After Iran deal, Obama struggles to gain Israel's trust

[webfact]

After Iran deal, Obama struggles to gain Israel's trust
By JOSEF FEDERMAN

JERUSALEM (AP) — Seeking to sell his nuclear deal with Iran to a skeptical Israeli public, President Barack Obama has repeatedly declared his deep affection for the Jewish state. But the feelings do not appear to be mutual.

Wide swaths of the Israeli public, particularly supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have little trust in the American leader, considering him naive and even hostile. One recent poll showed less than a tenth considered him "pro-Israel."

Such misgivings bode poorly for Obama as he tries to repair ties with Israel in the final year of his presidency, and they would certainly complicate any renewed effort at brokering peace between Israel and its neighbors — once a major Obama ambition.

The tense personal relationship between Netanyahu and Obama are certainly a factor in the poor state of affairs, and Netanyahu has made a number of missteps that have contributed to the tensions.

On a trip to the White House in 2011, the Israeli leader appeared to lecture Obama on the pitfalls of Mideast peacemaking. Netanyahu has close ties to the billionaire Republican donor Sheldon Adelson, and during the 2012 presidential race, Netanyahu appeared to favor Obama's challenger, Mitt Romney.

Netanyahu's U.S.-born ambassador to Washington, Ron Dermer, is a former Republican activist, and earlier this year, Netanyahu angered the White House by delivering a speech to Congress against the emerging Iran deal at the invitation of Republican leaders. Netanyahu has continued to lobby American lawmakers to oppose the Iran deal since it was finalized in July.

But Obama also bears responsibility for a number of policy decisions that have jolted Israelis' faith in him.

"The average Israeli probably thinks that he is a nice guy, but he is naive," said Alexander Yakobson, a historian at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. In Israeli eyes, "he doesn't get the Middle East, doesn't understand how the Mideast functions, and he doesn't therefore understand what dangers Israel has to face," he added.

Yakobson said the president's missteps went back to his earliest days in office, when he chose to deliver a landmark speech in Cairo seeking to repair American relations with the Arab world. "That was never going to make him popular in Israel," he said.

Yakobson, who himself agrees with Obama's opposition to Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank, said the president had nonetheless mishandled disagreements with Netanyahu over the issue and peace efforts with the Palestinians that collapsed last year. Many Israelis, he said, believe the Palestinians also deserve some of the blame.

But the biggest issue has been the U.S.-led nuclear agreement with Iran. Politicians across the spectrum have come out against the deal, agreeing with Netanyahu's assessment that it does not have sufficient safeguards to prevent Iran from gaining the ability to make a nuclear bomb and that it will boost Iran's influence across the region. Iran is a key backer of Israel's toughest enemies, and Netanyahu has warned that the ending of sanctions against Iran will result in more money and arms flowing to groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Recent opinion polls reflect these sentiments. In one survey published Sunday in the Maariv daily, 77 percent of respondents said the deal endangers Israel, compared to 15 percent who said it didn't. The poll interviewed 500 people and had a margin of error of 4.3 percentage points.

An April survey of Jewish Israelis, carried out just after a preliminary nuclear deal with Iran was reached, had an equally harsh view of Obama. Just 9 percent of respondents described the White House as "pro-Israeli," while 60 percent called it "pro-Palestinian." More than 60 percent described Obama as the worst president for Israel in the past 30 years, far outdistancing runner-up Jimmy Carter at 16 percent.

That survey, conducted by the Panels Politics agency with the Jewish Journal, questioned 503 Jewish Israelis and had a margin of error of 4.6 percentage points.

In a survey of 40 countries, the Pew Research Center found the sharpest decline in Obama's image over the past year occurred in Israel, where confidence slipped from 71 percent to 49 percent.

At times, the anger toward Obama in Israel is palpable. On the streets and in online news forums, Israelis often refer to Obama by his middle name "Hussein," a reference to his Muslim heritage on his father's side. Last year, after an anonymous White House official used a pejorative term to describe Netanyahu as cowardly, Cabinet Minister Naftali Bennett warned that Obama was "throwing Israel under the bus."

For his part, Obama has acknowledged feeling hurt. In an address to American Jewish leaders last month, Obama underscored his deep commitment to Israel's security and likened the debate over the Iran deal to a dispute within the family.

"I would suggest that, in terms of the tone of this debate, everybody keep in mind that we're all pro-Israel," he said. "And we have to make sure that we don't impugn people's motives."

Obama has said that with the Iran deal complete, he would like to begin working with Israel on ways to increase its security and allay fears about the deal. The Haaretz daily on Sunday said talks on providing Israel with additional U.S. weaponry have already quietly begun. Netanyahu's office declined comment.

But even if the two countries do manage to reach a new security deal, it seems unlikely that Obama will be able to repair the relationship with Netanyahu or restart Mideast peace efforts. The differences just run too deep.

The White House has said it is trying to set up a meeting between Obama and Netanyahu for November, which would be their first meeting since the Iran deal was finalized.

Yoram Ettinger, a former Israeli consul-general in Houston, said the issues here have little to do with personalities or alleged hostilities on the part of Obama. "It's an issue of a gap between two very different world views," he said.

He said that in Israeli eyes, Obama is unrealistic, sending a message of weakness through his handling of the so-called Arab Spring over the past five years and by trusting an Iranian government with such a long record of defying the international community and supporting violent groups across the region.

"Are you rooted in reality or are you rooted in wishful thinking," he said.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-09-14

[JakeSully]

Obama doesn't care, he's already won his two terms and his legacy despite Mr. Netanyahu's yelling and screaming and pandering and endorsing Mitt Romney. The American people trusted Obama over Romney. Israel's trust doesn't matter since it doesn't have any electoral votes in our electoral college. Articles like these are just sour grapes.

[ezzra]

repeatedly declared his deep affection for the Jewish state.

Yes by doing a bear service and giving Iran a Carte blanche to almost do what they like when it comes

to keeping the nuclear agreements at check,

on that it was said, With friend like you, Israel doesn't need enemies....

[Ulysses G.]

No one with any common sense would trust Obama after forcing through that screwy deal. Iran's ICBMs will be able to deliver their nukes all over the world - not just to Israel.The American people think that Barack Obama is the worst president since WW II and they are entirely correct.

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/07/poll-obama-worst-president-since-wwii-108507

[arfurcrown]

What right or indeed what rason does Israel have to dictate to America or any other nation what their government should cdo?

None at all,Israel is a state that is the catalyst for hostilities within the region it is situated in.

Self serving dictatorial and land grabbing , such a pity they themselves never learnt the lessons from their history.

Israel has its own bang bang toys and would use them if they thought need arose irrespective of the effects upon the rest of the world.

The Samson Option is the name that some military analysts and authors have given to Israel's deterrence strategy of massive retaliationwith nuclear weapons as a "last resort" if military attacks threaten its existence. Commentators also have employed the term to refer to situations where non-nuclear, non-Israeli actions, have threatened conventional weapons retaliation. Two examples have been given: Yassir Arafat and Hezbollah.

Samson in the Temple of Dagon, destroying his enemies, and himself

Edited September 13, 2015 by arfurcrown

[LomSak27]

Israel is divided just like the US.

Half the country supports what Obama is doing, the other half bellows it's the end of the world and actively interferes in US politics, a la Netn-yahoo appearance for his Republican cronies.

[Ulysses G.]

Israel is divided just like the US.

Half the country supports what Obama is doing, the other half bellows it's the end of the world and actively interferes in US politics, a la Netn-yahoo appearance for his Republican cronies.

Wrong. 49% of American citizens are against the crazy deal. Only 21% approve. The rest just don't care.

[Anthony5]

No one with any common sense would trust Obama after forcing through that screwy deal. Iran's ICBMs will be able to deliver their nukes all over the world - not just to Israel.The American people think that Barack Obama is the worst president since WW II and they are entirely correct.

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/07/poll-obama-worst-president-since-wwii-108507

Let me correct that for you.

The American people republicans think that Barack Obama is the worst president since WW II and they are entirely correct.

The Americans, with a functional brain, consider Obama the best thing since sliced bread.

[Anthony5]

No one with any common sense would trust Obama after forcing through that screwy deal. Iran's ICBMs will be able to deliver their nukes all over the world - not just to Israel.The American people think that Barack Obama is the worst president since WW II and they are entirely correct.

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/07/poll-obama-worst-president-since-wwii-108507

And there is me reading your own link as that Obama is the fourth BEST president since WW II, I lost count but I bet there must have been more then four since that time.

Thirty-five percent of voters said Ronald Reagan was the best president since World War II, receiving nearly twice as many votes as any other former president. Bill Clinton came in second place at 18 percent, while John F. Kennedy came in third with 15 percent of the vote and Obama came in fourth with 8 percent saying he was the best.

All other remaining presidents received 5 percent or less

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/07/poll-obama-worst-president-since-wwii-108507#ixzz3lftAhewb

Edited September 14, 2015 by Anthony5

[spiritrace]

Obama still has not delivered the list of secret deals with Iran. Congress would like to know what those were as well as the American people. Obama has lost the trust of the American people as well. His goal to destroy the country has been very effective. Corruption, lawlessness and disregard for the Constitution is just a small part of his legacy.

[Scott]

Please stay on topic and keep the discourse civil.

[Naam]

Obama still has not delivered the list of secret deals with Iran. Congress would like to know what those were as well as the American people. Obama has lost the trust of the American people as well. His goal to destroy the country has been very effective. Corruption, lawlessness and disregard for the Constitution is just a small part of his legacy.

the secret deals are a matter of national security and it's none of your business that they include

-donating Alaska to Iran to compensate for the sanctions,

-declaring Florida a Shia IS caliphate as a countermeasure to the Sunni IS,

-Obama receiving an honorary doctorate by Tabris University.

[canopus1969]

Obama still has not delivered the list of secret deals with Iran. Congress would like to know what those were as well as the American people. Obama has lost the trust of the American people as well. His goal to destroy the country has been very effective. Corruption, lawlessness and disregard for the Constitution is just a small part of his legacy.

the secret deals are a matter of national security and it's none of your business that they include

-donating Alaska to Iran to compensate for the sanctions,

-declaring Florida a Shia IS caliphate as a countermeasure to the Sunni IS,

-Obama receiving an honorary doctorate by Tabris University.

Come along, catch up - 2 are wrong :

They said no to Alaska - nothing there and too cold

Also no to Florida - too many Latinos

[Docno]

Obama still has not delivered the list of secret deals with Iran. Congress would like to know what those were as well as the American people. Obama has lost the trust of the American people as well. His goal to destroy the country has been very effective. Corruption, lawlessness and disregard for the Constitution is just a small part of his legacy.

This is the kind of right-of-Fox stuff that gives me a good laugh. Yep, Obama's over-arching goal was to destroy the country from within. Destroy it by propping up those teetering banks and car companies. Destroy it by bringing greater health coverage to the poor. Destroy it by giving the order to take down Bin Laden without notifying Pakistan in advance (something McCain said he would never do). After all, what more would you expect from a foreign-born Muslim, right?

[Ulysses G.]

Yep, Obama's over-arching goal was to destroy the country from within.

No matter what his intention is, that is exactly what he is doing by skirting the American people and constitution at every opportunity to "transform America".

This crazy nuke deal would have never passed if it had been a treaty, as it should have been. The American people are against it and so are most legislators. He got it through using partisan tricks. He might not be an actual Fifth Columnist, but he might as well be.

Edited September 14, 2015 by Ulysses G.

[Scott]

Off-topic post removed.

[hard124get]

It may well be that driving a wedge between Israel and USA might be the best action of Obama's reign.

[elgordo38]

Israel is divided just like the US.

Half the country supports what Obama is doing, the other half bellows it's the end of the world and actively interferes in US politics, a la Netn-yahoo appearance for his Republican cronies.

Wrong. 49% of American citizens are against the crazy deal. Only 21% approve. The rest just don't care.

Americans are boxed in. If their politico's do not OK the deal the other 5 countries will drop their sanctions against Iran and America would have to go it alone. Its called a sellout by your friends. Big business wants access to the Iranian market ASAP and they of course control their governments. Its not your safety that counts its all about BB gaining access to this "Virgin" market. It always strikes me as funny that people cannot see the worldwide business agenda taking place. BB gets 99% of the pie and we get the crumbs. Its always been that way but now its becoming more blatant.

[Chicog]

No one with any common sense would trust Obama after forcing through that screwy deal. Iran's ICBMs will be able to deliver their nukes all over the world

Except they couldn't hit a cow's ar$e with a banjo.

Stop the scaremongering, really.

They will never get close to that point.

[Nobb]

This will be Obama down fall in history. Israel has always supported the USA and Iran always wants to go to war with the USA. Iran is a unstable country and Israel has proven there friendship to the USA. Some people think Obama has Muslim heritage. Now i believe them!

[Chicog]

It may well be that driving a wedge between Israel and USA might be the best action of Obama's reign.

Anything that stops Israel formulating US foreign policy can only be a good thing.

[dave_boo]

Obama still has not delivered the list of secret deals with Iran. Congress would like to know what those were as well as the American people. Obama has lost the trust of the American people as well. His goal to destroy the country has been very effective. Corruption, lawlessness and disregard for the Constitution is just a small part of his legacy.

This is the kind of right-of-Fox stuff that gives me a good laugh. Yep, Obama's over-arching goal was to destroy the country from within. Destroy it by propping up those teetering banks and car companies. Destroy it by bringing greater health coverage to the poor. Destroy it by giving the order to take down Bin Laden without notifying Pakistan in advance (something McCain said he would never do). After all, what more would you expect from a foreign-born Muslim, right?

Congress approved the bailout. The economic cost of the non-comprehensive health care act are yet to be felt; more temporary positions versus full time employment to skirt the rules has a negative effect...especially for the poor.

[dave_boo]

No one with any common sense would trust Obama after forcing through that screwy deal. Iran's ICBMs will be able to deliver their nukes all over the world

Except they couldn't hit a cow's ar$e with a banjo.

Stop the scaremongering, really.

They will never get close to that point.

50% chance of death within 8 km for a mega ton nuke.

Edited September 14, 2015 by dave_boo

[ggt]

Mr. Obama has alienated himself with many world leaders over his tenure as President of the US...even America's closest allies (fewer in number today) roll their eyes at Americas lack of a coherent foreign policy and arrogance when dealing out economic, banking, and diplomatic demands...

Obama has done many irrational things both domestically and internationally which will take many years of quiet diplomacy to repair broken relationships...

His legacy will not be a pretty one...IMHO

[willyumiii]

1948 was 67 years ago.

It's time Israel grew up, learned how to get along , and stood on it's own two feet.

It's too easy to be the world's bratty teen with the U.S. standing behind you.

Why struggle for their trust?

Cut them off and push them out of the nest.

Financing people fighting over superstitions needs to stop.

Oh, wait..there is the matter of all the money Jewish Americans give to the U.S. politicians...I almost forgot!

[Anthony5]

1948 was 67 years ago.

It's time Israel grew up, learned how to get along , and stood on it's own two feet.

It's too easy to be the world's bratty teen with the U.S. standing behind you.

Why struggle for their trust?

Cut them off and push them out of the nest.

Financing people fighting over superstitions needs to stop.

Oh, wait..there is the matter of all the money Jewish Americans give to the U.S. politicians...I almost forgot!

Oh, wait..there is the matter of all the money Jewish Americans give to the U.S. politicians...I almost forgot!

I think it's more a matter of the Jews owning the American monetary system.

[Ulysses G.]

I think it's more a matter of the Jews owning the American monetary system.

Conspiracy crap!

[Srikcir]

Maybe Obama can speak before Israel's Parlament to explain the P-5+1 Deal with Iran.

(P5 are the permanent members of the UN Security Council)

[Jingthing]

It may well be that driving a wedge between Israel and USA might be the best action of Obama's reign.

Obsessive Israel demonizers and/or Iranian regime lovers don't be dancing in the streets just yet. While it is true the USA - Israel love affair is going through a rough patch it's only a temporary glitch. A new president is coming and with her the relationship will be quickly repaired.

[MisterTee]

It may well be that driving a wedge between Israel and USA might be the best action of Obama's reign.

Obsessive Israel demonizers and/or Iranian regime lovers don't be dancing in the streets just yet. While it is true the USA - Israel love affair is going through a rough patch it's only a temporary glitch. A new president is coming and with her the relationship will be quickly repaired.

The US-Israel love affair is on the rocks and it will take more than the election of Hillary Clinton to rekindle the passion.