Weekly Commentary: Does President Obama know where Jerusalem is?
Dr. Aaron Lerner Date: 19 May 2011

Pop quiz: True or False: Jerusalem is located somewhere between the Jordan
River and the Mediterranean Sea.

President Obama: False. Jerusalem is located somewhere else.

Wrong.

Come now. How can one possibly say that President Obama doesn’t know where
Jerusalem is?

Well. Today President Obama asserted that Israel could somehow cut a deal
with the Palestinians on the details of the border without resolving the
disposition of Jerusalem.

So he must think that Jerusalem is somewhere else.

It isn’t.

In point of fact, the disposition of Jerusalem would play a critical role in
just how the border lines Mr. Obama is so anxious to draw would be set.

Oops.

How did Mr. Obama’s team make such a mistake?

They don’t consider it a mistake.

These folks are firm believers in the secular messianic faith that if Israel
retreats to the ’67 lines that it will magically and instantly yield utopian
perpetual peace.

And logic has no place in this matter.

It is, after all, a matter of faith rather than logic.

And thus, the purpose of the exercise is to find a way to bring about Israel’s
withdrawal. Period.

So when Mr. Obama tries to dictate that Israel set a border with the
Palestinians without resolving the disposition of Jerusalem, what he really
is trying to do is strip Israel of as many bargaining chips as possible
before Jerusalem is put on the table.

Because, after all, the achievement of utopian perpetual peace can only be
achieved if those damn Israelis pull out of eastern Jerusalem.

Here is some news for Mr. Obama:

The Israeli public has no illusions:

“Even if a peace agreement is signed, the Palestinians will never accept
Israel’s existence and would destroy it if they could”
Israeli Jews: Agree 74.1. Disagree 21.5 I don’t know 3.5 Refuse to answer
0.9
Peace Index - October, 2010

And American Jews agree:
“The goal of the Arabs is not the return of occupied territories but rather
the destruction of Israel.”
American Jews: Agree 76% Disagree 20% Not sure 4%
AJC Fall 2010 Survey

We aren’t hardliners.

We are realists.

And in all due respect to President Obama, we cannot afford to ignore
reality, even at the expense of angering a sitting president.

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(Mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-7255730
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il
Website: http://www.imra.org.il