U.S. President Barack Obama: Pressure Groups, Advisors, and More
We have received numerous queries about President Obama’s likely policies on Israel-Palestine. Below are some of the best articles we’ve found giving important background on this subject. A particularly interesting piece – and one of the least known – was in the Chicago Jewish News: Obama and the Jews.
Bush & Obama? Israeli assassinations and US Presidents Alison Weir, AntiWar.com - On January 13th the Atlanta Jewish Times featured a column by its owner-publisher suggesting that Israel might someday need to “order a hit” on the president of the United States. more
A History Lesson for Obama Henry Norr, Palestine Chronicle - With President Obama's Middle East peace plans so completely -- and humiliatingly -- shipwrecked on the rocks of Israeli intransigence, it's time for him to consider a new approach, at least if he's serious about his announced objectives. In the spirit of bipartisanship that he's so dedicated to, I suggest he look to the way Dwight D. Eisenhower handled a similar predicament a half-century ago. more
Obama Administration Takes from American Farmers, Gives to Israel Alison Weir - At a time of financial crisis in the United States in which thousands of Americans have lost their jobs and homes, an Israeli news service reports that President Obama has just signed a presidential memo eliminating a tariff on Israel that protected American dairy farmers and that raised money for the American economy. more
As US arms shipment reaches Israel, President Obama urged to halt further exports Amnesty International - The new delivery to Israel of a massive consignment of US munitions, revealed by Amnesty International today, throws into question whether President Obama will act to prevent the US fuelling further Israeli attacks against civilians that may amount to war crimes, as were perpetrated in Gaza. more
Obama and the Jews Pauline Dubkin Yearwood, The Chicago Jewish News - A look at why some Jews love him and some don't trust him; and at the key role Chicago Jews played in getting him to where he is. more
Israel’s “Spy” in the White House MER Monthly Magazine - Take the word "spy" here in the overall context of the background, role, connections and allegiances of Rahm Emanuel. more
New Beltway Debate: What to Do About Iran Carol Giacomo, New York Times - It is a frightening notion, but it is not just the trigger-happy Bush administration discussing – if only theoretically – the possibility of military action to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program. more
Obama advisers discuss preparations for war on Iran Peter Symonds, World Socialist Web Site - On the eve of the US elections, the New York Times cautiously pointed on Monday to the emergence of a bipartisan consensus in Washington for an aggressive new strategy towards Iran. While virtually nothing was said in the course of the election campaign, behind-the-scenes top advisers from the Obama and McCain camps have been discussing the rapid escalation of diplomatic pressure and punitive sanctions against Iran, backed by preparations for military strikes. more
The Irresponsibility of Appointing Hillary Clinton Secretary of State Bill and Kathleen Christison, CounterPunch - In 2005 Hillary Clinton stood in Palestine and praised the apartheid wall that the government of Israel was building with large amounts of U.S. aid in furtherance of the Zionist goal of destroying one of the world’s peoples – the Palestinians. This is the wall that the United Nations’ World Court has declared contrary to international law. And this is just one example of Hillary Clinton’s total support for all of Israel’s policies to oppress and eventually expel whatever elements of the Palestinian population remain west of the Jordan River. more
Emanuel's War Plan for Democrats: The Book of Rahm John Walsh in CounterPunch - Last week in CounterPunch, I wrote that the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), Congressman Rahm Emanuel, had worked hard to guarantee that Democratic candidates in key toss-up House races were pro-war. In this he was largely successful, because of the money he commands and the celebrity politicians who reliably respond to his call, ensuring that 20 of the 22 Democratic candidates in these districts are pro-war. So the fix is in for the coming elections. more
Some Chicago Jews say Obama is actually the 'first Jewish president' Natasha Mozgovaya, Haaretz - Quite a few of Barack Obama's "friends from the past" have popped up recently. It's doubtful whether he even knows their names, but in the Chicago Jewish community many people really are long-time friends of the president-elect. Some of the older people in the community say that they "raised him," while others half-jokingly call Obama "the first Jewish president." more
An Open Letter to Barack Obama: Between Hope and Reality Ralph Nader, CounterPunch - In your nearly two-year presidential campaign, the words "hope and change," "change and hope" have been your trademark declarations. Yet there is an asymmetry between those objectives and your political character that succumbs to contrary centers of power that want not "hope and change" but the continuation of the power-entrenched status quo. more
A top Jewish fund-raiser shifts his support to Obama Claude R. Marx in JTA - If money is, as former California Treasurer Jesse Unruh said, the "mother's milk of politics," then Alan Solomont is one successful dairyman. Solomont, a longtime leader in Jewish philanthropic and national Democratic political circles, is one of the go-to men when big money is needed. more
Questions for Candidate Obama Bill Fletcher in The Black Comentator - Senator Barack Obama has become a major celebrity, a truth that is now almost a cliche. His campaign has raised massive amounts of funding. He draws large and enthusiastic crowds when he appears. Often described as charismatic, he is more importantly smart and well spoken. more
Senator Barack Obama AIPAC Policy Forum Remarks Barack Obama - Thank you so much for your kind introduction and the invitation to meet with you this morning. Last week, this event was described to me as a small gathering of friends. Looking at all of you here today; seeing so many of you who care about peace in this world; who care about a strong and lasting friendship between Israel and the United States, and who care about what’s on the next page of our shared futures, I think a small gathering of friends fits this crowd just right. more
Israel-Palestine Timeline: The human cost of the conflict records photos and information for each person who has been killed in the ongoing violence.
History of the Israel Lobby
Alison Weir's book Against Our Better Judgement: How the U.S. was used to create Israel brings together meticulously sourced evidence to outline the largely unknown history of U.S.-Israel relations.
The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, which disseminates information on the Israeli occupation, has compiled reports that catalogue the voting records of Congress members on legislation regarding Israel-Palestine. The interactive reports, which it disseminates to members for free, can be found at: Congressional Report Cards.
