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Akiva Eldar / What Netanyahu wants from Obama's 'self-hating Jews'
By Akiva Eldar
Tags: settlements, netanyahu 

Who is to blame for the latest dispute with the United States over the new neighborhood going up in Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah area? Mayor Nir Barkat? Certainly not. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who stood behind him? Ridiculous. Any child knows that everything is the fault of other Jews: Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod, two American administration officials who are inciting President Barack Obama against their own people.

This is not the first time that "self-hating Jews" have given us trouble. In negotiations over the separation of forces agreement in the 1970s, U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger, the scion of a family of Jewish refugees who had escaped from Nazi Germany, earned the anti-Semitic epithet "Jewboy" in Israel. At the end of the 1980s, when president George H.W. Bush dared to argue that the peace process does not jibe with settlement expansion, the Shamir government instigated a campaign against "the 'Jewboy' trio": Dennis Ross, Aaron Miller and Dan Kurtzer. Now it is the turn of Obama's Jewish confidantes to be the scapegoats.

It is easy to imagine what an uproar there would be in Jerusalem if an Arab leader or newspaper dared to claim that an American president was favorable to Israel because of the influence of a Jewish adviser. Netanyahu, who spent many years in the United States, knows very well the extent to which Jewish administration officials in key positions are sensitive to the slightest hint of dual loyalty - to their birthplace and their historic homeland. It turns out that for him, politics bends the iron-clad rule that "all Jews are responsible for one another."
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To satisfy the settlers, he permits himself to hurt people whose only sin is that they are trying to promote the goals enshrined in the platform of his senior coalition partner - the Labor Party.

We want our Jews in the administration to be blind to the settlements and deaf to the complaints of the Arabs. Take Elliott Abrams, for example, who was in charge of Middle East affairs in the Bush administration. Abrams, who is identified with the neo-conservative right, made an important contribution to legitimizing a good many dubious Israeli acts. He was an excellent salesman for the "no partner" theory, and the guiding spirit behind the indulgent policy toward the flourishing of settlements. He recently publicly criticized the two-state vision of the president who had hired him, among other things, to promote that vision.

Back during his election campaign Obama made it clear that he did not have to join Likud to be a friend of Israel. Opinion polls in the United States revealed that the views of most Jews are closer to the attitudes of organizations like the Reform movement, American Friends of Peace Now and J Street, which support a two-state solution and eschew Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's doctrine - and above all, largely object to the settlements.

The conversation Obama held with representatives of the Jewish community last week confirms that Netanyahu is drafting them for the wrong war. Even his oldest supporters did not attack the president's position on the settlements, and made do with a complaint about the high profile given to disputes over the issue of natural growth in the settlements. One of the guests at that meeting said that history showed that exposing the differences between the U.S. and Israel does not help to advance peace.

"This was not my reading of the lessons of the last eight years," Obama responded without flinching. Moreover, he said he would not shy away from a willingness to pressure all parties, including Israel, if that is in the best interests of the United States and Israel. Obama did not hesitate to tell his Jewish interlocutors that beyond the special commitment to Israel's security, his policy would be completely even-handed. If it became necessary, Obama said, he would speak to Israelis, as he had done to the Arab and Muslim world, to help them to achieve some kind of self-reflection.

Obama has internalized what his predecessors refused to understand: the traditional supporters of the Israeli right are growing old, or losing their relevance. They are giving way to younger, liberal forces who identify with Obama's values. In the "best" case, Netanyahu's incitement against the "self-hating Jews" will do to them what his whispered comment in the ear of Rabbi Kaduri "those leftists are not Jews" did to Israelis a decade ago - it turned them against him.
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  1.   Laughable 06:49  |  Frank 20/07/09
  2.   babybibi 06:49  |  guardian of stolen 20/07/09
  3.   Excellent point Akiva Eldar, re: Jewish majority backs Obama 06:54  |  Smadar 20/07/09
  4.   Your Wrong 06:59  |  Dave 20/07/09
  5.   Pollsters often gather what they want to prove 07:13  |  howiej 20/07/09
  6.   In the 21st century, nationality trumps ethnicity 07:23  |  Cosmopolitan 20/07/09
  7.   Obama`s Jewish advisors are Israel`s last, best hope! 07:25  |  Ivar 20/07/09
  8.   The Left as Israel`s Sleeper Cell... 07:31  |  BBSNews 20/07/09
  9.   A most pathetic analysis 07:50  |  Mike 20/07/09
  10.   Smadar: re your excellent point 07:53  |  Arthur 20/07/09
  11.   "Even-handedness" is a dogma of Political Correctness. 07:54  |  Fortuna Benmayor 20/07/09
  12.   i am American and I do not agree with Obama! 08:00  |  Gilles Dana 20/07/09
  13.   Jews vs. Israelis 08:25  |  Mike 20/07/09
  14.   "Self hating Jews"?, look at the mirror...!!! 08:26  |  Yael 20/07/09
  15.   Zionism and Jews 08:41  |  ARTH 20/07/09
  16.   Israel is moving towards the right while America moves left 08:51  |  peacelover 20/07/09
  17.   uproar in Jerusalem??? 08:52  |  Binyamin Dissen 20/07/09
  18.   WELL, I AM ALSO AN AMERICAN AND I TOTALLY SUPPORT OBAMA 10:48  |  Boyd 20/07/09
  19.   Leftist Jewish advisors tough with Israel, impotent with Arabs 10:59  |  Sam 20/07/09
  20.   Curious thought 11:07  |  sh 20/07/09
  21.   I am an Israeli Zionist and I agree with Obama 11:40  |  Samuel 20/07/09
  22.   exactly, American Jews back Obama 11:43  |  SD 20/07/09
  23.   # 12 is sadly mistaken about Forest Hills.... 11:54  |  Jane 20/07/09
  24.   Not the US`s business what Israel builds 11:58  |  Chaim Ben Kahan 20/07/09
  25.   Self hating Jews 12:24  |  ky 20/07/09
  26.   If it`s a spade, then call it a spade. 12:39  |  Gilad 20/07/09
  27.   Young Jewish Americans identify with Obama. 12:39  |  Analyst Jack 20/07/09
  28.   Slandering the Prime- Minister 12:41  |  Shalom Freedman 20/07/09
  29.   #12 for Gilles Dana 12:51  |  Mark B. 20/07/09
  30.   answer to Gilles Dana 13:01  |  flora meyer 20/07/09
  31.   These Jews and America only favor the resurging of real Zionism 13:15  |  Israeli citizen 20/07/09
  32.   The Jewish Diaspora 13:29  |  richelle 20/07/09
  33.   Which American jews? 13:37  |  Edward 20/07/09
  34.   #16 Samuel, thank you 15:05  |  Mark B. 20/07/09
  35.   #28 Edward Your post not entirely so.... 15:07  |  Smadar 20/07/09
  36.   #24 Mark B it is the Margie in TA syndrome 15:31  |  Labhras 20/07/09
  37.   Summer reading for White House 15:34  |  17 20/07/09
  38.   American Jewish support of Obama 16:07  |  Anonymous 20/07/09
  39.   Self-hating Jews 17:43  |  Brod 20/07/09
  40.   The settlers are the problem 17:43  |  Mark Jeffery Koch 20/07/09
  41.   Sel-hating Jews 17:48  |  David Simonim 20/07/09
  42.   Eldar is a radical leftist who lies as usual. 17:52  |  David Stoler 20/07/09
  43.   All this hatred Eldar has for Jews building in there Jerusalem 18:00  |  Larry Michlin 20/07/09
  44.   Eldar according to the Arab media, Israel has no history in Jerus 18:08  |  Eric Wood 20/07/09
  45.   Eldar is wacko leftist who is silent on Arab racism. 18:11  |  Steve Wilson 20/07/09
  46.   Netanyahu: A joke if it was not so tragic 18:27  |  david 20/07/09
  47.   Akiva Eldar 19:14  |  D.Litner 20/07/09
  48.   they are american not israelis 22:15  |  viking 20/07/09
  49.   Akiva 22:24  |  Boaz 20/07/09
  50.   # 35 Samdar 22:30  |  Bo 20/07/09
  51.   I would hate to lump the Right as one, but... 22:45  |  Czarkazem13 20/07/09
  52.   are americans jews agree with the partition of jerusalem 23:45  |  dovdevan 20/07/09
  53.   The old guy is the shmatta Eldar 23:59  |  Maya 20/07/09
  54.   Something`s happening but you don`t know what it is do you Eldar? 00:10  |  IW 21/07/09
  55.   self-hatred & its automatism 00:39  |  Ruben Siedner 21/07/09
  56.   The term "self hating jew" is an Ayatallah term 01:05  |  yael 21/07/09
  57.   It is exaclty these "jewboys" who are in the best position 02:27  |  one 21/07/09
  58.   akiva 03:02  |  steve 21/07/09
  59.   PEACELOVER THE largest vote block in Israel went to Kadimah 03:15  |  PETER SM 21/07/09
  60.   Actually, #47, 03:16  |  Ira 21/07/09
  61.   Abbas+Netanyahu have already stated positions 04:25  |  Sam 21/07/09
  62.   American Jews are way cooler than Israeli Jews. 04:27  |  James Hovland 21/07/09
  63.   Self-hating? 05:31  |  B Shabat 21/07/09
  64.   Abomination 06:11  |  Banderman 21/07/09
  65.   netanyahu`s"self hating"jews 07:06  |  shimshon kinory 21/07/09
  66.   The `Left` and the `Right`. 07:35  |  Michael 21/07/09
  67.   Getting out of the mess 07:52  |  J. Mendelson 21/07/09
  68.   Getting out of the mess II 08:06  |  J. Mendelson 21/07/09
  69.   getting out of the mess III 08:15  |  J. Mendelson 21/07/09
  70.   2nd try: Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit dear Akiva 09:55  |  lily 21/07/09
  71.   Netanyahu and the White House 18:11  |  Cynic #2 21/07/09
  72.   to number 6 18:15  |  brian 21/07/09
  73.   response to #9, Mike 18:42  |  sandra chitayat 21/07/09
  74.   Self-hating Jews 19:55  |  Armand 21/07/09
  75.   Diaspora Jews 20:22  |  Greg 21/07/09
  76.   King`s clowns 20:32  |  Good 21/07/09
  77.   Polls Shows Change American Interest to Israel 20:59  |  SAM 21/07/09
  78.   Eldar got it right 23:35  |  Yogev 21/07/09
  79.   #21 You sound like someone I would share a beer with 18:23  |  George in America 22/07/09
  80.   I am A Zionist too,and Samuel@ 21 IS A???? 01:11  |  Zionist Jew 23/07/09
  81.   For J.Mendelson@69 That last post made more sense than the first 01:27  |  Zionist Jew 23/07/09
  82.   Would like to see this style in the Western media 19:31  |  Beau 28/07/09
  83.   i am American and I do not agree with Obama! 07:39  |  Marcus 31/07/09
  84.   Obama and the Lakota Sioux 07:35  |  Jack Garbuz 11/11/09
  85.   DNA Testing Required 21:41  |  Anton Grambihler 12/11/09
  86.   Jews are a TRIBE not a RACE 18:27  |  Jack Garbuz 13/11/09
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