Obama Beginning to Reap What He Has Sown

The Rapid Decline of a Presidency

It has been very interesting to watch the downward spiral of the Obama Presidency after his very public and celebrated Cairo speech to the Moslem world in June of this year.

As I have previously noted in this blog, in that speech Obama (and I will summarize) subtly but clearly shifted the blame for the Middle East crisis from the Palestinian and Arab nations to Israel. President Obama became one of the leading “accusers” of Israel despite his verbal affirmation of the US longstanding and positive position as the protector of Israel.

In addition, after a gentle “wrist slap” for persistent Arab Moslem  terrorist violence against the Jewish state, he then makes Israeli settlement expansion in Judea and Samaria his number one agenda item for  resolving the Middle East crisis. His State department has consequently taken an increasingly public and hostile stance towards Israel, making Israel out in the public eye to be the “enemy” of peace in the middle East.

Even the liberal Washington Post observed:

One of the more striking results of the Obama administration’s first 6 months is that only one country has worse relations with the United States than it did in January: Israel. The new administration has pushed the reset button with Russia and sent new ambassadors to Syria and Venezuela; it has offered olive branches to Cuba and Burma. But for nearly three months it has been locked in a public confrontation with Israel…if he is to be effective in brokering a peace deal, Mr. Obama must be tough on more than one country, or one party to the conflict.

So, over this past summer, what have been the consequences for Obama’s Cairo speech and negative shift in US relations with Israel?

Palestinian Response:

Palestinian leadership has become much more intransigent and less willing to negotiate with Israel. They simply echo Obama’s position and hide behind his measured negativity towards Israel. As Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat boldly asserts concerning PM Netanyahu’s compromise plan for limiting housing expansion in West Bank settlements, the only thing suspended by this announcement will be the peace process. This is absolutely unacceptable. The real Israeli official answer is being conducted on the ground by continuing the building of housing units and settlements.

Erekat describes Netanyahu’s compromise as “total defiance” to US calls for a settlement freeze.

Israeli Response:

A recent Smith Research Institute poll in Israel discovered the following:

• Only 4% of Israelis believe President Obama is pro-Israel or sympathetic to Israel…down from 31% in January.
• This is in stark contrast to the 88% of Israelis that believed George W. Bush was sympathetic towards Israel.
• 51% of Israelis believe that Obama is pro-Palestinian.
• Quoting a Tom Gross Media assessment, …even many left wing Israelis rallied behind the government of Benjamin Netanyahu in his confrontation with Obama after the State Department summoned the Israeli ambassador to Washington in July and told him two families of Jews could not live in a private home, long owned by Jews, in the heart of Jerusalem, and that the Jerusalem municipal authorities should not have evicted two Palestinian families who had been squatting in the property and had not paid the Jewish owner any rent since 1985.

Since turning against Israel what has happened to his Presidency?

President Obama has gone from one who had the magic touch in politics and had unprecedented favor not only in the US but around the world to one that is in steep decline. Here  is some of the evidence:

• His job approval rating has plummeted from 60% positive in April to 45% in August. A record for a new President.
• Just 37% of the all important independent voters still approve his job performance. 59% disapprove.
• 55% of voters now see the country as seriously off-track.
• His healthcare plan is in serious trouble.
• Many experts believe that if this downward trend continues it will signal a large turnaround at the ballot box in 2010 for the Democratic Party he represents.
• This could signal a powerful erosion of his authority and ability to govern as he is now.

I will conclude with this – Isaiah 49: 25-26

In this prophetic chapter concerning the End of Days and restoration of Israel, God sounds this warning to the enemies of Israel,

Can the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captives of a tyrant be rescued? For thus says the Lord: even the captives of the mighty will be taken and the prey of the tyrant be rescued. For I will contend with those who contend with you (Israel) and I will save your children…Then all flesh shall know that I am the Lord your Saviour and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. (Is.49:25-26)

Joel Chernoff

Part IV: Obama’s Stunning Turnaround on Iranian Nuclear Threat

After the September 11 Moslem terrorist attacks on the US, President George W. Bush, as well as the rest of the world, came to the logical conclusion that the radical Moslem terrorists and their state sponsors must be prevented access to nuclear weapons. We all know that if the terrorists have them they will use them against the US and the west in general. That is essentially a significant reason the US attacked Iraq and why President George W. Bush threatened military action against Iran during his Presidency.

Iranian Threat

Iran has been one of, if not the leading, state sponsor of Muslim terrorism. The whole world knows this and has explored every peaceful means to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons…to no avail. Iranian President Ahmadinejad has made it very clear that Iran will develop nuclear weapons and has threatened to use them against Israel in particular and the US through its links to terrorist group it is sponsoring or associated with.

Obama’s new US policy

Obama appears to ignore the previous assessments of US Presidents, the European Union (EU) and even the UN. It is important to understand how Obama views himself and the world on this issue.

In Cairo he revealed his long term view on nuclear arms and how he would apply his approach in the short term to the Middle East conflict. In his own words:

I understand those who protest that some countries have weapons that others do not. No single nation should pick and choose which nations hold nuclear weapons. That is why I strongly reaffirmed America’s commitment to seek a world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons. And any nation – including Iran – should have the right to access peaceful nuclear power if it complies with it’s responsibilities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). That commitment is at the core of the Treaty, and it must be kept for all who fully abide by it. And I am hopeful that all countries in the region can share in this goal.

Summary of President Obama’s Philosophy on Nuclear Energy

• He believes in a nuclear bomb free world.
• He believes that all nations should have the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
• He believes that all nations that desire nuclear energy must sign on to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and abide by its peaceful objectives. 

Obama’s Nuclear Strategy for the Middle East

• He knows the Arabs/Iranians will not sign the NPT unless Israel signs it, and eliminates its nuclear weapons. This is the reason he is pressuring Israel to do so. By the way, if Israel complied it would be a strategic coup for the enemies of Israel. A nuclear weapons free Israel would be a much more tempting target and easier enemy to defeat.
• By pressuring Israel he believes it gives him the moral authority to do the same with Iran.
• He is willing to trust Iran with nuclear power for energy purposes if they will sign the NPT and “promise” the world they will be “good boys and girls”.

Is Obama really that naive or stupid?

• Doesn’t he realize that Israel is surrounded by 250 million Muslim Arabs dedicated to the destruction of the State of Israel?
• Doesn’t he understand that there are another billion Moslem’s- yes even so called moderate Moslems – around the world that also support that objective?
• Doesn’t he understand that for the Moslem world the baseline issue is theological/spiritual not political and Israel’s existence is an affront to the Moslem world on religious grounds

The answer…

President Obama is very smart and has many brilliant advisors. I believe he understands the situation but has come to the conclusion that he is ready to gamble with or change America’s relationship with Israel (in my opinion for the worse) in order to achieve his objectives towards solving the Middle East conflict and reaching detente with Iran and the Arabs. I believe that Obama believes that if he can just get into the same room with these Moslem hard-liners that he has the personal charm and skills to change their minds and impose his will.

Of course Israel will not agree to disarm its nuclear weapons and neither will Iran agree to discontinue its drive towards developing nuclear weapons.

How far will Obama go with Israel? No one knows. Stay tuned.

Joel Chernoff

~The views contained in The Joel Chernoff Report are not necessarily views held by the MJAA~

Analysis: Obama’s Cairo Speech (Part 1)

Preface

Obama in Cairo

Okay, okay . . . I know this post is a little late…but it has given me time to read and dissect Obama’s much anticipated speech to the Muslim world. In addition, I have read various news accounts and political pundit’s analyses of the speech and what they believe the significance might be.

Now it’s my turn. I have developed a four part series highlighting the most important issues as I see them. The articles are as follows:

• Part I – Islam and Religious Freedom…A Dilemma
• Part II – Palestinian/Israeli Conflict
• Part III – Why does Osama Bin Laden Hate Obama?
• Part IV – Confusing Turnaround on Iran’s Nuclear Capability

Supernatural Love

Several years ago, through quite unusual circumstances, God gave me a love…a supernatural love for my Moslem Arab cousins. This despite the fact that some of my Arab cousins have waged a fifty year war to destroy Israel and appear to hate the Jewish people. As I shared in the very first TJCR blog, I know that one day soon God will change all of that. I preface this article with a personal revelation because I want you to know that I am speaking what I believe is the truth not with rancor or anger but in love.

Part I – Islam and Freedom of Religion…A Dilemma

Shortly into President Obama’s Cairo speech he stated the following:

I have come to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect; and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap and share common principles – principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.

There are two ideas in that Obama’s statement that are just plain wrong. He says:

• Islam is not exclusive and not competitive with us and…
• Islam is tolerant and believes in the dignity of all men.

Along with President Obama, President George W. Bush and others have tried to assert for political reasons that somehow Islam is a peaceful religion and that radical Moslem terrorists have hijacked this peaceful Islamic religion.

This is a myth…a political fable

9-11 Terrorist Attack

The truth is that Islam is intolerant, aggressively competitive and violent at its core. Why. . . because its base theology teaches this. Islam’s objective is not to coexist peacefully in a tolerant world of religious freedom but to convert the world to Islam, if necessary, at the point of a sword. Every Muslim knows this because it is preached in mosques throughout the world.

Here are a few examples from Islam’s holy books:

• “O Ye who believe! Murder those of the unbelievers…and let them find harshness in you.” [Koran, Repentance: 123]
• “Humiliate the non-Muslims to such an extent that they surrender and pay tribute.” [Koran, Repentance: 29]
• According to the Koran, the Jews try to introduce corruption (5:64), have always been disobedient (5:78), and are the enemies of Allah, the Prophet (Mohammed) and the angels (2:97-98)
• A Muslims life is spared even if he kills a Christian intentionally, while a Muslim may only be required to die if he kills another Muslim. On the other hand, if a non-Muslim merely curses a Muslim, he must either be sentenced to death or be converted on the spot. The reason, as Mohammed said is that only Muslims’ blood is regarded equal.
• As hundreds of thousands of Iranian Bahais found out when Ayatollah Khomeini took power, “any non-Muslim who is not a Jew or Christian is to be immediately executed if they do not convert on the spot to Islam. Jews and Christians are allowed to keep their religion as second class slaves with no civil rights and extra taxes not paid by Muslims.”

Islam’s Objective?

Plain and simple…that the world be unified under the crescent moon flag of Islam.

The Dilemma

The US and Western Europe are democracies which hold religious freedom as a fundamental right.  However, these democracies envision a free environment based on the assumption that all religions coexist peacefully.

This is where things go terribly wrong.

Islamic Terrorist

Since Islam’s objective is that the world be converted by whatever means necessary it is by definition subversive and anti-democratic. Islam will simply use the freedom found in the west to subvert a country’s freedom and accomplish its religious objective.

So what does the US and other democratic countries do?

To outlaw the Moslem faith and expel all adherents to Islam would get the job done but would be by definition anti-democratic and contradictory to our own constitutional principle of religious freedom. There is no doubt that there are many nominal/secular in name only Moslems that would be perfectly happy to live a peaceful life in a free society.

However, knowing the true agenda of the radical Islamists and the aggressive combative nature of Islam’s theology, to let Islam grow within our borders unabated would be self defeating and dangerous to the future of freedom in the US.

Our founding fathers never envisioned that the constitution’s very freedoms would be used to undermine its existence by a religion that is subversive to its existence.

What is the answer?

An answer to this dilemma requires the wisdom of Solomon. The only answer I can offer is to pray for a spiritual revival in this country and wait for God to move supernaturally to resolve the Middle East Arab/Israeli crisis as described in the Final Arab/Jewish War.

Remember – There is only one God. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of Israel; and His agenda trumps all others!

Be sure to read Part II – Palestinian/Israeli Conflict, posting tomorrow!

Joel Chernoff

~The views contained in The Joel Chernoff Report are not necessarily views held by the MJAA~

Important: Pre-Obama Cairo Speech Analysis

In the last few days before his much anticipated speech in Cairo, Egypt, President Obama has chosen to speak, not just through surrogates, but also directly as to the direction he is headed with the Middle East conflict and Israel.

Here are a few of the important statements he has made with my translation as to their meaning:

 

• Obama: Although the US needs to maintain its strong support for Israel, Washington also has to be “honest” with Israel regarding the direction in which the region is heading, even if this includes resorting to “tough love”.
• Translation: Previous Presidents have not been strong enough to make Israel do what it should and needs to do for the best interests of Israel and the US. He, President Obama, is tough enough and determined enough to make Israel do what other President’s did not have the will to do and force Israel to comply with his plan for the Middle East. 
• Obama: I don’t think (emphasis mine) we have to change strong support for Israel. We do have to retain a constant belief in the possibilities of negotiations that will lead to peace, and that’s going to require, from my view, a two-state solution.
• Translation: The 50 year position the US has taken of standing with Israel through “thick and thin” is no longer a sure thing. In order to maintain US support, Israel must now do what Obama  feels is the right way to handle things. It’s Obama’s way or the highway.
• Obama: Part of being a good friend is being “honest” and I think there have been times where we were not as we should be about the fact that the current direction, the current trajectory in the region is profoundly negative, not only for Israeli interests but also US interests. And that’s part of a new dialogue that I’d like to see encouraged in the region.
• Translation: There is a new sheriff in town and I am going to try a radically new approach of courting the Muslims and if necessary sacrificing our long term relationship with Israel if they do not act in the best interests for the US.
• Obama: The United States has to follow through on what it says. It is important for us to be clear about what we believe will lead to peace – and that there is no equivocation.
• Translation: I mean what I say and I say what I mean. I am not backing down so don’t challenge me on this or you will force me to play “hardball” with you.

So How is PM Netanyahu Taking All of This?

This is the first time I have heard an Israeli Prime Minister flat out contradict a US President in public. Usually statecraft dictates handling things indirectly and discreetly. President Obama has left Netanyahu no options. Netanyahu’s response has been…

• The demand to freeze all settlement growth even natural growth is “unreasonable”.
• He also said, “It is likely that we are not going to reach an agreement with the Americans regarding settlement construction.”

Conclusion

The possibility of a deep rift between Israel and this President’s administration is very high. 

How is the Palestinian Authority Responding?

PA President Abbas was not only surprised and happy with this unexpected turn of events but also made it very clear from news sources that there are a few items that Obama has proposed in his new Middle East plans which are completely unacceptable to the Palestinians. They are as follows:

• The right of return of millions of Palestinian refugees to Israel.
• The establishment of an independent state with all of East Jerusalem including the Old City as its capital.
• Lastly Abbas has said, “The only way to achieve real and lasting peace is by forcing Israel to withdraw from all the territories that were occupied in 1967.”

Is the Cairo Speech Important?

As you can see, his speech tomorrow could signal a complete change in US relations with Israel and the Muslim world. This President believes he can handle the religious fanaticism of radical Islam. In short I believe he feels he can solve the world’s problems if you just give him what he wants and enough time. 

Where is this headed prophetically?

There is no absolute certainty yet but I believe that unless Obama pulls back from the harsh measures he is planning (i.e. the tough love he has talked about) to make Israel compliant with his new Middle East plan he will force Israel into a final Arab/Israeli war. Unless Israel gives Obama what he wants, which I do not believe is going to happen–Israel will have no other choice than to attempt to resolve the conflict once and for all militarily.

Keep one eye on this speech tomorrow and one eye on Isaiah 11 which describes the Final Arab/Israeli war. I will blog on this more in the future.

Joel Chernoff

~The views contained in The Joel Chernoff Report are not necessarily views held by the MJAA~