Obama's Muslim Speech

My next few posts will give you the Israeli perspective of the current climate.

They come from "One Jerusalem" an organization headed by Natan Sharansky, author of the "The Case for Democracy" and former Soviet Refusenik.


Yesterday, White House Press Secretary Gibbs announced that President Obama will deliver a major address to the Muslim world, in June on a visit to Egypt.

Before Obama took office, One Jerusalem reported that he had plans to speak to the Muslim world from a major Muslim country. This plan is about to become reality.

The timing of the Gibbs announcement is interesting. It comes a week before President Obama has his first meeting with Israel's new Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Whether intended or not this will be interpreted by Israel's enemies as another slap in the face of the Jewish State. And given the precision with which the Obama team works it is likely it was intended to send one more signal that Israel's foes are as important to Obama as Israel.

In its short time in office, the Obama Administration has developed a long list of actions that effectively tells the Muslim world that Israel is no longer a special ally of the United States. The list begins with Obama's decision to place his first presidential phone call to Abbas. The list also includes, siding with Turkey over our European allies, making demands of Israel without consulting the government of Israel, allowing Iran to continue its development of nuclear capabilities, holding Israel responsible for Iran's nuclear program, meeting Arab leaders before meeting Netanyahu, allowing captured Arab terrorists more legal rights, closing the prison for Al-Qaeda terrorist on Guantanamo and demanding that Israel open its nuclear program to the United Nations.

This shift in favor of the Muslim world comes at the expense of Israel and to a lesser degree other allies. In fact, it is part of a pattern of downgrading America's allies to uplift America's adversaries. In Latin America, President Obama told the President of Colombia to make peace with the terrorist group FARC by giving them land and an autonomous region. FARC is a proxy for dictators Ortega and Chavez and is allied with Hamas and Hezzbolah.

Obama's foreign policy is emboldening our adversaries. Recently, the President of Iran announced that Iran's radicalism is winning the day -- and he cited the weak policies of Obama. By allowing Iran to go ahead and develop nuclear capabilities, Obma is undermining Israel and the free world and elevating Iran.

In the short term, Obama's strategy requires the public downgrading of Israel. Every senior member of Obama's foreign and defense team has lectured Israel from afar. And now Obama has canceled a stop in Israel on his June trip to Egypt.

It is becoming clear that Israel can not count on Obama to help defend the Jewish State. Israel and its allies need to prepare for a long four years.