New Man in Tel Aviv
For those who missed it and those who just might care, the new American Ambassador to Israel is Dan Shapiro, who was sworn in by Hillary Clinton in front of a power packed audience on Friday. Shapiro described his passion for the job and said that President Obama had instructed him that Israel’s security is his top priority. Now some of us old fashioned types have long believed that an American ambassador is supposed to represent US interests, but that is apparently no longer the case, at least when Israel is involved. Even assuming that Obama is dissimulating just a tad to burnish his pro-Israeli credentials, the assertion that Israel’s security is job number one should be producing some indigestion somewhere in the media or punditocracy, but, alas, I cannot find it.
Shapiro was director for the Middle East and North Africa at the National Security Council after serving as Obama’s adviser on the Middle East and Jewish community relations. He has a BA in Jewish Studies from Brandeis University and an MA from Harvard.
Shapiro should be more cautious. Swearing allegiance to the security of a foreign state will eventually come back to haunt him.
Of course, by the time it does he will probably have renounced his US citizenship.
If the US ambassador to Israel were to actually represent US interests he would probably be “recalled for consultations” after a few weeks.
“Shapiro … said that President Obama had instructed him that Israel’s security is his top priority.”
At some point you just wonder how come American jewry doesn’t see this kind of forced groveling as being so insulting to the rest of America, and tell its representative organizations like AIPAC to stop demanding same. They’re almost like the old NKVD, watching to see who in a crowd stops applauding Stalin first.
I just don’t understand the insensitivity here: Haaretz for example just ran a story about a new book coming out wherein some Hollywood producer is revealed to have been an Israeli agent who helped smuggle nuke technology out of the U.S.
(See http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/hollywood-producer-was-an-israeli-nuclear-agent-1.373867#article_comments)
So where’s gonna be the outrage against this guy in the jewish community, understanding how even the most philo-semitic rest of us feel about this? Nobody but nobody could know that the smuggled tech might not come back to hurt the U.S. someday in some way.
Plus of course it was *ours* anyway, so what’s even the most charitable (that is, unreflective) sentiment possible? That … “too bad, jews still have the right to steal from everyone else in the U.S. so long as it’s for other jews”?
Makes you wonder: Just what in the world do they think everyone else’s reaction to this kind of insult should be, anyway?
I know this kind of blindness isn’t particular to jewry and that it’s just human nature. But my God the magnitude of human delusions.
The problem is that many US Christians believe it’s Americas duty to be in servitude to Israel
I greatly enjoy reading your columns, Mr Giraldi. I hope you can elude arrest for Thought Crime Against Israel. Just a suggestion: Do not answer any knocks on your door after midnight.
If we want this sort of servitude to end, someone needs to follow the money from the Israelis to their evangelical agents of influence here in the USA. Think about it. Can anyone deny that such a direct agent – client connection Isn’t at least probable? At least one of our most prominent preachers gets air travel courtesy of Israel.
Investigative reporters take note.
Isn’t an American ambassador to Israel duty-bound to do his best to deceive the American taxpayers about the real issues in play in the Middle East?
Raashid – - Remarkably, many of the foolish “conservative” American Christian Zionists look forward to the day when the Jews in Israel (and elsewhere) are consigned to hellfire. But before that happens, they are encouraging Israel to oppress the Christians and the Muslims in the West Bank! Calling them “foolish” is being too kind.
Why is it that Saudi Arabia isnt brough to the same scrutint as Israel. Atlest Israel doesnt have terrorists who want to harm the United States within its borders. I would much rather prefer we send Israel and only Israel aid and not Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt and Pakistan.
Somewhat along the same lines, PG, I was startled this past Sunday when I was watching the Chris Mathews Show to hear Gloria Borger of CNN (formerly of CBS) pump the candidacy of a person who might be contending (he hasn’t even announced yet) for the Republican Senate nomination to challenge Senator Sherrod Brown who is up for reelection. Apparently, this 33-year old has been raising a lot of money, according to Borger. I was surprised that Borger would be pumping a Republican, until I discovered that Josh Mandel, currently serving as State Treasurer, is Jewish and was a member of AIPAC while attending college at Ohio State:
” Political positions[edit] Current Middle East operationsMandel supports U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. In October 2009, he appeared on the show “FOX & Friends” stating his support for the military surge plan to Afghanistan.[26] In an interview at the Republican Jewish Coalition quarterly meeting in Ft. Lauderdale in 2009, Mandel thanked former President George W. Bush for his support on Iraq, and would not have “played Monday morning quarterback” on the decisions concerning the war, offering no dissent on the operation.[27]
[edit] Israel[edit] AIPACMandel was a member of AIPAC at the Ohio State University.[28] In 2008, he attended the 2008 AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, D.C, where he gave an address, and was quoted as saying “It was inspiring, the young people so motivated and gung ho about strengthening the Israel-United States relationship…Israel is our best friend and ally in the Middle East and it’s important that we maintain a strong and lasting relationship with them.”[28]
At this conference, Mandel stated Iran was a threat, and discussed his divestment initiatives as a legislator in Ohio.[29]
[edit] Operation Cast LeadIn February 2009, during Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli government issued a statement thanking Mandel for his support of the operation.[30]” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Mandel_(politician)#Israel
I honestly can’t remember the last time Borger ever spoke favorably about a Republican. BTW, on the same show, she also bemoaned the “takeover” of the Republican Party by the Tea Party. Maybe that explains why she feels the Senate Republicans need one Jewish member more than it needs one Black member (Ken Blackwell is considered the front runner for the Republican nomination).
Hardeep,
That’s exactly right. I don’t know why people cannot just support a genocide of all Palestinians so all terrorism is gone forever. As an Israeli, I know this is the only solution.
Hardeep – - And how much of the hatred some Saudi have for the US is direct result of American facilitation of Israel’s oppression of the Palestinians?
Right on, David: My checkbook is waiting to give money to the first Purification Camp in the West Bank.
Hardeep singh, All foreign aid should be dropped, especially aid going to India.