JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People

Obama, The Dersh & Obama angst

By Ami Eden · July 7, 2009

Alan Dershowitz recently published an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal rejecting the argument that U.S.-Israeli tensions over settlements means Barack Obama is bad for the Jewish state:

There may be coming changes in the Obama administration's policies that do weaken the security of the Jewish state. Successful presidential candidates often soften their support for Israel once they are elected. So with Iran's burgeoning nuclear threat, it's important to be vigilant for any signs of weakening support for Israel's security -- and to criticize forcefully any such change. But getting tough on settlement expansion should not be confused with undercutting Israel's security.

Commentary's Jonathan Tobin thinks The Dersh is full of ... well, this is a family site, so call it chutzpah.

... none of [Obama's Jewish supporters] have as much to answer for as Harvard Law’s Alan Dershowitz who used his status as a celebrity author and personality to good effect on Obama’s behalf. It should be stipulated that while Dershowitz is, and always has been, a proud and loud liberal and though his sympathies have always similarly been with the Left of the Israeli political spectrum, there can be no questioning his long and honorable record of backing Israel. Few have been as articulate in making a principled stand on behalf of its right to self-defense against terrorism. Indeed, last year he argued that George W. Bush had earned the right to be considered a great friend of Israel (something most liberals would never admit to). But he nevertheless considered an Obama victory as a victory for Zionism, specifically because having a popular liberal president who cared about the Jewish state would be an improvement over a situation in which its greatest American champion was a deeply unpopular conservative Republican.

All of this makes Obama’s flipping on Israel issues during the last six months an acute embarrassment for Dershowitz, who tries to argue his way out of a corner in an unpersuasive op-ed in today’s Wall Street Journal. ...

Dershowitz understands that the fears about Obama’s betrayal of his pro-Israel supporters are real. He even goes so far as to say that “there may be coming changes in the Obama administration’s policies that do weaken the security of the Jewish state … with Iran’s burgeoning nuclear threat, it’s important to be vigilant for any signs of weakening support for Israel’s security -- and to criticize forcefully any such change.” He’s right about that. But he’s wrong when he tries in vain to pretend that such a moment didn’t arrive months ago.

In related news ... The Forward reports on Israelis' worries about Obama. Ha'aretz offers a more narrow angle, focusing on why Russian-speaking Jews "don't trust" the U.S. president.

And Gary Rosenblatt dedicated his most recent column to "Whispered Worries About Obama," with several prominent Jewish communal leaders raising questions or saying they've been hearing concerns from others.

• Abe Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League: "What troubles me most is a lack of consultation and the need [for the administration] to do things publicly. There’s a [U.S.-Israel] relationship of 60 years and all of a sudden they’re treating Israel like everyone else. I find that disturbing."
  
• David Harris of the American Jewish Committee said that he is "hearing a growing number of questions and concerns about the U.S.-Israel relationship, and a sense that the Obama administration’s response to the Iran crisis was slower than it should have been."
• Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said that "judging from phone calls" he has received, and other responses, "there is an increasing unease" about a number of the Obama administration’s recent statements and actions.

Rosenblatt's conclusion:

For now, it’s important for supporters of Israel to make their voices heard, pointing out the nuances and critical distinctions in discussing "the settlements"; emphasizing that the crux of the problem is and has always been Palestinian intransigence, terrorism and refusal to accept a Jewish state; and pressing Washington for a clear policy on dealing with Iran, and the Palestinians, beyond diplomacy.

UPDATE: Heard from a ZOAnik who pointed out that his organization has been criticizing Obama for a while. My response: Yes, but that's to be expected.

UPDATE II: Someone asked me if I meant that last line in a disparaging way. The answer: No. The point that I did a bad job of making was that ZOA coming out with tough criticisms of Obama -- or George W. Bush for that matter -- is nothing new (stiff neck or stiff spine, take your pick). So I think, when you're talking about whether Jewish public and/or organizational opinion is shifting against Obama, ZOA's Mort Klein speaking out is not as instructive an indicator as, say, Hoenlein, Harris or Foxman.