BEWARE: OBAMA’S VISIT, A HONEY-COATED BOOBYTRAP!

The upcoming visit of the President of the United States to Eretz Yisroel poses a real problem for the future security of the Jewish homeland. Diplomatic sources estimate that he will now try to use the carrot approach, having failed with the stick. He will give the prime minister a warm embrace, a sly smile, and then demand that he return to the negotiating table.

Translated by Michoel Leib Dobry

No one knows for certain where the new government in Eretz Yisroel is bound to lead us in the upcoming parliamentary term. Furthermore, no one is prepared to guess what kind of government will be formed – when it is formed. However, in the meantime, we’re getting a warning sign from the direction of good ol’ Uncle Sam. The chief executive of the world’s greatest superpower has suddenly announced that he wants to visit Eretz Yisroel.

Mr. Obama is expected to make his visit in the very near future, and the assumption is that he intends to set the agenda for the incoming government. He’s most interested that the government should work towards advancing diplomatic negotiations with the heads of the terrorist organizations and lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state r”l. As a result, he wants to strengthen the diplomatic initiative and visit Eretz Yisroel himself. Maybe he can even arrange for some hokum “peace summit.”

The news accompanying this planned visit has not been pleasant. According to various reports he will demand the renewal of the construction freeze in Yerushalayim, Yehuda and Shomron and the taking of a few “confidence building” steps by easing restrictions on the Palestinians. These details are very troubling, as the last time Obama demanded a construction freeze he got exactly what he wanted. The prime minister has already halted construction in Yerushalayim, and building beyond the Green Line has simply not been progressing at a rate comparable to the tremendous increase in the population throughout these regions.

The settlement leaders are trying to be optimistic. They convey a message of “business as usual” and speak about the need to form a “broad national government.” However, there is a great deal of pressure going on behind the scenes. It still isn’t clear why the prime minister is embracing the left-wing parties, trying to bring them into the government at any cost, and which diplomatic policies his advisors are planning for the next term.

BEWARE: OBAMA’S VISIT – A HONEY-COATED BOOBYTRAP!

It would seem that Mr. Obama’s visit to Eretz Yisroel conceals a powerful ambush. After all, he is the one who is pushing the Likud prime minister to proclaim “two states for two nations” and a freeze on all settlement construction beyond the Green Line. This will also be Obama’s final term in office, and he has no intention of becoming the first American president who failed to advance any peace initiatives in the Middle East.

The upcoming visit of the President of the United States to Eretz Yisroel poses a real problem for the future security of the Jewish homeland. Diplomatic sources estimate that he will now try to use the carrot approach, having failed with the stick He will give the prime minister a warm embrace, a sly smile, and then demand that he return to the negotiating table. He will season his words with all kinds of American promises, and then he’ll make every possible effort to forge a new sense of cooperation. He’ll assure his Israeli counterpart that there really is an Arab partner for peace, and away they’ll go.

Of course, the problem is not Obama. He is an American president who simply wants to ensure his place in history. The question is on the Israeli prime minister, who is prepared to cooperate in these dangerous adventures, as if he hasn’t been living in Eretz Yisroel for the past twenty years.

It would be appropriate for Mr. Netanyahu to remember that his predecessor as Likud Party chairman did not leave a very favorable impression due to his questionable policies of territorial compromise. On the contrary, whenever someone gives a reason for the bloody conflict along the southern border, they recall “the Sharon legacy,” expelling the Jews of Gush Katif and the northern Shomron, and giving the land to the terrorists.

Of all things, it was the military operation during Sharon’s term of office – “Defensive Shield” – that restored security to Israeli cities, and in historical terms, it was considered to be a sign of leadership by a strong prime minister. If Sharon had not succumbed to the policy of destruction and withdrawal, he would be remembered today as the Israeli leader who brought safety and tranquility back to the streets. However, due to his cruel expulsion of the Jewish communities in Gush Katif, virtually no one recalls Sharon’s contribution to the country’s national security, not even the decades he served as a senior military commander. All that people remember is the terrible stupidity leading to the Gaza disengagement, the painful results of which we continue to bear to this very day.

THE AMERICANS ARE WAITING TO HEAR THE TRUTH

Recently, they have declassified protocols, revealing that Mr. Sharon, minister of defense during the First Lebanon War over thirty years ago, spoke with high-level Pentagon officials, general to general, and had convinced them of the need for further military operations.

However, it turns out that the decision to conquer the city of Beirut was not implemented – not because of fierce American opposition, but due to a “weak yellow light” as it was called then. In other words, while there was no support for this step, there was no actual opposition either. If only they had really wanted to finish the job, they could have done so. The Americans would have made a small ruckus, but merely for the sake of protocol – as they really had no objection. As the Rebbe said at the time, the Americans would briefly protest and then things would calm down. They would even show respect for the Israelis’ resolute stance in the defense of their people, placing personal security above all else.

These facts have been proven time after time. Even during the previous term we could see how the Obama Administration appreciated firmness and determination. However, when the Netanyahu government demeaned itself and submitted to the Americans, they took full advantage of this and lost all respect for the Israelis.

The start of the new term for the Israeli prime minister and the American president presents an excellent opportunity to follow the Rebbe’s guidelines on a new relationship between the two nations. The government of Israel must make clear to the United States that it will protect its citizens’ interests and their personal security. As a result, America will show greater appreciation for the Jewish People and also take action in its defense.

PRISONER X

In recent weeks, the media has been making a tremendous clamor over the Prisoner X Affair. This concerned a security prisoner who was active in the Mosad, but the intelligence agency was forced to place him under arrest and try him for crimes against the security of the state. The whole affair is shrouded in confusion and no one knows the complete results, except for a very limited legal staff dealing with the matter.

However, despite the declaration of the Shabak (GSS) and the Mosad that this was a high-level security detention with far-reaching considerations for the security of Eretz Yisroel, there is a group of people in Israeli society that regularly stands on the sidelines, like the United Nations, and attacks the defense community for its incessant failures. Instead of cooperating with the security services, those responsible for protecting the residents of Eretz HaKodesh, they prefer to assault the country’s military operations. They identify with our enemies and seek to weaken the defensive power of Eretz Yisroel.

The Prisoner X Affair has split Israeli public opinion down the middle. There are those who automatically condemn the government without knowing the facts, and then there are those who understand that when we’re talking about the security of the Jewish People, it’s forbidden to take risks and stand idly by, even in moments of failure.

Many years ago, the Rebbe warned about those radical left-wing organizations, calling them “fifth columnists.” He explained that they are a real danger to the People of Israel, since they cooperate with our foes. They hide behind the title of “civil rights organizations,” but in fact, they are only concerned with the civil rights of the worst of our enemies. You’ll never hear them complaining about civil rights violations against decent law-abiding Jews arrested without due cause.

Paradoxically speaking, there is another case confronting us now as we prepare for Mr. Obama’s visit: the case of Yehonatan (Jonathan) Pollard. This is a Jew of great self-sacrifice who placed himself at great risk, endangering his own personal safety to save other Jews. He was a civilian naval intelligence analyst, and when he learned that vital information to Eretz Yisroel was being hidden from its government, he clandestinely passed all the information on to protect his people. Since then, he has endured shameful prison conditions in the land of freedom and justice. Yet, the leaders of the country for which he did everything to defend have abandoned him, and they have never made any genuine effort to ease his suffering.

Incredibly, or perhaps not, this story has also divided Israeli public opinion down the middle between those who care about the trampling of human rights, always standing behind those concerned for our people, and those who only remember about the importance of such rights with regard to terrorists – not their own brethren.