2016 Dec 30^th

Today there are nearly identical columns by Mona Charen and Cal Thomas on the perfidy of President Obama in not vetoing that miserable anti-Semitic UN Security Council resolution condemning Israel. I addressed this issue yesterday so I’ll just deal with these two columnists today.

Both Charen and Thomas are in the “ready, fire, aim” camp on this issue. Their position is very simple to state, “Obama bad, Netanyahu good.” In this attitude, they echo the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). This group has been heavily critical of any cautionary action aimed at Israel and particularly the recent speech by Secretary of State John Kerry who said, to the effect, that friends tell friends when they are wrong. In this instance, this friend, Israel, just didn’t want to hear the message and so, of course, had to attack the messenger.

Not all organized friends of Israel are as obtuse as Charen, Thomas and AIPAC. Netanyahu has deliberately positioned himself so far to the belligerent right that no more right wing person than he exists to challenge him. Public opinion polls show that most Israelis want conversations on peaceful solutions to take place between Netanyahu and the Palestinian leader, Mahmood Abbas. This is also true here where “J Street,” another less congenitally angry Jewish organization, was quite happy with Kerry’s speech of advice to Israel. The lesson is that, as in this country, there are different viewpoints. Charen and Thomas do not understand how anyone can be pro-Israel and not agree with them. Bombast converts no one!

A surprising aspect of both Charen and Thomas’ comments is the failure of either of them to mention the 3.8 billion dollars in yearly aid to Israel that Obama has recently signed into law. The only excuse for this omission is the unwillingness to admit that the Obama administration is doing anything at all to aid Israel. The result is that both of these writers take positions more consistent with lopsided professional propagandists than either of them would admit.

The money given to Israel amounts to about $11.50 from every man woman and child in the United States and this pledge continues every year for ten years. Given a population of about eight million Israelis, that is about $400 a year for every man woman and child in Israel. No wonder neither Charen nor Thomas want to talk about that gift. Nothing could be harder for their “Obama hates Israel” agenda to explain.