Speaking Truth to Power
August 18, 2009
President Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President,
All people who are not naive know that the phrase, “more even handed” as applied to the Middle East is code for “back off support for Israel and become more sympathetic to demands made by Fatah and Hamas.” Is that what your administration is planning to do if Israel does not comply with the demands of those people who are currently influencing your judgment? I’m sure there are people who would want us to be more “even handed”and sympathetic to Iran even though Iran repeatedly screams “death to America,” and continues to call for Israel to be wiped off the face of the earth.
I’m sure there were people who wanted us to be more “even handed” with Germany in the Forties while they were committing genocide against the same people. Radical Islam dictates to Hamas, Hezbolla, and yes, Fatah even though Fatah denies it, those same objectives. Why would you give those objectives consideration by being “even handed?” Ask them to change their charters and philosophy first, and then call for a more “even handedness.”
Mr. president, you are at an important moment in history, and like your predecessors, your policy and efforts will be recorded and you will be judged on them. The reward for attempting a solution to this ongoing problem is always noble, and might garner you a well deserved Nobel Peace Prize. Sadly, history has shown that it is the effort and not the results that can get people that coveted award.
Please also understand this: Former President Carter pressured the Israelis and in exchange for the Sinai and the oil fields Israel developed, Israel got a “cold peace” that has lasted because of the heavy foot the Egyptian Government has kept on the neck of the Muslim Brotherhood. That treaty will be rendered null and void the moment the Muslim Brotherhood takes over the Egyptian government through the same democratic process we encouraged in the Gaza. You know this will happen as well as I. Former President Clinton pressured the Israelis to give back almost all of the unassigned Ottoman land called “the West Bank” that Jordan annexed in 1948 and Israel took in 1967. Jordan “ethnically cleansed” that territory of all Jews and destroyed the Jewish section of Jerusalem. Few know that piece of history. President Clinton even pressured Israel to allow East Jerusalem to become the Palestinian capital. Can you imagine just how much the Israelis wanted peace if they were willing to give up a crucial part of their own capital? The Arab Palestinians could have had their state then.
But Arafat, the terrorist, would not allow himself to be remembered as the leader who capitulated to the Jews, and using a visit to the Temple Mount as an excuse to start the Second Intifada, something he later confessed was planned years before Sharon’s visit to the Temple Mount. You know the story as well as I. And another thing you know as well as I is that Abbas, who was Arafat’s second in command for decades, a man with a history of terroristic leanings and whose dissertation from Patrice Lamumba University in Moscow dealt with Holocaust denial, will insist that talks begin where they left off. What other country on earth has expectations such as that placed on negotiations? I urge you not to be pressured into insisting on that, also. He will insist on the right of return for the descendants of the Palestinians who were encouraged to leave their homes by the surrounding Arab states and kept by those states in perpetual misery. You know that that cannot be granted. Like Arafat, Abbas will not be willing to be the Palestinian leader who made peace with Israel despite his claims to the contrary. Something will happen prior to any peace treaty being signed. Israel is dealing with an implacable enemy whose sole desire is to destroy the Jewish state and drive the Jews into the sea. This objective is still written in Palestinian official documents. This is the stated objective and not hyperbole. Politicians know that it is important to take intentions both stated and written as truth. Iran, al Queda, the Taliban, and North Korea have stated their objectives towards us, and we do not discount these. I urge you not to discount the overt or covert radical Muslim or Palestinian objectives.
It boils down to the concept of manifest destiny and religion. The Muslim manifest destiny conceives of a reestablished Caliphate were all land ever controlled by Muslims, must be Muslim again. The Pact of Umar stipulates that both Jews and Christians must be in a dhimma status or subservient to Muslims. The Koran also supports this subservience, and there are about twenty references in the Koran that insist that the faithful wage perpetual war with the “unbelievers” and “hypocrites” or suffer major torments in the hereafter if they do not act on this religious mandate. The Jew’s manifest destiny comes from the Covenant between God and Abraham. The United States of America had its own version of manifest destiny and that’s how we got California, Texas, etc. from Mexico. England, at one time boasted that the sun never set on their flag. How long does it take for captured land to become the land of the victorious?
The fundamentalist Arabs hate the very thought of Israel’s existence, because by Israel existing, Jews give the lie to the Koran and Muslim destiny, and as long as Muslim fundamentalists are pulling the strings, the situation will never change. The issue is not Israel’s borders, but Israel’s right to exist at all. The core issue is religious and not political. More “even handedness” is in reality, taking the side of one religion over an other. Is that something you really want to do?
I read that the Jewish Left wing groups such a “Peace Now” and “J Street” have become an influence in your decision making process. While both groups profess a love for Israel, both would just as easily put Israel in grave danger so members of these groups might feel better about themselves. Let me explain. The Jewish Left in this country, like all people on the Left, love the underdog. How the Left loved Israel before 1967! But Israel would not allow itself to be exterminated, fought and rejected the underdog position to the consternation of those who see themselves and Israel in the role of the noble downtrodden nobly fighting for its life. People on the Left seem to feel better about themselves if they are supporting those whose existence is threatened. While most on the Left are not actively religious Jews, they have an image of themselves as being the inheritors of a high minded morality that was biblically imposed on the Jewish people. So the “J Streeters” have this image of how Jews, especially the Israeli Jews, should behave even if taking this high road may lead Israel to destruction. “Tisk, tisk, how could we have been so wrong?” was uttered by such people after Arafat got almost everything he wanted and still let loose the Second Intafada. At least President Clinton had the courage to lay the entire blame at Arafat’s feet. The Jewish Left was shocked also at this as they were shocked at Hezbollah’s abducting and murdering Israeli soldiers and precipitating that Lebanese incursion. And they were shocked at the rockets that fell for years on southern Israel, yet said nothing and continue to say nothing about the release of Mr. Shalit who is still in captivity. They are always shocked by Palestinian Arab behavior, but always come up with a rationalization.
Peace Now and J Street pay little heed to the Arab history and such things as the Treaty of Hudabia in which a peace was made by Muhammad himself because he could not defeat this particular tribe. But as soon as he had the superior forces, he broke the treaty and destroyed this recalcitrant people. Hezbolla’s rearming in Lebanon under the silent acquiescence of the UN’s peace keeping forces, and the lull in the Gaza, are merely continuations of this type of historical deception. Arab media uses the Treaty of Hudabia to cite Islam as a religion of peace, but they neglect to tell the final outcome. And J Street will be surprised when the attacks begin again, and are asking you to be as blind to historical facts and reality as they.
The Jewish Left rationalizes reality out of existence as they continue to pressure you to pressure Israel to make more and more concessions to a group that is only interested in Israel’s destruction. They see themselves as peacemakers when, in reality, the path they insist on puts them in the vanguard of Israel’s demise as an independent nation and a homeland for the Jewish people. The next time you encounter J Streeters, try a little experiment. Ask them to pretend that there are two buttons before them. If you hit one button, the security wall will come down, Palestinians will not be inconvenienced, and Jews will die in renewed suicide attacks once again. If you hit the other button, the security wall stays, Palestinians continue to be inconvenienced, and Jews are not murdered. Ask them to hit one of these imaginary buttons. I’ll bet they will refuse, because that forced choice will be casting them in a real life and death situation, and they can deal only in democratic and liberal abstractions.
I doubt if the Jewish Left would support the idea of Jews not being permitted to live in a certain area of Washington D.C., yet I bet the J Streeters would have no problem in supporting or urging you to support proposals that would restrict Jews from living in areas in Jerusalem. Again, when Jordan captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Israel in1948, they ethnically cleansed it and made it Jew free. Are you going to support Jew free areas? At one time there were neighborhoods excluded to Jews and to Blacks in America, and such exclusions were declared violations of civil rights. The harsh truth is that the Arab Palestinians are demanding that there be no Jews living in areas where Arab Palestinians hope to govern. If you support such exclusions of Jews, it would indeed be paradoxical. And please remember that Jerusalem is never even mentioned in the Koran. So why it has become a watershed issue for Arab Palestinians and the Left?
President Obama, you are at an important crossroads. Will you be remembered as the president who became “more even handed” and forced Israel to make concessions that ultimately lead to the demise of the State of Israel? Will you be the president who will make it so impossible for Israel to comply with your demands that she feels compelled for her own survival to go down an even more militaristic path than the one it has been forced to be on since 1948? Will you be the president who will initiate the dismantling of the dream in the name of “even handedness?” And does “even handedness” really mean that there are two standards in play: one for Israel and one for everyone else?
The world, for the most part, doesn’t care if Israel exists or does not exist. It was created with the full belief that the six surrounding Arab countries would finish what Hitler began. The process has been ongoing. While people accept the gifts of inventions and discoveries Israel has given to the world way out of proportion to its size and numbers, you and I know that most countries are resentful of these people, their state, hateful of their religion, and would turn their backs on them in times of peril as they have historically done so in the past. In the guise of “even handedness,” is America about to do the same?
Sincerely,
Leonard H. Berman, American Citizen
cc Mr. Emanuel
Mr. Axelrod
President Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President,
All people who are not naive know that the phrase, “more even handed” as applied to the Middle East is code for “back off support for Israel and become more sympathetic to demands made by Fatah and Hamas.” Is that what your administration is planning to do if Israel does not comply with the demands of those people who are currently influencing your judgment? I’m sure there are people who would want us to be more “even handed”and sympathetic to Iran even though Iran repeatedly screams “death to America,” and continues to call for Israel to be wiped off the face of the earth.
I’m sure there were people who wanted us to be more “even handed” with Germany in the Forties while they were committing genocide against the same people. Radical Islam dictates to Hamas, Hezbolla, and yes, Fatah even though Fatah denies it, those same objectives. Why would you give those objectives consideration by being “even handed?” Ask them to change their charters and philosophy first, and then call for a more “even handedness.”
Mr. president, you are at an important moment in history, and like your predecessors, your policy and efforts will be recorded and you will be judged on them. The reward for attempting a solution to this ongoing problem is always noble, and might garner you a well deserved Nobel Peace Prize. Sadly, history has shown that it is the effort and not the results that can get people that coveted award.
Please also understand this: Former President Carter pressured the Israelis and in exchange for the Sinai and the oil fields Israel developed, Israel got a “cold peace” that has lasted because of the heavy foot the Egyptian Government has kept on the neck of the Muslim Brotherhood. That treaty will be rendered null and void the moment the Muslim Brotherhood takes over the Egyptian government through the same democratic process we encouraged in the Gaza. You know this will happen as well as I. Former President Clinton pressured the Israelis to give back almost all of the unassigned Ottoman land called “the West Bank” that Jordan annexed in 1948 and Israel took in 1967. Jordan “ethnically cleansed” that territory of all Jews and destroyed the Jewish section of Jerusalem. Few know that piece of history. President Clinton even pressured Israel to allow East Jerusalem to become the Palestinian capital. Can you imagine just how much the Israelis wanted peace if they were willing to give up a crucial part of their own capital? The Arab Palestinians could have had their state then.
But Arafat, the terrorist, would not allow himself to be remembered as the leader who capitulated to the Jews, and using a visit to the Temple Mount as an excuse to start the Second Intifada, something he later confessed was planned years before Sharon’s visit to the Temple Mount. You know the story as well as I. And another thing you know as well as I is that Abbas, who was Arafat’s second in command for decades, a man with a history of terroristic leanings and whose dissertation from Patrice Lamumba University in Moscow dealt with Holocaust denial, will insist that talks begin where they left off. What other country on earth has expectations such as that placed on negotiations? I urge you not to be pressured into insisting on that, also. He will insist on the right of return for the descendants of the Palestinians who were encouraged to leave their homes by the surrounding Arab states and kept by those states in perpetual misery. You know that that cannot be granted. Like Arafat, Abbas will not be willing to be the Palestinian leader who made peace with Israel despite his claims to the contrary. Something will happen prior to any peace treaty being signed. Israel is dealing with an implacable enemy whose sole desire is to destroy the Jewish state and drive the Jews into the sea. This objective is still written in Palestinian official documents. This is the stated objective and not hyperbole. Politicians know that it is important to take intentions both stated and written as truth. Iran, al Queda, the Taliban, and North Korea have stated their objectives towards us, and we do not discount these. I urge you not to discount the overt or covert radical Muslim or Palestinian objectives.
It boils down to the concept of manifest destiny and religion. The Muslim manifest destiny conceives of a reestablished Caliphate were all land ever controlled by Muslims, must be Muslim again. The Pact of Umar stipulates that both Jews and Christians must be in a dhimma status or subservient to Muslims. The Koran also supports this subservience, and there are about twenty references in the Koran that insist that the faithful wage perpetual war with the “unbelievers” and “hypocrites” or suffer major torments in the hereafter if they do not act on this religious mandate. The Jew’s manifest destiny comes from the Covenant between God and Abraham. The United States of America had its own version of manifest destiny and that’s how we got California, Texas, etc. from Mexico. England, at one time boasted that the sun never set on their flag. How long does it take for captured land to become the land of the victorious?
The fundamentalist Arabs hate the very thought of Israel’s existence, because by Israel existing, Jews give the lie to the Koran and Muslim destiny, and as long as Muslim fundamentalists are pulling the strings, the situation will never change. The issue is not Israel’s borders, but Israel’s right to exist at all. The core issue is religious and not political. More “even handedness” is in reality, taking the side of one religion over an other. Is that something you really want to do?
I read that the Jewish Left wing groups such a “Peace Now” and “J Street” have become an influence in your decision making process. While both groups profess a love for Israel, both would just as easily put Israel in grave danger so members of these groups might feel better about themselves. Let me explain. The Jewish Left in this country, like all people on the Left, love the underdog. How the Left loved Israel before 1967! But Israel would not allow itself to be exterminated, fought and rejected the underdog position to the consternation of those who see themselves and Israel in the role of the noble downtrodden nobly fighting for its life. People on the Left seem to feel better about themselves if they are supporting those whose existence is threatened. While most on the Left are not actively religious Jews, they have an image of themselves as being the inheritors of a high minded morality that was biblically imposed on the Jewish people. So the “J Streeters” have this image of how Jews, especially the Israeli Jews, should behave even if taking this high road may lead Israel to destruction. “Tisk, tisk, how could we have been so wrong?” was uttered by such people after Arafat got almost everything he wanted and still let loose the Second Intafada. At least President Clinton had the courage to lay the entire blame at Arafat’s feet. The Jewish Left was shocked also at this as they were shocked at Hezbollah’s abducting and murdering Israeli soldiers and precipitating that Lebanese incursion. And they were shocked at the rockets that fell for years on southern Israel, yet said nothing and continue to say nothing about the release of Mr. Shalit who is still in captivity. They are always shocked by Palestinian Arab behavior, but always come up with a rationalization.
Peace Now and J Street pay little heed to the Arab history and such things as the Treaty of Hudabia in which a peace was made by Muhammad himself because he could not defeat this particular tribe. But as soon as he had the superior forces, he broke the treaty and destroyed this recalcitrant people. Hezbolla’s rearming in Lebanon under the silent acquiescence of the UN’s peace keeping forces, and the lull in the Gaza, are merely continuations of this type of historical deception. Arab media uses the Treaty of Hudabia to cite Islam as a religion of peace, but they neglect to tell the final outcome. And J Street will be surprised when the attacks begin again, and are asking you to be as blind to historical facts and reality as they.
The Jewish Left rationalizes reality out of existence as they continue to pressure you to pressure Israel to make more and more concessions to a group that is only interested in Israel’s destruction. They see themselves as peacemakers when, in reality, the path they insist on puts them in the vanguard of Israel’s demise as an independent nation and a homeland for the Jewish people. The next time you encounter J Streeters, try a little experiment. Ask them to pretend that there are two buttons before them. If you hit one button, the security wall will come down, Palestinians will not be inconvenienced, and Jews will die in renewed suicide attacks once again. If you hit the other button, the security wall stays, Palestinians continue to be inconvenienced, and Jews are not murdered. Ask them to hit one of these imaginary buttons. I’ll bet they will refuse, because that forced choice will be casting them in a real life and death situation, and they can deal only in democratic and liberal abstractions.
I doubt if the Jewish Left would support the idea of Jews not being permitted to live in a certain area of Washington D.C., yet I bet the J Streeters would have no problem in supporting or urging you to support proposals that would restrict Jews from living in areas in Jerusalem. Again, when Jordan captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Israel in1948, they ethnically cleansed it and made it Jew free. Are you going to support Jew free areas? At one time there were neighborhoods excluded to Jews and to Blacks in America, and such exclusions were declared violations of civil rights. The harsh truth is that the Arab Palestinians are demanding that there be no Jews living in areas where Arab Palestinians hope to govern. If you support such exclusions of Jews, it would indeed be paradoxical. And please remember that Jerusalem is never even mentioned in the Koran. So why it has become a watershed issue for Arab Palestinians and the Left?
President Obama, you are at an important crossroads. Will you be remembered as the president who became “more even handed” and forced Israel to make concessions that ultimately lead to the demise of the State of Israel? Will you be the president who will make it so impossible for Israel to comply with your demands that she feels compelled for her own survival to go down an even more militaristic path than the one it has been forced to be on since 1948? Will you be the president who will initiate the dismantling of the dream in the name of “even handedness?” And does “even handedness” really mean that there are two standards in play: one for Israel and one for everyone else?
The world, for the most part, doesn’t care if Israel exists or does not exist. It was created with the full belief that the six surrounding Arab countries would finish what Hitler began. The process has been ongoing. While people accept the gifts of inventions and discoveries Israel has given to the world way out of proportion to its size and numbers, you and I know that most countries are resentful of these people, their state, hateful of their religion, and would turn their backs on them in times of peril as they have historically done so in the past. In the guise of “even handedness,” is America about to do the same?
Sincerely,
Leonard H. Berman, American Citizen
cc Mr. Emanuel
Mr. Axelrod
President Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President,
Many of us out here are beginning to think that the blunder of announcing the next phase of construction in East Jerusalem was just the excuse you needed to begin your planned backing off of overt support for Israel. And while there are those around you who see the practicality of that move, you must be aware that such an over-the-top response gives Israel’s enemies just the incentive they need to begin their next attack. Will America support Israel, or does the legacy of Truman, Johnson, and Kennedy, end with Obama?
Already, 5,000 Iranian trained fighters are amassed on the Lebanese border, and as soon as Hezboula tells the UN to get the peace keepers out, the anti-Israel lobby in the UN will insist that it comply with the request. They responded the same way prior to the 1973 attack when they pulled out of the Sinai. There will be a simultaneous reign of rockets out of Lebanon, Syria, Gaza and Iran, and Syria will move against the Golan, the Lebanese against Israel’s northen boarder, and the Arab Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza begin a third Intafada. We have seen this scenario before, and will you, like the rest of the world, stand by and do nothing? We are fearful that you might. And because the world still does not care if Israel exists, and because the world has armed the Arab states better than ever before, Israel will be forced once again to respond in any manner that will allow it to survive.
By your public display of anger, you gave permission to Israel’s enemies to believe that they have a “green light.” I cannot believe that that was my President’s intention, so I need you to make it very clear that while you may disagree with Israel’s handling of the building issue, Israel still will be protected in the event of another attack on their soil. There are some things that must be done because they are right and not just practical.
You know as well as I that Israel is dealing with an implacable enemy whose sole desire is to destroy the Jewish state and drive the Jews into the sea. This objective is still written in Palestinian official documents. This is their stated objective and not hyperbole. Why do you continue to discount the overt or covert radical Muslim or Arab Palestinian objectives yet continue to condemn and make demands on the Israelis? You condemn Israel for building in East Jerusalem. If you recall, in 1948, that parcel of the city was also to be part of the new state, but it was overrun and annexed by Jordan, Jews were murdered and expelled, and the synagogues and houses of study destroyed. Where were the voices raised against this in the U.N? Show me one resolution condemning Jordan for their actions. Israel has a right to build anywhere in Jerusalem because it was, is, and will continue to be the capital. And may I remind you that Israel, in a past negotiation, even agreed to allow the Arab Palestinians to claim that part of the city as their capital, but Arafat, not wanting to be remembered in Arab history as the man who “capitulated” to Israel, began the Second Intafada. And if you think Abbas won’t do the same and start a Third Intafada, you are mistaken. Have you ever asked yourself, “Why do the Arabs even want East Jerusalem when Nablus and Ramalah would make totally good capitals and are totally theirs without contention?”
Israel is a strong ally of America, sharing a similar value system, a vision of what life might be, and a love for democracy. America’s problems with the Arab world do not stem from its support for Israel, but from a foreign policy that led us to invade two Muslim countries, and for having values that threaten the Muslim view of life and law. The radical Muslims who blow up planes, trains, subways, and markets will not stop if Israel is no more. It’s not who they are.
Cordially,
Leonard H. Berman, Democrat
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President,
Many of us out here are beginning to think that the blunder of announcing the next phase of construction in East Jerusalem was just the excuse you needed to begin your planned backing off of overt support for Israel. And while there are those around you who see the practicality of that move, you must be aware that such an over-the-top response gives Israel’s enemies just the incentive they need to begin their next attack. Will America support Israel, or does the legacy of Truman, Johnson, and Kennedy, end with Obama?
Already, 5,000 Iranian trained fighters are amassed on the Lebanese border, and as soon as Hezboula tells the UN to get the peace keepers out, the anti-Israel lobby in the UN will insist that it comply with the request. They responded the same way prior to the 1973 attack when they pulled out of the Sinai. There will be a simultaneous reign of rockets out of Lebanon, Syria, Gaza and Iran, and Syria will move against the Golan, the Lebanese against Israel’s northen boarder, and the Arab Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza begin a third Intafada. We have seen this scenario before, and will you, like the rest of the world, stand by and do nothing? We are fearful that you might. And because the world still does not care if Israel exists, and because the world has armed the Arab states better than ever before, Israel will be forced once again to respond in any manner that will allow it to survive.
By your public display of anger, you gave permission to Israel’s enemies to believe that they have a “green light.” I cannot believe that that was my President’s intention, so I need you to make it very clear that while you may disagree with Israel’s handling of the building issue, Israel still will be protected in the event of another attack on their soil. There are some things that must be done because they are right and not just practical.
You know as well as I that Israel is dealing with an implacable enemy whose sole desire is to destroy the Jewish state and drive the Jews into the sea. This objective is still written in Palestinian official documents. This is their stated objective and not hyperbole. Why do you continue to discount the overt or covert radical Muslim or Arab Palestinian objectives yet continue to condemn and make demands on the Israelis? You condemn Israel for building in East Jerusalem. If you recall, in 1948, that parcel of the city was also to be part of the new state, but it was overrun and annexed by Jordan, Jews were murdered and expelled, and the synagogues and houses of study destroyed. Where were the voices raised against this in the U.N? Show me one resolution condemning Jordan for their actions. Israel has a right to build anywhere in Jerusalem because it was, is, and will continue to be the capital. And may I remind you that Israel, in a past negotiation, even agreed to allow the Arab Palestinians to claim that part of the city as their capital, but Arafat, not wanting to be remembered in Arab history as the man who “capitulated” to Israel, began the Second Intafada. And if you think Abbas won’t do the same and start a Third Intafada, you are mistaken. Have you ever asked yourself, “Why do the Arabs even want East Jerusalem when Nablus and Ramalah would make totally good capitals and are totally theirs without contention?”
Israel is a strong ally of America, sharing a similar value system, a vision of what life might be, and a love for democracy. America’s problems with the Arab world do not stem from its support for Israel, but from a foreign policy that led us to invade two Muslim countries, and for having values that threaten the Muslim view of life and law. The radical Muslims who blow up planes, trains, subways, and markets will not stop if Israel is no more. It’s not who they are.
Cordially,
Leonard H. Berman, Democrat
President Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President,
I am informed that you are going to make a policy statement on the Arab Palestinian refugee issue shortly. Before you do, I need you to think about this.
My great grandparents came to this country in 1890 from Ukraine and were considered refugees or immigrants if you will. The children they brought with them were also refugees, but those who were born here were not. My father, born in 1911 in Brooklyn, was not considered a refugee, and I am not considered a refugee and my children and grandchildren are not considered refugees. If I were to claim that the property in the Ukraine legitimately that they once lived on was still mine, I would be laughed at.
Your dad was born in Africa, and when he came here he was a refugee. But you were born in the U.S.A. and you are as much an American as I. Your children, born in Chicago, are second generation Americans on your father’s side, and no longer considered refugees. Do you feel you have a claim to the land in Kenya upon which your father was born or lived? So tell me how it is possible for the Arab Palestinians, who willingly left their homes at the exhortation of the Arab nations surrounding Israel, to still be considered refugees after sixty years living where they are living? And even if they are, how is it possible that their children and grandchildren are also considered refugees? You and I are not refugees even though our people came from a different land. Are they the only people in the world who are allowed this status because the UN has deemed it so? Is that fair? These people willingly gave up their land believing that Israel, legitimately created by the UN, would be destroyed in a short period of time. That did not happen, and they have been kept in squalor by powerful Arab forces for political purposes. I urge you to support the creation of an Arab Palestinian entity, and I urge you not to call upon Israel to welcome them back because you would be hastening the destruction of Israel from within. Is that your intent?
Cordially,
Leonard H. Berman
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President,
I am informed that you are going to make a policy statement on the Arab Palestinian refugee issue shortly. Before you do, I need you to think about this.
My great grandparents came to this country in 1890 from Ukraine and were considered refugees or immigrants if you will. The children they brought with them were also refugees, but those who were born here were not. My father, born in 1911 in Brooklyn, was not considered a refugee, and I am not considered a refugee and my children and grandchildren are not considered refugees. If I were to claim that the property in the Ukraine legitimately that they once lived on was still mine, I would be laughed at.
Your dad was born in Africa, and when he came here he was a refugee. But you were born in the U.S.A. and you are as much an American as I. Your children, born in Chicago, are second generation Americans on your father’s side, and no longer considered refugees. Do you feel you have a claim to the land in Kenya upon which your father was born or lived? So tell me how it is possible for the Arab Palestinians, who willingly left their homes at the exhortation of the Arab nations surrounding Israel, to still be considered refugees after sixty years living where they are living? And even if they are, how is it possible that their children and grandchildren are also considered refugees? You and I are not refugees even though our people came from a different land. Are they the only people in the world who are allowed this status because the UN has deemed it so? Is that fair? These people willingly gave up their land believing that Israel, legitimately created by the UN, would be destroyed in a short period of time. That did not happen, and they have been kept in squalor by powerful Arab forces for political purposes. I urge you to support the creation of an Arab Palestinian entity, and I urge you not to call upon Israel to welcome them back because you would be hastening the destruction of Israel from within. Is that your intent?
Cordially,
Leonard H. Berman
May 6, 2010
President Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President,
My former secretary votes only for those candidates who are anti-abortion. There are many one issue voters in this country, and I have never been such a voter. Now, because of your “rationalist” rather than America’s traditional “ethical” stance on Israel and the pressure you are putting on her to halt her right to continue building in East Jerusalem in a section called Ramat Shlomo, I am considering taking a much harder view towards your future candidacy.
Ramat Shlomo has, and will always be, part of Jewish Jerusalem and that has also been understood by the Arab Palestinians. There is no reason why building should not continue. So why don’t you also understand this? You seem to be more outraged at Jews building legal homes in their capital city than you are about Mulims building nuclear bombs in Iran. Arab Palestinians building in East Jerusalem doesn’t seem to bother you or the rest of the world. Why is its only when the Jews build? Why is there a different standard for Israelis and for everyone else?
Jerusalem, prior to 1948 was a united city. When the Arab armies attacked believing they would wipe out the new Jewish state, Jordan overran that section, destroyed synagogues, homes, murdered and expelled Jews whose families had live there for centuries, and used tomb stones from the Jewish cemeteries as paving stones and as the backs of urinal. There was no outcry against Jordan annexing this section of Jerusalem and what the world calls the West Bank. Why is this history conveniently forgotten? Why have you conveniently forgotten this history?
I voted for you, verbally defended you against tea baggers, birthers, support your health care plan, your financial policies, and probably will support your immigration policy if you ever write one. But I cannot support your recent policy on Israel. I do believe that Peace Now, the J Streeters, and those in the State Department who traditionally have a terrible record on supporting Israel, are not seeing the reality of what can happen if you force a prejudicial peace on Israel. Yes, those who would force a peace may feel good about themselves, and those with old agendas will see them finally brought to fruition because the President of the United States now supports “stepping back” from Israel to better ingratiate himself with the Arab world.
Remember, the only difference between Hamas and Fatah is that Hamas wants to destroy Israel now, and Fatah is willing to wait. I may moderate my feelings if you make it a condition that the Palestinian Charter calling for Israel’s destruction be amended prior to peace talks.
Cordially,
Leonard H. Berman, Shaky Democrat
President Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President,
My former secretary votes only for those candidates who are anti-abortion. There are many one issue voters in this country, and I have never been such a voter. Now, because of your “rationalist” rather than America’s traditional “ethical” stance on Israel and the pressure you are putting on her to halt her right to continue building in East Jerusalem in a section called Ramat Shlomo, I am considering taking a much harder view towards your future candidacy.
Ramat Shlomo has, and will always be, part of Jewish Jerusalem and that has also been understood by the Arab Palestinians. There is no reason why building should not continue. So why don’t you also understand this? You seem to be more outraged at Jews building legal homes in their capital city than you are about Mulims building nuclear bombs in Iran. Arab Palestinians building in East Jerusalem doesn’t seem to bother you or the rest of the world. Why is its only when the Jews build? Why is there a different standard for Israelis and for everyone else?
Jerusalem, prior to 1948 was a united city. When the Arab armies attacked believing they would wipe out the new Jewish state, Jordan overran that section, destroyed synagogues, homes, murdered and expelled Jews whose families had live there for centuries, and used tomb stones from the Jewish cemeteries as paving stones and as the backs of urinal. There was no outcry against Jordan annexing this section of Jerusalem and what the world calls the West Bank. Why is this history conveniently forgotten? Why have you conveniently forgotten this history?
I voted for you, verbally defended you against tea baggers, birthers, support your health care plan, your financial policies, and probably will support your immigration policy if you ever write one. But I cannot support your recent policy on Israel. I do believe that Peace Now, the J Streeters, and those in the State Department who traditionally have a terrible record on supporting Israel, are not seeing the reality of what can happen if you force a prejudicial peace on Israel. Yes, those who would force a peace may feel good about themselves, and those with old agendas will see them finally brought to fruition because the President of the United States now supports “stepping back” from Israel to better ingratiate himself with the Arab world.
Remember, the only difference between Hamas and Fatah is that Hamas wants to destroy Israel now, and Fatah is willing to wait. I may moderate my feelings if you make it a condition that the Palestinian Charter calling for Israel’s destruction be amended prior to peace talks.
Cordially,
Leonard H. Berman, Shaky Democrat
June 27, 2010
President Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington D.C. 20500
Dear President Obama,
Russia, never a friend, continues to poke the United States in the eye by thwarting or watering down every effort to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power. Iran and the Islamic fundamentalist/fascists “democratically” elected, continue to laugh at U.S. led sanctions. The crazy man in North Korea and the up and coming dictator in Venezuela publicly denounce you as being naive. Yet your policy with these hostile forces is one where you continue to try to engage them in a civil manner as if they played by the rules of civilization. They do not, and in not recognizing this, you are naive. You attempted such civility with the Republican Party and you’ve gotten a partisan wall that will attempt to stop whatever you do just because you are doing it. As a result of not exerting strong leadership and thwarting GOP filibusters and threats, your ratings with your own supporters are falling.
So what does it appear that you are doing to save some face in the international community? It appears that you have become more “even handed” in the Middle East which is code for “backing off support for Israel.” Now that is what it appears to be. It also appears that you are taking opportunities such as the building in East Jerusalem to express your “concern,” which led to your rebuff of the Israeli Prime Minister who himself was a victim of hostile members in the Kenneset. There was no insult to our vice president until the press called it an insult. And how the world leaped on the issue as if Israel has no right to build in her own capital. And additional support was garnered for you from Israel’s enemies in you condemnation of a flotilla that was sent to break a legal blockade. Yes, blockades are legal just like the ones against Germany, Japan, and Cuba. But why does a blockade illegal only for Israel? No one condemns Egypt for the same blockade of Gaza.
I and other senior voters in my demographic are becoming increasingly aware of your stance against Israel in order to make points in the Muslim world. It may be expedient to do so, but it is not just. You are not assuring us or reassuring us that you are still a friend of the Jews in Israel even if you say so. We desperately need to know that if and when Iran attempts to run that blockade again, you will not stand in the way of Israel taking out that ship. We desperately need to know that when the rockets supplied by Iran and Russia fall on Israel from Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza this summer as promised, you will not stand idly by upon the blood of the only nation in the Middle East who is a true friend. We desperately need to know that when Iran finally makes her bomb or gets close to it, you will support Israel’s response to protecting herself.
Mr. President, expediency must not be greater than honor and righteous behavior. There are people out there preparing for another final solution. You must not enable them to do this. Walk in the footsteps of LBJ, not the footsteps of Jimmy Carter.
Sincerely,
Leonard H. Berman
President Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington D.C. 20500
Dear President Obama,
Russia, never a friend, continues to poke the United States in the eye by thwarting or watering down every effort to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power. Iran and the Islamic fundamentalist/fascists “democratically” elected, continue to laugh at U.S. led sanctions. The crazy man in North Korea and the up and coming dictator in Venezuela publicly denounce you as being naive. Yet your policy with these hostile forces is one where you continue to try to engage them in a civil manner as if they played by the rules of civilization. They do not, and in not recognizing this, you are naive. You attempted such civility with the Republican Party and you’ve gotten a partisan wall that will attempt to stop whatever you do just because you are doing it. As a result of not exerting strong leadership and thwarting GOP filibusters and threats, your ratings with your own supporters are falling.
So what does it appear that you are doing to save some face in the international community? It appears that you have become more “even handed” in the Middle East which is code for “backing off support for Israel.” Now that is what it appears to be. It also appears that you are taking opportunities such as the building in East Jerusalem to express your “concern,” which led to your rebuff of the Israeli Prime Minister who himself was a victim of hostile members in the Kenneset. There was no insult to our vice president until the press called it an insult. And how the world leaped on the issue as if Israel has no right to build in her own capital. And additional support was garnered for you from Israel’s enemies in you condemnation of a flotilla that was sent to break a legal blockade. Yes, blockades are legal just like the ones against Germany, Japan, and Cuba. But why does a blockade illegal only for Israel? No one condemns Egypt for the same blockade of Gaza.
I and other senior voters in my demographic are becoming increasingly aware of your stance against Israel in order to make points in the Muslim world. It may be expedient to do so, but it is not just. You are not assuring us or reassuring us that you are still a friend of the Jews in Israel even if you say so. We desperately need to know that if and when Iran attempts to run that blockade again, you will not stand in the way of Israel taking out that ship. We desperately need to know that when the rockets supplied by Iran and Russia fall on Israel from Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza this summer as promised, you will not stand idly by upon the blood of the only nation in the Middle East who is a true friend. We desperately need to know that when Iran finally makes her bomb or gets close to it, you will support Israel’s response to protecting herself.
Mr. President, expediency must not be greater than honor and righteous behavior. There are people out there preparing for another final solution. You must not enable them to do this. Walk in the footsteps of LBJ, not the footsteps of Jimmy Carter.
Sincerely,
Leonard H. Berman
July 6, 2010
President Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington D.C. 20500
Dear President Obama,
As you move forward in your effort to establish peace in the Middle East and meet with the representative of both Israel and the Arab Palestinians, you need to review the history of this effort. As you read of the efforts of Israel to make peace, and the Arab response, you may conclude as I have concluded that the only thing that will satisfy the Arabs is the destruction of the Jewish state. Hamas wants to destroy Israel now, while Fatah is willing to wait. Abbas was Arafat’s second in command for all the years Arafat dictated terror, and though Abbas wears a suit, he, like his predecessor will not want Arab history to remember him as the man who capitulated to Israel and made peace. He will find some reason not to accept a two state solution, and there will be a Third Intafada to which Israel will respond to protect herself and she will be routinely condemned by the world. You know this as well as I.
Israel is dealing with an implacable enemy, as we are dealing with an implacable enemy in Iran and Afghanistan, and while it may be expedient to put the pressure on Israel so you can gain favor with the Arab nations and the extreme Left in America, such pressure is not just. And when your efforts all fall apart because Hamas and Fatah will never recognize the right of Israel to exist nor will they change their charter calling for Israel’s total destruction, you will also be amazed at how you were duped into believing that Abbas was really sincere in wanting peace. When that happened under the Clinton Presidency, he recognized who was at fault and laid the blame at Arafat’s feet. Will you have the courage to do the same when Abbas backs off?
Here is your history lesson.
Israel’s Efforts to Exchange Land for Peace
First attempt: The Rhodes armistice conference of February 1949 where Israel offers to return territory gained in the 1948 war.
Arab Response: Arabs refuse and illegally occupy the remaining land UN had envisioned as a Palestinian state. Jordan takes West Bank and Egypt the Gaza. In 1951, King Abdullah of Jordan and Palestine is assassinated for seeking peace.
Second attempt: After the Six Day war in 1967, Israel offers to return the West Bank and Gaza for peace. Arab Response: At Khartoum conference summer of 1967, Arafat convinces Arab dictators to unanimously reject Israel’s offer.
Third attempt: In July 1970, Egypt and Jordan accepted U.S. Secretary of State William Rogers’ plan for Israel’s withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza in exchange for peace and recognition.
Arab Response: The Rogers plan was denounced by Arafat and he organized riots to prevent a political solution.
Fourth attempt: Between 1978-1982 the Camp David Accords demonstrate that land for peace is a reality. Treaty is signed and Egypt gets a phased Sinai withdrawal, removal of settlements, and the oil fields which Israel developed. Israel got a peace treaty.
Arab Response: Arafat rejects invitation and escalates terrorism. Egyptian president Anwar Sadat is assassinated by Islamic extremists.
Fifth attempt: Saudi Arabia at the Arab Summit Conference in Fez in 1981 calls for a declaration of a Palestinian state. Arab Response: Rejected because it would mean a defacto recognition of Israel. Hamas begins the First Intifada in 1987.
Sixth attempt: The talks in Madrid in 1991 brought together the United States, the USSR, Israeli delegates, leading Palestinian families, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan to get peace talks started and create an agenda. PLO excluded. Arab Response: Arab leaders flew almost daily from Madrid to Tunis to receive orders from Arafat who was in exile. He promised he could still destroy Israel.
Seventh attempt: In 1993 the Oslo Accords allowed the Palestinian Arabs 98% of self-government, authority over social and economic concerns, an infusion of billions of dollars, and self-government in five years in exchange for an end to the incitement and terrorism.
Arab Response: Palestinian Arab response was a continuation of terrorism and the billions squandered.
Eighth attempt: 1994 Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty stated that 90% of Israeli administered land returned for peace. Jordan relinquished any claim of sovereignty in the West Bank.
Ninth attempt: At the 2000 Camp David II and Taba 2001 negotiations, the Barak government offered Palestinians 97% of the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.
Arab Response: The Second Intifada was unleashed by Arafat. It had been planned since Arafat returned from Camp David negotiations. It had nothing to do with Sharon’s visit to the Temple Mount.
Tenth attempt: 2002 Phased Road Map to Peace is supported by United States, United Nations, European Union, and Russia. They agree on a two state solution where violence and terrorism would be eliminated.
Arab Response: Terrorist groups rejected the Road Map and both Arafat and Abbas declared their commitment to continuing terror activities against Israel.
Eleventh attempt: Unilateral withdrawal from Gaza to “jump-start the peace process.” Millions in high-tech infrastructure was left behind for Palestinian use in economic development.
Arab Response: Infrastructure destroyed. Hamas declares terror had won the concession, so terror would continue. Hezbollah attacks in north. Rockets fall on Israel in north and south.
Twelfth attempt: ? The Obama Attempt
Mr. President, please take seriously the reality of this situation. Israel exists because it has forcefully repelled the terrorists and enemy armies despite the condemnation of a biased world. The do what they do to survive. Most nations have aligned themselves against Israel for Arab oil, or because of a centuries’ old systemic Jew hatred, or a combination of both.
Hamas, Fatah, Hezboula, and any other Jihadist organization cannot be trusted to be a partner for peace. Ten years ago the National Catholic Reporter quoted an Iman as saying, “Thanks to your democratic laws, we will invade you. Thanks to our religious laws, we will dominate you.” These organizations use democratic principals to subvert democracy. We saw what Hamas did to those who opposed them after they were “democratically” elected.
Make some demands on Fatah and Hamas such as changing their charter and acknowledging the right of Israel to exist. Make that a condition of your support. Demand that the Red Cross be allowed to visit Gilad Shalit in prison. Even Iran let mothers in to see their children. See if the Arab world will pressure the Palestinian Arabs for those two concessions before you insist that Israel sues for peace with groups who want only her destruction.
Cordially,
Leonard H. Berman, A Very Shaky Democrat
P.S. The last form letter you sent me was an insult to my intelligence and addressed none of my concerns. Please do not send another.
President Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington D.C. 20500
Dear President Obama,
As you move forward in your effort to establish peace in the Middle East and meet with the representative of both Israel and the Arab Palestinians, you need to review the history of this effort. As you read of the efforts of Israel to make peace, and the Arab response, you may conclude as I have concluded that the only thing that will satisfy the Arabs is the destruction of the Jewish state. Hamas wants to destroy Israel now, while Fatah is willing to wait. Abbas was Arafat’s second in command for all the years Arafat dictated terror, and though Abbas wears a suit, he, like his predecessor will not want Arab history to remember him as the man who capitulated to Israel and made peace. He will find some reason not to accept a two state solution, and there will be a Third Intafada to which Israel will respond to protect herself and she will be routinely condemned by the world. You know this as well as I.
Israel is dealing with an implacable enemy, as we are dealing with an implacable enemy in Iran and Afghanistan, and while it may be expedient to put the pressure on Israel so you can gain favor with the Arab nations and the extreme Left in America, such pressure is not just. And when your efforts all fall apart because Hamas and Fatah will never recognize the right of Israel to exist nor will they change their charter calling for Israel’s total destruction, you will also be amazed at how you were duped into believing that Abbas was really sincere in wanting peace. When that happened under the Clinton Presidency, he recognized who was at fault and laid the blame at Arafat’s feet. Will you have the courage to do the same when Abbas backs off?
Here is your history lesson.
Israel’s Efforts to Exchange Land for Peace
First attempt: The Rhodes armistice conference of February 1949 where Israel offers to return territory gained in the 1948 war.
Arab Response: Arabs refuse and illegally occupy the remaining land UN had envisioned as a Palestinian state. Jordan takes West Bank and Egypt the Gaza. In 1951, King Abdullah of Jordan and Palestine is assassinated for seeking peace.
Second attempt: After the Six Day war in 1967, Israel offers to return the West Bank and Gaza for peace. Arab Response: At Khartoum conference summer of 1967, Arafat convinces Arab dictators to unanimously reject Israel’s offer.
Third attempt: In July 1970, Egypt and Jordan accepted U.S. Secretary of State William Rogers’ plan for Israel’s withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza in exchange for peace and recognition.
Arab Response: The Rogers plan was denounced by Arafat and he organized riots to prevent a political solution.
Fourth attempt: Between 1978-1982 the Camp David Accords demonstrate that land for peace is a reality. Treaty is signed and Egypt gets a phased Sinai withdrawal, removal of settlements, and the oil fields which Israel developed. Israel got a peace treaty.
Arab Response: Arafat rejects invitation and escalates terrorism. Egyptian president Anwar Sadat is assassinated by Islamic extremists.
Fifth attempt: Saudi Arabia at the Arab Summit Conference in Fez in 1981 calls for a declaration of a Palestinian state. Arab Response: Rejected because it would mean a defacto recognition of Israel. Hamas begins the First Intifada in 1987.
Sixth attempt: The talks in Madrid in 1991 brought together the United States, the USSR, Israeli delegates, leading Palestinian families, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan to get peace talks started and create an agenda. PLO excluded. Arab Response: Arab leaders flew almost daily from Madrid to Tunis to receive orders from Arafat who was in exile. He promised he could still destroy Israel.
Seventh attempt: In 1993 the Oslo Accords allowed the Palestinian Arabs 98% of self-government, authority over social and economic concerns, an infusion of billions of dollars, and self-government in five years in exchange for an end to the incitement and terrorism.
Arab Response: Palestinian Arab response was a continuation of terrorism and the billions squandered.
Eighth attempt: 1994 Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty stated that 90% of Israeli administered land returned for peace. Jordan relinquished any claim of sovereignty in the West Bank.
Ninth attempt: At the 2000 Camp David II and Taba 2001 negotiations, the Barak government offered Palestinians 97% of the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.
Arab Response: The Second Intifada was unleashed by Arafat. It had been planned since Arafat returned from Camp David negotiations. It had nothing to do with Sharon’s visit to the Temple Mount.
Tenth attempt: 2002 Phased Road Map to Peace is supported by United States, United Nations, European Union, and Russia. They agree on a two state solution where violence and terrorism would be eliminated.
Arab Response: Terrorist groups rejected the Road Map and both Arafat and Abbas declared their commitment to continuing terror activities against Israel.
Eleventh attempt: Unilateral withdrawal from Gaza to “jump-start the peace process.” Millions in high-tech infrastructure was left behind for Palestinian use in economic development.
Arab Response: Infrastructure destroyed. Hamas declares terror had won the concession, so terror would continue. Hezbollah attacks in north. Rockets fall on Israel in north and south.
Twelfth attempt: ? The Obama Attempt
Mr. President, please take seriously the reality of this situation. Israel exists because it has forcefully repelled the terrorists and enemy armies despite the condemnation of a biased world. The do what they do to survive. Most nations have aligned themselves against Israel for Arab oil, or because of a centuries’ old systemic Jew hatred, or a combination of both.
Hamas, Fatah, Hezboula, and any other Jihadist organization cannot be trusted to be a partner for peace. Ten years ago the National Catholic Reporter quoted an Iman as saying, “Thanks to your democratic laws, we will invade you. Thanks to our religious laws, we will dominate you.” These organizations use democratic principals to subvert democracy. We saw what Hamas did to those who opposed them after they were “democratically” elected.
Make some demands on Fatah and Hamas such as changing their charter and acknowledging the right of Israel to exist. Make that a condition of your support. Demand that the Red Cross be allowed to visit Gilad Shalit in prison. Even Iran let mothers in to see their children. See if the Arab world will pressure the Palestinian Arabs for those two concessions before you insist that Israel sues for peace with groups who want only her destruction.
Cordially,
Leonard H. Berman, A Very Shaky Democrat
P.S. The last form letter you sent me was an insult to my intelligence and addressed none of my concerns. Please do not send another.