MEIR STIEGLITZ
In how many ways does President Obama love Prime Minister Netanyahu?
Let me briefly count them. There are those obvious and well known signs of love: the President toils to donate Netanyahu’s Israel with more American money than even the Bush-Cheney administration did.
According to a report on “U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel” by the “Congressional Research Service” [April, 11, 2014, P-26] In 2007, for example, the total amount of direct American governmental aid to Israel (not including loans-guarantees, tax exemptions and private donations) was 2.5 billion dollars; in 2012 it was 3.1 billion — “ceteris paribus” and all, this is one of those incidents when statistics say it more clearly than words of affection. And the billions are delivered to this “wealthy and powerful country” (Obama’s portrayal) with no conditions attached.
And there’s the subtle moves: sporadically, and ever so cleverly, Obama’s administration manipulate timed and much publicized “personal encounters” with Netanyahu —meaning some tender criticism, or pleading suggestion to speak about the “Green Line” and recently to try and take it easy with war crimes. All these artificial encounters ended up in the same way: the prime minister – as the true representative of “his people” spirit – gets another opportunity to wail: “Holocaust at the Gate”. And, in all cases, right afterwards the White House showers him with praise describing Netanyahu as a staunch defender of “Israel’s security”.