US envoy in TA: Obama is Israel's closest friend

[oberliner]

US President Barack Obama is Israel's "closest friend," contrary to what many Israelis seem to believe in recent polls, US Ambassador James Cunningham told a Tel Aviv audience on Wednesday.

Exactly one year after Obama was elected president, Cunningham's own election-day prediction that the new president would be "a good friend to Israel" faced skepticism among the Israeli public, the ambassador said.

"According to the polls, there is doubt . Now it's true that we have some differences to resolve, as even the closest of friends among nations always have. in word and deed, the president stands by Israel as its closest friend and will continue to do so," Cunningham insisted.

He offered examples of this friendship, foremost among them the American administration's opposition to the Goldstone Report.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1256799094739&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. a little distance would serve us and the world much better.

I smell the influence of Rahm on how we are failing in the Middle east.

[Kurska]

3. You "smell" the influence of a jewish aide to obama on his policy choices.

What a revealing choice of words.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

4. you'd prefer, "something's rotten in the state of obama?"

or Double bubble, toil and trouble?

[oberliner]

5. What makes you suspect Rahm Emmanuel's influence here?

Any particular reason?

[Violet_Crumble]

2. US opposition to the Goldstone report is NOT an example of friendship...

That was an example of the blind support by congresscritters for anything Israel does to the Palestinian people. Real friendship would be telling Israel to launch a proper investigation into what went on, not blindly attacking Goldstone's report...

[bstender]

7. you got that right

[Jefferson23]

6. Israel's definition of "closest friend" would mean behaving more like GW Bush,

where the expansion of settlements continued. Thankfully, Obama is not that kind of friend to Israel.

November 2, 2005

While Israel withdrew thousands of Jewish settlers from Gaza last September, settlements in the West Bank continue to expand. According to Israeli statistics, the Jewish population of the West Bank has expanded by 12,000 so far this year; Palestinians fear that growth will make a viable Palestinian state all but impossible.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4985906

[Violet_Crumble]

8. Do you agree with what Cunningham used as an example of friendship?

Specifically that opposition to the Goldstone report is an example of the friendship?

[Violet_Crumble]

9. Kick for Obie n/t

[azurnoir]

11. My guess here is that the ProIsrael lobby in this country

are quietly disappointed at Obama's opposition to the Goldstone report because it makes easy condemnation of Obama and his stance on the settlements that much more difficult, which is why IMO he did it.

[Violet_Crumble]

12. I was interested in what Obie's opinion was, but he's very question-shy at the moment...

When it comes to the reasons why the Obama administration came out with that knee-jerk opposition to the report, I don't think it'd have anything to do with making attacks on Obama by some 'pro-Israel' groups more difficult. I think it's got more to do with an inbuilt blindness to the suffering of the Palestinians and an inbuilt belief that Israel is awesome....

[azurnoir]

10. Israel seems addicted to it's illusion of power

at least over Palestinians and like any addict what it wants is an enabler, not a friend