The White House is going to extraordinary lengths to reassure Jewish groups concerned about the president’s overseas trip.
A CBS 2 HD report on Monday seems to have touched a raw nerve.
The White House was so anxious to calm fears in the Jewish community about President Barack Obama’s commitment to Israel that it sent an e-mail to the Jewish Council for Public Affairs on Wednesday, and it urged the council to spread it around.
And here’s why.
The words were stunning.
“Frankly I’m much more concerned about living Jews than paying tribute to dead Jews,” said Malcolm Hoenlein, executive director of the Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations.
They expressed the frustration of many in the Jewish community with a president willing to go to the former Nazi concentration camp at Buchenwald, Germany, but not willing to understand Israel’s position on the need to let West Bank settlements experience natural growth.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s reiteration of the president’s policy also hit a raw nerve.
“He wants to see a stop to the settlements — not some settlements, not outposts, not natural growth exceptions,” Clinton said on Tuesday.
Hoenlein took exception.
“I’m seeing people who are increasing concerned about the tenor and the tone of the comments,” Hoenlein said.
On Wednesday the White House tried to put out the fire.
“While we may have some differences of view with Israel at the moment over settlements,” said the e-mail to Hadar Susskind of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, “we are trying to work through them quietly, professionally, and without rancor or ultimatums, as befits a strong relationship with an important ally.”
It is too soon to know whether the White House efforts will work. Members of the Jewish community want to hear what the president says to the Muslim world on Thursday.
So do Palestinians and 9/11 families who live in New York.
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11 Responses
Where is the country heading ?
How many Palestinians live in New York?!
I guess 8 years of good relations between Jews and Oval Office are now officially over?
no once the republicans regain control, hopefully soon, it will be back to normal
the message better be a clear unambiguous one, let’s hope the teleprompter won’t fail!!!
Hillary shows her true colors…all you supporters were just deluding yourselves. Her attitude isn’t new: it’s the truth. The Big Lie was the garbage & false friendship she spewed to get voted in as Senator.
As for Obama: He made his position abundantly clear on the campaign trail. He’s not a liar; he never professed to be anything other than a Muslim lover & an enemy of Israel. Again, his supporters just deluded themselves that he is good for the Jews.
Is anyone even remotely suprised by this? How many times did Palestinians endorse this man’s candidacy? How many individuals had to resign from his campaign staff because of ties to Palestinian “groups?” How many times did he assure the American voters (and the muslim world) that he would change the direction of American Mid-East policy? Did people REALLY think that he meant “except Israel?” Or did they just convince themselves of that?
Unfortunately, liberal Jews, like the Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, bought the assurances of the various liberal Jewish Democrats like Nadler and Wasserman-Scultz that BO would be such a great friend of Jews. I guess they didn’t read the fine print… BO meant he’d be a friend of DEAD Jews… the live ones could gei kak im zee.
Liberal Jews do what they always do (i.e. vote liberal) because, at the end of it all, they are what they are: liberals first, Jews last.
And then people wonder why they should vote for republicans.
Start packing. The honeymoon is over.
yupp !!! these good old days are over hashem should watch over klal yisroel
We’re currently in “warning period” from Hashem. We’re supposed to be reading the signs. Think back 1932 and on…Only this time things seem to be moving a LOT faster…
Let’s make sure we’re focused on the TRUE cause of all this…