Arutz Sheva and the Jewish Uproar Over An Obama Appointment

Yesterday, Dirk published a post about the appointment of Charles W. Freeman as a member of the National Intelligence Council. He quotes from an "Israeli National News " or Arutz Sheva article, condemning the appointment, and calling Freeman "anti-Israel." For all practical purposes the article made Freeman out to be some kind of terrorist. After having read the post, I decided to find our more about this "Israeli National News."

Arutz Sheva is a right-wing Religious Zionist organization dedicated to the support of Israeli colonization efforts. It began as an off shore radio station in the late 1980's and was eventually shut down by the Israeli government. The Knesset, in 1999, passed a bill legalizing its operation but the law was overturned by the Israeli Supreme Court. In 2003 ten of its employees were convicted of operating an illegal radio station from within the country. It now broadcasts over the Internet, and provides news, also on its website through "The Israeli National News."

Religious Zionism is generally right-wing and is based on the belief that Israel should exist, because God gave the land to the Jews in perpetuity. They believe strongly in military service and dominate some sectors of the military. Originally, most Zionists were atheists, who based their philosophy on Marxism. Over the years religious Jews migrated to the Zionist point of view, leading up to today's religious Zionists. Those settlers expelled from settlements in 2005 were religious Zionists.

It would be understandable that Arutz Sheva, then, would condemn Freeman's appointment. Freeman was appointed to the Saudi Arabia ambassadorship by Bush Sr. in 1989. He is an expert in Middle Eastern affairs and has in an instance or two criticized Israel's actions. He even had the audacity to say that Hamas is a democratically elected government, which, of course, it is. (That does not legitimize it or excuse it's terrorism.) In doing so, he, predictably, riled the "pro-Israeli" lobby. Anyone who dares express concern about Israel's actions or the United States' unquestioning support of that country is immediately branded a terrorist-lover or anti-Israeli by these people. Most of the criticism of the appointment that I have found has come from Jewish pundits, who immediately upon leaning of it, put their steam roller into gear in the hopes, I'm sure, that Obama or Freeman would withdraw the appointment.

Let us hope that Freeman does not leave the government. It is time that someone stood up to the Israeli lobby. It is time that someone took a look at the United States' support of Israel and the billions of dollars in aid that we provide that country. In return they have spied upon us, killed our sailors, and have repeatedly invaded and destroyed their neighboring countries, leaving us to pay millions more to repair their damage. It is time they paid to repair their dirty work. Granted, they have to defend themselves, but the mass destruction that they seem to enjoy has rarely worked. It primarily serves to further enrage the Arabs against them.

I do not want to see Israel destroyed, but I would like to see some reins put upon their aggressiveness and a review of our financial support. However, I do not expect the Obama administration to review our support of Israel. Like his predecessors, the President is quite pro-Israel and has no plans to withdraw a dollar of support. I do not expect our policies to change in the foreseeable future. Even if a politician had thoughts of making changes, it would be political suicide to do so. We have made our bed and, unfortunately, we will have to continue to lie in it for better or worse, or until Israel finally snaps and uses its nuclear power. That, my friends, will be "until death do us part."