted with a well-funded opponent in the next election.”
The former president also claims that he was “on the receiving end” of a “whisper campaign” that portrayed him as being “insufficiently supportive — or even hostile toward — Israel” during his 2008 presidential run. “On Election Day, I’d end up getting more than 70 percent of the Jewish vote, but as far as many AIPAC board members were concerned, I remained suspect, a man of divided loyalties; someone whose support for Israel, as one of [David Axelrod’s] friends colorfully put it, wasn’t ‘felt in his kishkes’ — ‘guts,’ in Yiddish.”
Obama writes about his connection with Jews dating back to his college years, when he was intrigued by the influence of Jewish philosophers on the civil rights movement and noted that some of his “most stalwart friends and supporters” were from Chicago’s Jewish community. He also expressed his admiration for the fact that Jewish voters “tended to be more progressive” on issues than any other “ethnic group.” He stated that he felt a bond with the Jewish people “a common story of exile and suffering” which caused him to be “fiercely protective” of the rights of the Jewish people to have a state of their own but at the same time his empathy with suffering nations made it “impossible to ignore the conditions under which Palestinians in the occupied territories were forced to live.”
Obama wrote some of the details of the tense moments between his administration and Israel over the Palestinian issue, with Obama saying that he thought it was “reasonable” for Israel, as the “stronger party” to take a “bigger first step” by freezing settlements in the West Bank. But, as he expected, Obama said. Netanyahu’s response was “sharply negative” and an aggressive pressure campaign by the prime minister’s allies in Washington ensued.
“The White House phones started ringing off the hook,” Obama wrote, and his national security team was kept busy responding to numerous calls from lawmakers, Jewish leaders and reporters “wondering why we were picking on Israel.”
Obama claimed that the campaign was an “orchestrated” effort to put his administration on the defensive, “reminding me that normal policy differences with an Israeli prime minister exacted a domestic political cost” that didn’t exist in relations with other world leaders.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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15 Responses
Especially given the Big Lie of the Zionists how they falsely claim to be the “Jewish State” and misrepresent themselves to represent world Jewry, this Zionist aggression is, of course, Zionist, not Jewish and these “Jewish leaders” are likely, instead, “Zionist leaders”, even if they happen to be Jews.
The world, including its political leaders, should know that we Jews care only about our Jewish brethren, wherever they may be, and not about the Zionists and their (anti-Jewish, of course) regime.
But it seems Mr. Obama got his revenge on the Zionists, at the end of his term, with the UN vote from which he abstained.
When this son of Amolek will finally get his deserved and long awaited place in Gehinom?
It’s very interesting to hear his side of the story from the most anti Israel president I can remember. It sounds to me like he wasn’t trying to be anti Israel but he didn’t have an open mind to see Israel side either. Like I said it’s interesting but I don’t think this changes anyone’s mind
Lies, lies, and more lies for the former Liar in Chief. Obama could make a fortune selling used jalopies.
A Promised Land, the first of two memoirs Obama is writing
What kind of title is that for a presidential memoir?
Does he think he is Moshe Rabbeinu or even better than that R’L?
That was the problem, he picked sides between Israel and the Palestinians and viewed Israel as the stronger party which we all know isn’t true which was why it failed
Anon21, the most anti-Israel president by far was Eisenhower.
0bama was trying to be anti-Israel, because he was very close personal friends with Arab terrorists and terrorist-supporters like Rashid Khalidi and Edward Said.
Yes, well we all still remember 8 years – the whole term of his presidency – of indecisive dithering dialogue with Iran on the nuclear issue, giving the Iranians all the time they needed to clandestinely develop ballistic nuclear missiles, Iran of course having previously vowed to annihilate Israel – and then he has the unbelievable gall to criticize Netanyahu for pushing back – yet again, with friends like that who needs enemies?
Why can’t this slime ball keep quiet and enjoy his $13m mansion in Martha’s Vineyard in solitude.
Let’s remember the great Obamacare lies:
“If you like your doctor and can keep your doctor” and “every household will see a reduction in premiums, on average, of $2000”
Ohbama said “impossible to ignore the conditions under which Palestinians in the occupied territories were forced to live.”
They have done very well. And they could have been welcomed by their brothers in other arab lands but the arabs spurned them, they are just soh soh good
Evil obumer harasha and the rest of the dem-o-rats can go to hell
#crazyjoenotmypresident
Obama is as smooth as a pair of silk pajamas. I can’t stand the guy. His background as a rabble-rouser, I mean community organizer, gave him the ability to charm and convince people but in reality he’s an empty suit.
When Nixon tried to understand what made Jews tick, he was anti-Semitic. When Obama does, he’s astute. That’s all we need to know.
Obama also complains about his treatment by the leaders of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), who questioned his policies on Israel, saying that politicians who “criticized Israel policy too loudly risked being tagged as ‘anti-Israel’ (and possibly anti-Semitic) and [were] confronted with a well-funded opponent in the next election.”
This is coming from the guy who used the racist card on anyone who disagrees with him.
Obama is an evil man who also has nice communication skills. Want to know someone else like that? Hitler.
Now, with Trump, he is a brash person but got the job done.
The fall of Saddam Hussein made Iran stronger because Shias got a hold of Iraq. However, Obama made the situation worse by openly supporting Islamic countries that are openly pro-terrorist and deny the Holocaust. That is disgusting…While I do acknolwedge Netanyahu to be corrupt, I also acknolwedge that America is far more corrupt when it comes to how the Establishment treats us. The Political Establishment doesn’t care about the Jewish nation (or any nation) unless it benefits the Establishment’s interests.