In the past two weeks, Barack Obama has spoken at a Washington, D.C. synagogue, discussed U.S.-Israel relations with a prominent American Jewish journalist, and given an interview on Israeli television. Despite the president’s ostensible goal of demonstrating his commitment to the U.S.-Israel alliance, David M. Weinberg is convinced that the real purpose of his rhetorical offensive is quite different:
Barack Obama’s moralizing appeal to Jewish and Zionist “values” is actually a trick. If you pitch your political views as “values” and your opponents’ position as a breach of values, then your threat of punishment suddenly seems noble. . . .
I don’t know whether the trick will work for the deal with Iran, but it is clear to me that Obama is attempting to soften up domestic opposition to a policy shift whereby the administration will effectively abandon Israel at the United Nations. Obama more than hinted at that in his Israeli television talk. . . .
I say to Rabbi Obama . . . : Spare us your honest exhortations. Enjoy your self-satisfying centrist values, but don’t fool yourself into thinking that you’re doing Israel any favors by declaring the parameters of what [territorial] withdrawals and other Israeli foreign and defense policies “must be.” I say no thanks to your tough love. I encourage you to “confront your [own] values” and re-engage Israeli democracy on a more realistic and respectful basis.
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