Obama vs. Netanyahu

There is no disputing the fact that the state of relations between Israel and the United States, or more specifically, Israel and the White House, are the worst they’ve been since Israel’s founding. The two nations have had their policy differences in the past but a confluence of regional interests and shared moral values generally meant that differences – to the extent that any existed – were placed on the back burner. But President Obama has, with single-minded purpose, transformed himself into a one-man, foreign policy wrecking ball, determined to unhinge an ingrained 66-year relationship with the Mideast’s only democracy.

As reported by Oren Nahari of Israel’s Channel 1 news, a disturbing transcript of a conversation between Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu which took place on July 29th reveals the true extent of the animosity Obama harbors for the Jewish State. Obama came across as rude, condescending and entirely unsympathetic to Israel’s position. At one point in the conversation, Obama cuts Netanyahu off and in another, brushes off Netanyahu’s concerns about Hamas’s repeated ceasefire violations:

Barack Obama: I demand that Israel agrees to an immediate, unilateral ceasefire and halt all offensive activities, in particular airstrikes.

Benjamin Netanyahu: And what will Israel receive in exchange for a ceasefire?

BO: I believe that Hamas will cease its rocket fire — silence will be met with silence.

BN: Hamas broke all five previous ceasefires. It’s a terrorist organization dedicated to the destruction of Israel.

BO: I repeat and expect Israel to stop all its military activities unilaterally. The pictures of destruction in Gaza distance the world from Israel’s position.

BN: Kerry’s proposal was completely unrealistic and gives Hamas military and diplomatic advantages.

BO: Within a week of the end of Israel’s military activities, Qatar and Turkey will begin negotiations with Hamas based on the 2012 understandings, including Israel’s commitment to removing the siege restrictions on Gaza.

BN: Qatar and Turkey are the biggest supporters of Hamas. It’s impossible to rely on them to be fair mediators.

BO: I trust Qatar and Turkey. Israel is not in the position that it can choose its mediators.

BN: I protest because Hamas can continue to launch rockets and use tunnels for terror attacks –

BO: (interrupting Netanyahu) The ball’s in Israel’s court, and it must end all its military activities.

Perhaps the conversation’s most disconcerting aspect is the way Obama defers to Turkey, a nation led by the world’s premier anti-Semite and Qatar, Hamas’s main benefactor. Apparently, the president feels more at home with vitriolic Jew-haters, misogynists and xenophobes than with a loyal, democratic, American ally that maintains shared core values and principles.