10 November 2008

Arab Media Watch has compiled a document on Barack Obama's views and policies on Israel. The aim is to add caution to those who hope for a more balanced Middle East policy than his predecessors. The document includes a section on his chief of staff, and direct quotes from Obama's speeches and interviews in the run up to the US presidential elections.

Obama "is pro-Israel. Period." - Shmuel Rosner, Haaretz chief US correspondent

Obama has appointed several prominent pro-Israel advisors.

Obama has consistently voted for foreign assistance to Israel.

Rahm Emanuel

Israel has hailed Obama's choice of Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff, often considered the most powerful office in the executive branch, next to the president. Maariv newspaper called Emanuel "Our man in the White House." He is an Israeli citizen, volunteered to serve in the Israeli Army, and actually did a two-month stint at a base in northern Israel during the 1991 Gulf war.

"Obviously he'll influence the president to be pro-Israel. Why wouldn't he? What is he, an Arab? He's not going to be mopping floors at the White House," Emanuel's father, who served in the Jewish terror group Irgun, told Maariv.

Emanuel has been a consistent and vocal pro-Israel hardliner. In June 2003, he signed a letter criticizing Bush for being insufficiently supportive of Israel. The letter said Israel's policy of assassinating Palestinian political leaders "was clearly justified as an application of Israel's right to self-defense."

In July 2006, Emanuel called for the cancellation of a speech to Congress by Nouri al-Maliki because the Iraqi Prime Minister had criticized Israel's bombing of Lebanon.

Emanuel called the Lebanese and Palestinian governments "totalitarian entities with militias and terrorists acting as democracies" in a 19 July 2006 speech supporting a House resolution backing Israel's bombing of both countries that caused thousands of civilian victims.

In 2006, he initiated a letter to President Bush opposing United Arab Emirates-based Dubai Ports World's attempt to buy the management business of six US seaports. It argued that allowing the deal to go through "not only could place the safety and security of US ports at risk, but enhance the ability of the UAE to bolster the Hamas regime and its efforts to promote terrorism and violence against Israel."

Obama on Israel:

"My view is that the United States' special relationship with Israel obligates us to be helpful to them in the search for credible partners with whom they can make peace, while also supporting Israel in defending itself against enemies sworn to its destruction."

"We must preserve our total commitment to our unique defense relationship with Israel by fully funding military assistance and continuing work on the Arrow and related missile defense programs. This would help Israel maintain its military edge and deter and repel attacks from as far as Tehran and as close as Gaza."

"Our job is to rebuild the road to real peace and lasting security throughout the region. That effort begins with a clear and strong commitment to the security of Israel: Our strongest ally in the region and its only established democracy. That will always be my starting point."

"We should never seek to dictate what is best for the Israelis and their security interests."

"No Israeli prime minister should ever feel dragged to or blocked from the negotiating table by the United States."

"My starting point when I think about the Middle East is this enormous emotional attachment and sympathy for Israel."

"I think that the idea of a secure Jewish state is a fundamentally just idea, and a necessary idea."

"The fundamental premise of Israel and the need to preserve a Jewish state that is secure is, I think, a just idea and one that should be supported here in the United States and around the world."

"My commitment to Israel and the Jewish people is more than skin-deep and it is more than political expediency."

"my unyielding support for Israel's security."

"If you are waiting for America to distance itself from Israel, you are delusional."

"My commitment to Israel's security is non-negotiable."

"You will not see, under my presidency, any slackening in commitment to Israel's security."

"I strongly reject the characterization" of Israel as an apartheid state. "It is emotionally loaded, historically inaccurate, and it is not what I believe."

"When Israel is attacked, we must stand up for Israel's legitimate right to defend itself...And in moments like these true allies do not walk away."

"Israel is a stalwart ally of ours and their security cannot be compromised."

Obama on Palestine:

"We should all be concerned about the agreement negotiated among Palestinians in Mecca."

"My position on Hamas is indistinguishable from the position of Hillary Clinton or John McCain. I said they are a terrorist organization and I have repeatedly condemned them. I have repeatedly said, and I mean what I say: since they are a terrorist organization, we should not be dealing with them until they recognize Israel, renounce terrorism, and abide by previous agreements."

"Settlements at this juncture are not helpful."

"We must maintain the isolation of Hamas."

"Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided."

"The Palestinians would have to reinterpret the notion of right of return in a way that would preserve Israel as a Jewish state."

Obama on Syria:

"I am encouraged that Israel and Syria have renewed peace talks and fully support Israel's efforts to advance peace with all its neighbors."

The US needs to "use all elements of American power - including tough, principled, and direct diplomacy - to pressure countries like Iran and Syria."

"Syria's support of terrorist organizations that threaten Israel must be confronted."