Commentary: It Is Not A Capital Offense For Israel To Disagree With An
American Administration Regarding Policy

Dr. Aaron Lerner Date: 28 March 2010

It is not a capital offence for Israel to disagree with an American
administration regarding policy.

I can appreciate that President Obama thinks that our leaving the Golan,
dividing Jerusalem, etc. will bring us utopian peace and that not taking his
advice may even have a negative impact on America in the Moslem world, thus
he has every reason to use "tough love" to force us to do what is in our own
best interest - and that he has an Amen chorus of Jews supporting this view.

However, it is not a capital offense for a democratically elected Israeli
government to reject American policy recommendations.

President Obama has a broad range of instruments available to promote his
views other than giving our enemies the impression that if we don't march to
his drum that America may opt to turn its back on us at a time of crisis.

That such ideas are being allowed to float around without being explicitly
and clearly denied and denounced by President Obama and Secretary of State
Clinton could very well invite disaster.

Claims from the White House that the Obama-Netanyahu meetings were not
insulting do not address this critical point. In particular since the entire
policy dictat (it is not a discussion or debate because the Obama team is
unwilling to even entertain the possibility that they could be wrong) is
presented as an American initiative to force Israel to do what "we all know"
is in Israel's best interest.

That it is not a capital offence for Israel to disagree with an American
Administration regarding policy is not some arcane debating point.

It is a critical point that, if not explicitly renounced, may suck us into a
disastrous regional conflict that many of our neighbors have absolutely no
desire to get involved in at this juncture, but may find themselves
compelled to participate in because of silence - or worse - from Washington.

This is an issue for all friends of Israel.

This is an issue that even the likes of J-Street should embrace.

Yes. J-Street can hope that the Obama Administration will announce a peace
plan of its own.

But lobbying the White House to put its own plan on the table is not the
same thing as supporting the position that it would be a capital crime for
the democratically elected Israeli Government to opt to reject Washington's
ideas.

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