Reactions To Obama’s Middle East Speech

 In Thursday’s speech, Obama announced that he wants Israel to return to its 1967 borders–

We agree that the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines, with mutually agreed swaps…

…Prompting Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu to remind Obama of the 2004 deal that promised commitments to Israel about not having to withdraw to the 1967 lines:

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was quick on the draw Thursday in voicing clear displeasure with President Barack Obama’s mideast policy speech.

“Israel appreciates President Obama’s commitment to peace,” the response began, curtly. “Israel believes that for peace to endure between Israelis and Palestinians, the viability of a Palestinian state cannot come at the expense of the viability of the one and only Jewish state.”

“That is why Prime Minister Netanyahu expects to hear a reaffirmation from President Obama of U.S. commitments made to Israel in 2004, which were overwhelmingly supported by both Houses of Congress.”

“Among other things,” Netanyahu reminded Obama, “those commitments relate to Israel not having to withdraw to the 1967 lines which are both indefensible and which would leave major Israeli population centers in Judea and Samaria beyond those lines.”

US Rep Thaddeus McCotter shot off this Press Release soon after the speech.

Gateway Pundit went  on a blogging tear:

Leading Jewish American Group: AIPAC Should Rescind Invitation for Obama to Speak

Brigitte Gabriel on Obama’s Muslim Speech: “He Is Killing Our Allies & Cozying Up to Our Enemies” (Video)

OBAMA TELLS ISRAEL: TURN OVER THE TOMB OF JESUS TO HAMAS

Knesset Member: Barack Hussein Obama Is the New Arafat …Update: Obama Sandbagged Israel

OBAMA LIED… Said He Would Not Divide Jerusalem (Video)

For God’s sake –Are we supposed to be surprised that this President lied — or reneged on a promise? Is that even newsworthy at this point?

Keith Koffler says: Obama Insists Israel Withdraw to Fantasyland:

Despite the coming new regime in the Palestinian Authority, which will include Hamas, Obama has gone along his merry way and made a key concession to the Palestinians, as if Israel’s peril had some how lessened rather than grown.

By making it U.S. policy that the 1967 borders are the STARTING POINT for negotiations, Obama put Israel on the defensive in its fight for security and for its cultural – and the Christian cultural – heritage in Jerusalem.

The statement overturns assurances by George W. Bush to Israel in a 2004 letter that stated a return to the 1967 borders was in fact NOT the policy of the United States. This assurance was made in return for a concrete step, the withdrawal of Israel from Gaza. The concrete step cannot be reversed. The assurance could be reversed by an unreliable ally. Today, it was.

It was a DEAL. A deal is a deal, right? Wrong.

Obama today said the status of Jerusalem is up for grabs. But by declaring as the starting point the 1967 border – under which the Old City portion of Jerusalem and its holy sites were in Arab hands – Israel now has give concessions to keep Jerusalem whole, not get concessions in return for giving it away. And as a practical matter, putting Old City Jerusalem in the hands of the Palestinians at the start of the negotiations means they will never relinquish it.

How well the Arabs will protect Jewish and Christian holy sites there is anyone’s guess.

U.S. Jewish Leader: “The President of the United States Is Asking for Ethnic Cleansing”…

(CNSNews.com) — President Barack Obama has made an unprecedented demand on Israel, Jewish leaders said today after the president called for Israel to redraw its borders to where they were in 1967 before the Six Day War. One rabbi said Obama was, in essence, asking for “ethnic cleansing” of thousands of Jewish families.

–

Perhaps feeling emboldened by Obama’s words, Palestinian “Activists” Plan to Rush Israel’s Borders on Friday…

–

Atlas Shrugs is organizing an emergency rally Fri, May 20 to protest these dangerous developments:

–

NYC Emergency Rally Today: Protest Obama’s Jihad Against Israel

–

If you are in the New York area tomorrow – grab your crew and stand for freedom. Stand with Israel. Protest Obama’s jihad against the Jewish people. You. must. Take a stand.

Muslim groups are calling for the mass invasion of Israel today – stand up, get up, it is now or never….. if not you, who?
The Free World urgently needs your help!

An emergency rally to protest the outrageous speech of President Barack Obama!
Friday May 20th at 12:0opm, The Israeli Consulate, 800 2nd Ave & 42nd Street

Please join us in telling the president that: WE AINT GOING BACK TO AUSCHWITZ!
Please invite everyone of your facebook friends to this event:
Forward this email and most important: SHOW UP TO THE RALLY AT 12:00 PM

We are assured of media coverage and many important political leaders are being invited!
Its necessary in these times to remember what Abba Eban, when he served as Israel’s Foreign Minister said when he appeared at the United Nations following the Six Day war, in describing the fragility of Israel’s 1949-1967 map as Israel’s “Auschwitz” lines.

“We have openly said that the map will never again be the same as on June 4, 1967. For us, this is a matter of security and of principles. The June map is for us equivalent to insecurity and danger. I do not exaggerate when I say that it has for us something of a memory of Auschwitz. We shudder when we think of what would have awaited us in the circumstances of June, 1967, if we had been defeated; with Syrians on the mountain and we in the valley, with the Jordanian army in sight of the sea, with the Egyptians who hold our throat in their hands in Gaza. This is a situation which will never be repeated in history.”

Ace states the obvious : Yup, Obama Hates Israel

Very neat article at NRO pointing out the nuances of Obama’s words for Israel — compared to his words for Palestine.

It’s all pretty neat, but these word-choices matter: These words have been chosen carefully. Including the passive/active voice and declarative or commanding tenses. This is essentially a publicly-delivered diplomatic cable.

There are other neat things, but the best observation, to me, is the fact that when Obama speaks of Israel, he speaks in terms of concrete demands that he, Obama, is laying upon Israel.

When he turns to the reciprocal concessions most urge on Palestine, however, he stops speaking in the command tense, stops speaking of demanding this or that, and simply says that Palestinians will do better if they stop killing Jews.

Not that they must stop killing Jews, mind you, like Israel must stop building settlements; just that hey, it would be better, you know? Or not, you decide.

For contrast, the writer quotes Bush, who was pretty command-tense with Palestinians: They must crack down on terror and dismantle the terror infrastructure.

Hey, LA Times — any. time. now. on those Khalidi tapes.

More Friday.

Aaron Goldstein at the American Spectator is thinking what I’ve been thinking re George Mitchell’s sudden exit last week from his position as Obama’s Middle East Envoy:

Ah yes, 1967. The year President Obama believes “the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on.” Of course, he dropped that bombshell right after stating scarcely seconds earlier, “No peace can be imposed upon them – not by the United States, not by anybody else.” President Obama’s knack of contradicting himself never ceases to amaze.

With that in mind, perhaps we can expect some tap dancing from Obama in the coming days. But let’s assume Obama draws a line in the sand at 1967. Does this also mean Israel has to return The Golan Heights to Syria? No wonder George Mitchell walked away. It’s all quite unsettling.

PREVIOUSLY:

There have been signs of trouble between the US and Israel since the very beginning of his administration…

Obama v.s. Israel

John Bolton: “Israel’s On The Chopping Block”

God Help The USA and Israel