No Friends on the Playground
Reports have come out stating the Obama administration has been mulling over imposing sanctions on Israel for construction in East Jerusalem. Jen Psaki, spokeswoman for the State Department, has recently said that these rumors are “unfounded and without merit.” This is only after a group of approximately 50 Congressmen sent a letter to the White House demanding clarification on the supposed sanctions. Their concern is understandable due to the administration’s open condemnation of the Israeli construction projects. On this issue our leadership has sided with the enemy of our ally, the Palestinians.
The Palestinians claim that the area under construction belongs to them. Israel laid claim to this area following the Six Day War in 1967, in which Israel fought against the forces of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. These conflicting opinions are one of the primary causes of the long animosity between these two peoples. In July, tensions exploded between Hamas, the Palestinian terror group, and Israel. Three Israeli teenagers were reportedly killed by members of Hamas in the West Bank area, leading to an Israeli crackdown on Hamas activities there. This prompted rocket fire from Hamas forces in Gaza, which lead to a swift and powerful retaliation by Israel. The administration gave token verbal support, but also made speeches about protecting innocent Gaza civilians. What about protecting the innocent Israeli civilians who have consistently supported America throughout the years?
The biggest problem, in my opinion, that comes out of these two incidents (three if you include the Ukraine debacle) is that this presents an example to the world of how the US treats its allies. When our allies are getting attacked, both physically and politically, we should be there to back them up, both physically and politically. When one of our oldest allies is fighting against a State Department designated terror group, we should be shoulder to shoulder with them fighting terrorism. Instead, this administration tries to placate the terrorists and work out cease-fire agreements; essentially, negotiations with terrorists.
Now, the leadership in this country is possibly risking our ties with the one true democracy in the Middle East over civilian housing construction. If we had not already experienced so much of this administrations feckless “foreign policy” I would think it was a joke. Instead of admonishing Israel for building in an area that is contested territory, shouldn’t we praise them for creating a greater quality of life for their citizens? As Israel continues to receive attacks from Palestinians, including the recent attack in November inside a Jerusalem temple which found 3 Americans dead, Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli lawmakers have shown great leadership by dismantling Knesset, the Israeli parliament, and holding elections. These are the people that are being reprimanded by our over-inflated bureaucratic monstrosity? With the way we treat our allies, we are very soon going to wind up alone on the playground. Who will have our back when the bullies (terrorists) decide they want to play in our sandbox?
