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I wish it were only folly

Reader comment on item: Obama's Failed Middle East Speech

Submitted by john W McGinley (United States), May 20, 2011 at 13:51

Of course it is folly to demand Israel to make major concessions -- which go against its national security and, in effect, challenges the whole notion of a Jewish state -- with a "peace partner" (Fatah) which has made an alliance with Hamas, a terroristic group which does not even recognize Israel's existence and whose founding document demands the eradication of Israel. Indeed, it is deeper than folly. It is insane.

What scares me is this. Where are the voices in the various world assemblies who stand up for Israel in this dark hour? Few and far between and mostly the voices of those who are powerless to do anything about the situation.

Obama is a disaster for Israel. It behooves Netanyahu to be diplomatic. He must act sanely to the President who, quite literalyy, is proposing insanity as Israel's duty. But Israel needs the support of America and I beleive Netanyahu will rise to the occasion. that having been stipulated, this is the wrong time for Israel to make any concessions at all. Sooner or later relatively sane voices and minds in the world will come to realize how insane it is to sit down to negotiate with a "peache partner" which is now formally allied with an overtly terrorist group committed to the eradication of Israel.

Obama won't be President forever. God-willing his Presidency will end on January 20th, 2013. But even if he is re-elected -- no, make that ESPECIALLY re-elected -- Israel must quietly, politely, but forcefully maintain all of its options until a real and genuine partner for peace emerges.

Israel is far and away the strongest military power compared to any of its Islamist enemies or even any grouping of Islamist enemies. Israel must keep the powder dry and quietly convey the realistic message that there is no possibility of eradicating Israel which does not entail the eradication of any and and/or all of its enemies. There is risk in such a positon because, unlike the leaders of the Soviet Union, some of Israel's enemies are lead by people who are genuinely insane. But the logic of eradication is sobering even to an insane person.

Again. The present atmosphere is NOT a time when concessions will benefit Israel. Just the opposite. This is a time for courage and a time for "emunah"/trust/faith that the real powers that be did not bring about the miracle of Israel only to be eradicated OR to shiver in fear conceding too much and thereby pave the way for a cowardly eradication. Only Courage and Emunah will work.

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Reader comments (73) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Obama is confused [179 words]kamekishMay 27, 2011 02:08185625
"Israel needs to act boldly" [18 words]TLMay 26, 2011 13:28185609
"a contiguous Palestinian state" [18 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
ClaudiaMay 25, 2011 06:53185552
Tsk Tsk [96 words]Barry BlackMay 23, 2011 10:03185491
3From an Australian, (not Jewish or even evangelical just has some common sense and a moral compass) far smarter than Obama: [722 words]YJ DraimanMay 23, 2011 08:44185490
1the status quo and why it is unsustainable [269 words]mythMay 22, 2011 18:51185475
4News media LIES. Dr. Pipes gets it right. [365 words]There is NO Santa ClausMay 22, 2011 13:28185469
3Wrong: the Status Quo IS sustainable [186 words]TzionaMay 22, 2011 06:12185462
8Obama's Betrayal of Israel [509 words]John KellyMay 22, 2011 02:05185456
Status Quo [132 words]John KasegianMay 21, 2011 22:08185454
welcome home [65 words]anitaMay 21, 2011 18:48185451
5Inexplicable To Me [411 words]Fred BaehrMay 21, 2011 12:25185440
Obama's current policy is dangerous for world peace [152 words]Frank LukeMay 21, 2011 11:33185439
Into the furnice with the jews [141 words]Dave LindesmithMay 21, 2011 11:25185437
This is forward looking, peace building, not folly!! [86 words]StudentMay 21, 2011 06:03185430
Thought experiment about Israel and her neighbors [63 words]PrashantMay 22, 2011 11:28185430
Sandbagging America's Most Reliable Ally [262 words]Adina Kutnicki, IsraelMay 21, 2011 05:51185429
Barack strikes out after promising swings at the plate [118 words]daveinbocaMay 21, 2011 02:19185424
the pursuit of the world as it should be [317 words]mythMay 20, 2011 17:43185415
1Oh Look! Yet Another Failed Attempt at World Peace at Israel's Expense [470 words]M. ToveyMay 20, 2011 17:11185414
1Obama's Rhetoric [250 words]Nenette GrunbergMay 20, 2011 16:43185413
There's More To It [257 words]Barry BlackMay 20, 2011 16:01185412
7OBAMA-AN ANTI-SEMIT [408 words]Ilene RichmanMay 20, 2011 15:13185411
Completely appalled by Ilene Richman's post [140 words]StudentMay 21, 2011 06:26185411
Are you surprised Obama is an anti-Semite? [75 words]Don GossMay 21, 2011 09:37185411
1Bold Enough [178 words]Jay1May 22, 2011 09:42185411
1STUDY HISTORY INSTEAD OF RESPONDING AND SHOWING YOUR IGNORANCE ABOUT ISRAEL! [382 words]Ilene RichmanMay 22, 2011 11:48185411
Great Comment [7 words]John KellyMay 22, 2011 17:56185411
Obama an Anti Semit [13 words]nenette GrunbergMay 22, 2011 18:31185411
THE DEMONIZATION OF ISRAEL BY THE UNITED NATIONS [155 words]Ilene RichmanMay 24, 2011 11:48185411
Great Comment [44 words]John KellyMay 28, 2011 00:48185411
AND WHERE IS OUR ANTI-SEMETIC PRESIDENT? [312 words]Ilene RichmanMay 28, 2011 09:56185411
Thank you for your comment [149 words]Ilene RichmanMay 28, 2011 17:46185411
3I wish it were only folly [429 words]john W McGinleyMay 20, 2011 13:51185406
2Obama's "policy" for Israel [21 words]Katherine McLeanMay 20, 2011 13:44185405
The tyranny of low expectations [31 words]JeffMay 20, 2011 13:08185403
1HeHe [12 words]PvMay 20, 2011 12:18185402
3A big mistake we must correct in 2012 [199 words]Jayson RexMay 20, 2011 09:42185400
Good luck with that... [139 words]Don GossMay 21, 2011 09:46185400
1Amen [16 words]PrashantMay 22, 2011 11:32185400
Tardy, and then Inconsistent [328 words]Ron ThompsonMay 20, 2011 09:34185399
1Obama's failed speech on the Middle East [110 words]IsaacMay 20, 2011 08:39185397
1Amen! [14 words]Anna RolenMay 20, 2011 08:22185396
it's not just pharaoh hussein all by his lonesome is it [12 words]MarioMay 20, 2011 08:00185395
No Concessions [12 words]aspaciaMay 20, 2011 07:08185394
2Obama's Failed Speech [53 words]Ellen SantellaMay 20, 2011 06:54185391
Another great article from Pipes [62 words]Pat EnglishMay 20, 2011 04:57185390
deleted [28 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
fred tawilMay 20, 2011 03:48185387
Obama the Back stabber [44 words]Mickey ObermanMay 20, 2011 03:36185386
Obama just made one mistake [269 words]RajivMay 20, 2011 03:30185385
Obama and Israel [213 words]Kepha HorMay 21, 2011 22:01185385
Concessions from Israel [60 words]M D FisherMay 20, 2011 03:29185384
1Great President for America! [15 words]Alexander WangMay 20, 2011 03:22185383
Asking of Israel what NO Other country is asked for [65 words]EdwardMay 20, 2011 02:29185381
1returning to the 1967 borders [95 words]PrashantMay 22, 2011 11:42185381
1Open Letter to Obama's Speech [1017 words]NuritGMay 20, 2011 01:54185379
What Obama said and what he didn't say [252 words]yonatan silvermanMay 20, 2011 00:41185377
What He Did, Didn't; and Won't. [181 words]M. ToveyMay 23, 2011 18:27185377
Moral Bankruptcy [148 words]Ted SmolanowiczMay 20, 2011 00:41185376
The Bad Guy All Along [382 words]Jay1May 20, 2011 00:23185374
2Wow! [13 words]RDMay 20, 2011 00:14185373
Obama just gave the Israel hater nations an easy reason to go to war! [72 words]Benji's kidMay 19, 2011 23:58185371
Headline is correct [171 words]Harry BauskinMay 19, 2011 23:41185370
Folly? [37 words]Barry MeislinMay 19, 2011 23:34185369
Stupid or evil [189 words]Abu NudnikMay 19, 2011 23:32185368
"Insanity" says it all. Obama knows exactly what he is doing ... Satan's bidding. [297 words]kmanMay 20, 2011 21:33185368
1Naif [14 words]ilana B. KraussMay 19, 2011 23:30185367
1B.O.'s insanity [89 words]SamuelMay 19, 2011 23:11185366
Obama wants to throw Israel under the bus [152 words]batya daganMay 19, 2011 22:59185365
Obama's starting points for negotiation will end up killing more people [174 words]Roque NuevoMay 19, 2011 22:42185364
1967 borders? [35 words]Romesh ChanderMay 19, 2011 22:41185363
1Obama Weakens U.S. Credibiliy--Again [56 words]Michael RosenbergMay 19, 2011 21:41185362
Why should that surprise anyone? America is blindly following the course set by the British Mandate Government after WW1 [55 words]Seamus Dafydd Dives MacNemiMay 22, 2011 19:23185362

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