(RealClearPolitics) Peter Wehner - Barack Obama seems to delight in applying pressure to Israel even as he overlooks or downplays the malevolence of its enemies. He acts publicly as though he feels more loathing toward Benjamin Netanyahu than Bashar al-Assad - and more anger toward Israel for its settlement policies than toward Syria for its mass atrocities. On behalf of the U.S. he has directed antipathy against not only one of America's most loyal allies but a nation that is among history's most estimable and admirable. In a sea of tyranny, Israel is democratic, pluralistic, self-critical, and respectful of individual rights, human rights and minority rights. It is bone-weary of war and has made enormous sacrifices for peace. Yet to its critics it seems to matter not at all that Israel has repeatedly shown its willingness to sacrifice "land for peace" or that the Palestinians have repeatedly walked away from generous deals that would grant them statehood. The writer, a former Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives, is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
2016-12-30 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive