I am being very aware of how days I have left before I jet out of Rochester to Tel Aviv (via Toronto on AirCanada) on July 1st. I am become extra aware of the news in NYT and Israeli papers so that I am prepared to answer some questions that Israelis may pose for me, particularly the upcoming election.
It means having to be specific on why so much of the West and liberal Americans want to support Obama. It means telling them what a disaster the US is domestically and we are in need of a president who can fix and prep the US for the future. Americans are sick and tired of being ruined after 7 years of presidency, especially that Bush has turned into a lame duck. And explain why Hillary Clinton lost. I cannot defend John McCain as to why he is a better choice other than for Israel. And I am on the fence about the whole thing, no matter who's Obama's VP. This is a bad time for American Jewish communities who still very much want to support Israel and are Democrats.
My friend asked me over dinner a few nights ago to remind her why "Obama is bad for the Jews." She's fairly secular Jew who is just beginning to explore the Jewish world a bit so what I had said to her shocked her. She came from a staunch Hillary Clinton family so here she was, in the same uncertain position but would like to vote Democrat. First, I told her that Obama has not been to Israel enough- only once in 2006 to Chicago's sister city. What bothers the Jews the most is how he wants to deal with Iran, Israel's current biggest enemy. Obama, in summer 2007, explicitly stated that he would meet dictators upfront including Iran without using envoys or UN sanctions. Here's the transcript:
Question: Would you be willing to meet separately, without precondition, during the first year of your administration, in Washington or anywhere else, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea, in order to bridge the gap that divides our countries?
Obama: I would. And the reason is this, that the notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them -- which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration -- is ridiculous. ... And I think that it is a disgrace that we have not spoken to them. We've been talking about Iraq -- one of the first things that I would do in terms of moving a diplomatic effort in the region forward is to send a signal that we need to talk to Iran and Syria because they're going to have responsibilities if Iraq collapses.
Right, but it makes Israel nervous. US' plan could fail and erupt in a Middle East war that would seriously threat the Jewish state. Iran's president, Ahmadinejad, denies the Holocaust and does not recognize the State of Israel. So the logic is that Ahmadinejad must recognize the State of Israel and accept the Nazi Holocaust in order for any peace talks with Israel and the US.
In general, Obama's attitude and foreign policies annoy and worry the Jews. Some Jews go as far to point out his Muslim background and his middle name, Huessein, and argue that he'll be pro-Palestinne. The fact is that fundamentalist Muslims are angry with him for not recognizing his own Muslim background so there is very little for those Jews to worry about.
Further reasons for Obama's weak stance with the Jews are his ties to the black church that he just divorced from (aka Reverend Wright), lack of abroad experience (3 weeks in Pakistan and romping around Indoesia doesn't really count), and general historical Jewish-black tensions. My biggest gripe in his cheap talk, especially his speech on Memorial's Day. He spoke to a group of WWII veterans and told them that his great-grandfather had served in WWII and helped to liberate Auschwitz. BUZZ! The Americans did not liberate the camps in Poland, it was the Soviet troops that did. Historians called on him on that. Later, the campaign revised its statement that the grandfather liberated Buchenwald. Kind of like picking a name out of the hat to me.
Recently, he has been attempt to connect with the Jewish voters. He says that he supports undivided Jerusalem under Israeli control while entertaining the idea of a two-state solution. Jews know better. Two state solution cannot happen unless Jerusalem divides.
Obviously as I have lived in Jerusalem and observed what has happened in Gaza since Hamas took over, I don't believe that Abbas could take better care of East Jerusalem than the Israeli government, no matter how much the Arabs complain.
So what do I do at this point? Zev says to keep an eye on Chicago's Jewish community given that they have known him the longest. I should update the Israelis without leaning to one side of the fence which I don't want to do until October or November. But also watch what happens when Israel attempts to talk with Syria and how Israelis react.
Or, maybe the Israelis won't say anything.... not that it matters but as I said to my mother several weeks ago, "I'm not anyone's spokesperson. I'm just a voter." As a voter and an US "ambassador" to Israel, I should be informaed of both sides of the issue at hand so that I can answer any questions without bias (if anyone can help it) and eventually make an informed decision.
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