As the Israeli defense forces continue to bomb the Gaza Strip and Hamas continues to launch missiles into Israel, a small legion of bloggers have begun asking: What in the world happened to president-elect Barack Obama?
With the president-elect just a few weeks from taking the throne in Washington DC, Barack Obama has been largely absent from the diplomatic maneuverings attempting to put a halt to Israel’s military excursion into the Gaza Strip. His absence, some argue, only makes the situation worse.
At least Jewish American blogger Richard Silverstein, who writes at Tikun Olam, thinks so:
Where is Barack Obama? I know he’s in Hawaii soaking up those rays of glorious sunshine. But that’s not what I mean? Where IS he? Gaza is in flames. Bush is doing worse than nothing. He’s actually making the situation worse with his nonsense about calling Hamas thugs and claiming the Palestinian movement caused the Israeli violence and can end it.
Obama’s response is becoming less and less satisfactory as the killing mounts.
…I can understand that the Gaza massacre is not nearly as important to the American people as the Wall Street collapse. But when the economy imploded you didn’t hear Obama’s people deferring to Bush. He consulted with Bush. They worked out a common strategy. They each tried to look energetic, diligent and thoughtful.
In a post called “Stupid Logic Mr. Obama†Ampal — American Palestinian had this to say on the future president’s policy towards Palestine:
Obama said : “If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I'm going to do everything in my power to stop that. I would expect Israelis to do the same thing.”
RESPONSE: If someone was starving my family, bombing my sewage and electric power plants, traumatizing my children by daily sonic booms, preventing my sick children from seeing a physician, keeping my college aged students from receiving the scholarships they deserve, causing half of the child population to have anemia, then I would launch every thing including the toilet and sink at them. Come on, Mr. Obama lets show a little more understanding than the current administration.
The “anti-zionist blog†Jews Sans Frontieres thinks maybe Obama wants to project a different image of US power.
…Obama's refusal to comment on this latest batch of war crimes may be significant if only to suggest that Obama wants to project a more reasonable image than offering open vocal support to a regime for whom violence appears to be and end itself.
Now Israel has targeted a Palestinian university you might expect Engage to at least say something but no, not a word.
After linking to a comment from Obama spokesman David Axelrod who argued that Israel is merely responding to the shelling of its cities, VivirLatino came away less than impressed:
I am ashamed and disgusted, especially if this is the change that the United States electorate was and is supposed to believe in. I am haunted by the words and images of people, men, women, and children and how my tax dollars are being used to oppress and make invisible people who aren't even deemed worthy of by some to be people, to have land, a home.
Some commenters have acknowledged that Obama needs to be careful not to step on the shoes of outgoing President George Bush.
Alex Stein, who has resided in Israel and writes the blog False Dichotomies, defended the president-elect's actions:
The criticism of Obama’s silence over the hostilities is unfair. He is right to state that there is only one president at a time, and he is right to take a holiday before embarking on what is arguably the toughest job in the world. Getting over-involved would have little point; he can have little impact until he is President, and there is no sense in compromising his stature with either party by taking sides.
Many sites are obviously looking at this situation through the lens of how the Obama administration will change U.S. policy in the Middle East.
Fayyad writing in the (mostly) Arab-American blog KABOBfest argues this is a test for the look and feel of the Obama administration towards the Middle East.
Gauging [Obama’s] response to the action from outside the Whitehouse will set the tone for what Israel gets out of him. With his chief of staff being a former IDF volunteer, it’s hard to see how he will see things any different than the IDF perspective. And the American stance of asking the rape victim to quit scratching the rapist will continue to the Washington Modus Operandi.
Window into Palestine contends that Obama is basically nothing more than a wolf in sheep’s clothing when it comes to the rights of Palestinians.
Obama no longer has to placate pro-Israel voters, including no shortage of Christian Zionists, so his lack of comment on the premeditated slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza should send us a message — an Obama administration will continue the long-standing U.S. policy of allowing Israel to wantonly kill Palestinians and pay the Israeli government handsomely to do so.
…Democrats who thought an Obama administration would bring some balance to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are probably saddened by Obama’s apparent lack of concern for the mass murder now taking place. But then what did they expect? Obama is nothing if not window dressing for the New World Order and obviously the NWO wants the carnage to continue in Palestine. Of course, the global elite have no special love for Israel, either, and its people will be sacrificed when the time is right.
26 comments
obama got another thing com’n palestine is the hood. obama has no right his bitchy ass.
I agree all the way with Rafal 100% and as for the biased Liberal media that loves to take a look at one side of the whole story and perpetuate lies to the whole world and constantly make out to the world that Israel is the monster in all of this I think is absolutely despicable given the fact that nobody said a peep when Hamas broke the ceasefire and started bombarding Israel with rockets, how do you think Israel was supposed to react, now that she has and doing a good job of it all of a sudden the whole liberal world is screaming and shouting and making ridiculous accusations at Israel for simply making the decision to once and for all put an end to the menace of the Hamas who by the way are the one’s to be blamed for starting this…..come on people wake up to the real facts here as for the Palestinians living in Gaza well why on earth dont they get up and sort out the Hamas butchers who are the root cause of their misery what is wrong with these people are they wimps or what or ist it because yes they in fact support this reign of terror that they are under…..I am sick and tired of the way the world keeps attacking Israel….it is time including fellow christians who are also often at fault at being against Israel to start opening The Word Of God here (Bible) and read the Old Testament with much more uderstanding and fervor. No President or Political authority on this earth is ever going to solve the Middle East Problem regarding Israel …. doesnt’ anybody understand the History of the Jewish Nation as a whole…. this is Biblical fact people and it is time you wake up to it….this is ancient history between the Jews and the Arabs and it all started with two brother’s namely Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael being the ancestor of the Arab Nations as we know them today and Isaac being the ancestor or the Jewish people as we know them today there is to be heartache between these two factions of the same family due to the bitterness of Ishmael towards Isaac his brother and this has been passed from generation to generation. God has also warned that any nation that turns it back on Israel will fall from His Grace and Blessing this is fact…..here everybody is going on about Obama and why isn’t he doing something about this conflict well excuse has anybody in the whole world ever been able to do anything about it…..we are mere mortals and cannot fully grasp the ways of God and shouldnt even try because He is God….the good news is that an end to this conflict will come and it is a great ending…it is prophesied read about it it is in the Bible but you would need God’s help0 to much more fully comprehend what is being said.
In the meantime because of the evil of Satan and the way he manipulates and pollutes peoples minds with total evil thoughts towards one another there can be no solution at least not from the point of human intervention because we all have sinned and fall very much short of the glory of God however Jesus Christ came and died as the Son of God a most horrific death to save us from ourselves and the sinful ways that we all live in, so how can we expect politics and mere human leader’s in politics to solve the Israel/Palestinian crisis only God can do it by bringing healing between the two brother’s of ancient history and He will because He says He will we need to trust Him and for you Hypocrits and liberals who dont believe in God or that He exists I suggest that you start trying to be a lot more open minded about this than you so-called liberals always love to tell us you are, I think just like the Pharisees who accused and condemned Jesus you are the blind fools of this world who cannot look beyond your own truth and just for once try and see something that is so much more profound and so much bigger than what you and your thoughts can ever be, try it you may actually become a lot more open minded about life and live a lot more in awe of it than actually be so narrow minded it is pathetic to watch or listen to you guys who think you are so open minded about everything you have no idea just how blind you are Jesus called the Pharisees blind fools this is pretty much what you guys are….you who are so liberal in your views actually dont realise just how closed you are. God is Big He is Bigger than the whole Universe and He created it all! He knows better than you or I what the future holds for Israel and Palestine but one thing is for sure the Jews are His chosen People so I would be very careful just how you handle or even speak of Israel, this does not mean that He does not love the Palestinians and cares about them because He does but His ways are not Our ways and it is about time that Humans allover the world should start becoming more aware of God and start really trusting Him with this issue not governments or Presidents but God the only thing we can do as concerned humanbeings is get down on our knees and pray for this we can do…pray for both the Palestinians and the Jews whom Israel represents. Just one more thing One also needs to understand the History of the Jewish nation which is ancient as well and the fact the very Biblical fact that they after having been dispersed for so long from their land of origin would very definitely return to Israel their land thatwas promised to them by God now tell me you hypocrits and you non-believing people’s of this world are you going to challenge God on this issue because if so well goodluck to you mate cos I know for sure who is going to win this battle. The Jews and then the Christians (true believing Christians) have been the longest and most persecuted people on this earth and persecution my friends comes in many different disguises it is not always in the form of physical torture as some may think, Jesus was horribly persecuted and then put to death….He told us as His Follower’s we must expect to be persecuted as well just as He was because evil in the form of the lies of Satan who manages to keep many Human’s in a foggy state of mind hereby blinding them to the truth of God and who He is and who and what Israel means to Him….Satan has been very effective in this but it wont last forever as one day we will all see the absolute truth for what it really is and then also maybe you will realise just how Satan used people like the Hamas to do his dirty work in fooling the whole world.
Wake up People of the world and stop been blindsided by evil when it is looking you in the face also why dont you become a lot more open minded about God and seek Him out for who He really and truly is…..what are you afraid off. Come on People He really does care.
ok..this whoole thing is going out of control!!! kids getting bombed, homes destroyed, parents DEAD, no food, water, electricity!!! i swear what happened to all the CHANGE obama talked about?! so wat obama is trying to tell us is that oh i cant get involved and save innocents???!!! we want change and we want it NOW starting with GAZA!! im tired of sitting and doing nothing!!! the least you(obama) could do is cooperate!! being on your side obama is the sorriest thing ive ever done and i seriously regret it! i honestly thot as the first african american prez, youd be different than bush!! but no ,your all the same, not caring if people and there homes are going down in flames… i want a reply sent bac to me on wats gonna happen..i was born in gaza and would know how they feel, bombs falling out of the sky isn’t exactly wat i call a comfy place to live…the isreals have bulldozed, shot,murdered homes and people for NO REASON AT ALL!! wat the hell did the palestinians do to deserve all this?? isreal had Gaza occupied, isn’t that enuf?? then they start shooting missiles and bombs out of the sky for wat??? wat did we do to deserve this..im against all of dis!! i kno ALOT(like half the world) agree with me…can u imagine ur kids not sleeping at nite because they’re too scares they might be bombed!! people, espicially kids, do not deserve to live like this!! wrongWRONGWRONGWRONGWRON!!!!!!:******(
The 43rd President George W.Bush still has five days before he hands over Presidency to the new elected 44th President Barack .H.Obama on January 20,2009.
Why doesn’t President Bush initiate immediately to declare an “EMBARGO” for supply of “ARMS and AMMUNITION” for the middle-east region. President Bush can use the Tele-conference system with the Leaders of EU Countries and keep the future President 0baman posted of the details so that he can find it convenient to follow-up with the decisions finalized for the “EMBARGO”.
If this “EMBARGO” is not effected then the conflict in Gaza or conflict between Palestine and Israel will never cease. When people are in possession of arms they tend to dominate over others and never solve any conflicts or problems humanely.
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It is my earnest hope that this message can reach the World Leaders and Readers,both. Let us hope that wisdom will prevail amongst thethe World Leaders and these Leaders will listen to the appeal of the United Nations and cries of the suffering victims that includes women, children and old people; sufferings of the pains of war- not only from war in Gaza but in Iraq, Afghanistan,Pakistan, Kashmir, SriLanka and other places, including the African countries. I appeal to the Readers to support this policy of “EMBARGO”.
In this modern world of enlightenment and develpment,where through the service of the internet people all over the world can find or make friends, I find it very difficult to believe that the World Leaders cannot find friends but continue making foes by adopting wrong policies of the centuries old Stone-Age periods.
The people of the world,irrespective of the religion they follow, are aware of the fact that the theory, “I am the State”, have died with the ending of the French Revolution and that modern world is moving away from “Master-Slave” pattern to “DEMOCRACY”. Will the World Leaders, please analyse their own conscious and take responsibility to create a friendly World???
You people blogging are all idiots. Obama is the future soon to be American President.He is not President yet,and he will be President of America not Europe,not the Middle-east,not Africa,not South America,not North America,not Asia,not the several countries in these continents.He is our President.This is the million dollar question for Americans,what is our role and responsibility to the World. Most Americans are isolationists and don’t give a damn about your problems.Besides our interference for 50 yrs plus hasn’t done anything ,the problems are always the same.Europe weak and noisy even though they actually have more money and wealth than U.S. and Mexico and Canada.Russia and China bulling their neighbors.South Americans countries constant political problems even though they have plenty of resources to take care of their people comfortably.Yes we give money to Israel we also give money to Egypt,Pakistan,India,and more than I can even list.We shouldn’t give money or aid to any of you except for NGO’s.Grow up and evolve as people,a society,a build real government.Life and Liberty.Our system is simple any one could do it.Support your children.Build your own schools and Colleges,Farms and Technology,take care of your children,Than speak and write whatever you want,Go to whatever Church you want,and leave others alone who are doing the same thing.