Haaretz dedicated its front page today to a full transcript of Barack Obama's impressive victory speech, translated into Hebrew. Reporters and news anchors can't wipe the smiles off their faces, even as they ask what Obama's victory means to Israel. Of couse, Israelis are also very happy about the expected appointment of Rahm Emanuel, the son of Israeli parents, as White House chief of staff.
Anybody who thought Israel would go into mourning over the end of Republican rule was wrong. We may have some concerns about Obama, but we are quite confident that Israeli-American relations will remain close.
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I blame it on the Librul Medja, lol...
ReplyDeleteNo, seriously, it surprised me too: about Obama so many vicious rumours have been spread and they certainly have achieved one thing; to create the illusion that Obama will be bad for Israel. This, at least for the moment, is an illusion: I've challenged some of my rightwing Jewish blogrollers to find one Obama statement that would clearly be seen as a departure from current US policy vis-à-vis Israel, I don't think that can be found.
From my perspective that's a little disappointing, albeit predictable. And with an in-tray his size, I doubt if Obama will want to intervene in any way shape or form in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the foreseeable future.
But a highly successful first term, assuming that's what it'll be, might make that prospect into a legacy-project...