Examples of Civility - “Dissing”Benjamin Netanyahu
by Judith Bowman on 03/17/15
There is a world crisis looming. Israel is a crucial US ally strategically and
morally. Why is this administration so
passive?
Israel is facing the single biggest threat to their nation since
the Holocost, as the nuclear arms race against Iran escalates… and our President who, himself, has breached the
imperatives of protocol more than any other president, stands on a point of protocol?
At stake:
-
Iran hates Israel and seeks to annihilate
them.
-
Netanyahu has
appealed to law makers in Congress to circumvent White House diplomacy and
either block or broaden terms of any deal with Iran.
Netanyahu was
invited by Congress - a branch of government, well within its prerogative, especially on a matter of this scale. The invitation had bipartisan support because
members of both sides of the aisle recognize the fundamental threat to world
peace a nuclear armed Iran would pose. Netanyahu saw this as an
opportunity for his country and embraced it.
In dissing him,
President Obama said he was being sensitive to political implications with
Israel’s upcoming election which, most respectfully, Mr. President, has nothing
to do with the big picture. Obama seems
not to like Netanyahu
- and clearly, Netanyahu
feels this.
We can debate the technicalities however, the bottom
line: Netanyahu
was invited and he accepted. As such, we
have (host country) responsibilities.
This White House’s behavior was rude and has shown complete disrespect toward
this World Leader, our long-time ally and, disrespected the friendship.
Protocol Abandoned
Ø The
President blatantly demonstrates his contempt for the Prime Minister which in
itself, is protolically inappropriate.
Ø Protocol
suggests meeting “level to level;” this White House not only did not meet with Mr.
Netanyahu, President Obama did not even shake his hand while he was here.
Ø Prez
was “too busy” to watch his congressional address (says he was “briefed”)
Ø Joe
Biden, the VP, whose job it is to
preside over Congress wasn’t even there … he was “traveling.”
Ø Nancy
Pelosi said publicly she was almost “in tears!”
Ø 50
other congressmen didn’t show up.
Gifting:
House Speaker John
Boehner thoughtfully gifted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a bust of
Winston Churchill. The gift was chosen
because, like Winston Churchill (who addressed our Congress three times)
Netanyahu is the only foreign leader to have addressed Congress.
As the Israeli Prime Minister has said, “President Obama’s
posture here does not block Iran’s path to the bomb, it paves Iran’s path to
the bomb.”
Why does our president look the other way? (BTW – Obama is Muslim … does he carry those
anti-Semitic thoughts?)
“Do Unto Others”
We have two more years of Obama and going forward, what do you suppose will
happen when John Kerry or our next Secretary of State calls upon Israel for their support? Mr. Obama’s conduct is not only
inappropriate, unbecoming and embarrassing, but damaging to foreign relations
with Israel.
