Who said it? Thomas Friedman writes about Jews and Obama

Which recent politician said these things?

 

• There has to be “an end” to the Israeli “occupation” of the West Bank “that began in 1967.”
• The establishment of the state of Palestine is long overdue. The Palestinian people deserve it.
• Not only must Israel be secure, but that any peace agreement “must establish Palestine as a homeland for the Palestinian people.”

Rumors have it that Obama has said these things.

But it was actually George Bush, long hailed as a president who was “pro-Israel.”

So, we must ask, if Jews want a president who is “pro-Israel,” what does this really mean?

Thomas Friedman’s Op-Ed Article in NYTimes, Obama and the Jews, asks this very question:

What really makes a pro-Israel president?

Personally, as an American Jew, I don’t vote for president on the basis of who will be the strongest supporter of Israel. I vote for who will make America strongest. It’s not only because this is my country, first and always, but because the single greatest source of support and protection for Israel is an America that is financially and militarily strong, and globally respected. Nothing would imperil Israel more than an enfeebled, isolated America.

He adds :

But if Israel is your voting priority, then at least ask the right questions about Mr. Obama. Knock off the churlish whispering campaign about what’s in his heart on Israel (what was in Richard Nixon’s heart?) and focus first on what kind of America you think he’d build and second on whether you believe that as president he’d have the smarts, steel and cunning to seize a historic opportunity if it arises.

Opportunities offer presidents the chance to be heroes and solidify their legacy. Let us hope our next president can succeed where our current one has so miserably failed…