It doesn't take long, does it? According to the Jerusalem Post:
US President Barack Obama harbors anti-Semitism and the American Jews who voted for him are not pro-Israel, Dr. Hagi Ben-Artzi, the outspoken brother-in-law of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, said on Wednesday.
In the Army Radio interview, Ben-Artzi said his brother-in-law was well aware that Obama had anti-Semitic views.
"Unfortunately, there is an anti-Semitic president in America," he said. "As a politician who ran for president, he had to hide it, but from time to time, it bursts out from inside. It’s creating a difficult situation for Israel, but we won’t even consider giving up on our deep interests."
Ben-Artzi went on to say that it wasn’t that Obama wasn’t a friend of Netanyahu, he just wasn’t a friend of Israel.
"For 20 years he sat with the preacher Jeremiah Wright, who is anti-Semitic, anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli," Ben-Artzi said. "When an anti-Semitic president comes to power in America, it is our test, and we must say: ‘We will not give up. We are a 4,000-year-old people, while you will pass on and disappear in one or two years. Who will remember you? But Jerusalem will always be secure.’"
The Army Radio is a nationwide Israeli radio network run by the Israel Defense Forces. The U.S. has provided more than $100 billions military aid to Israel.
When Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in 1995 by a right-wing Jewish extremist, Rabin's widow blamed Netanyahu for fomenting hate that contributed to her husband's death. Years later, she wrote
"I hope, pray, that the days of this government are numbered. Benjamin Netanyahu is a corrupt individual, a contentious liar who is ruining everything that is good about our society. He is breaking it to bits, and in the future, we will have to rebuild it all over."
"We all want this nightmare to end, that this monstrosity called Netanyahu will get lost, because he exhausted our patience a long time ago."
However, after Vice President Joe Biden was humiliated by Netanyahu's far-right extremist government last week, here are what you have been hearing in the U.S.:
"To say that I am deeply concerned with the irresponsible comments that the White House, vice president and the secretary of state have made against Israel is an understatement," --- House Republican Whip Eric Cantor.
"Once again, the Obama Administration is missing the boat on a very, very important issue. They need to go back to the basics and acknowledge Palestinian leaders have not progressed any peace process since President Obama was elected." ---Sarah Palin
"The appropriate response was a shake of the head – not a temper tantrum. Israel is a sovereign nation and an ally, not a punching bag. Enough already." --- Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.)
"irresponsibly overreaction." ---Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.)
"Let’s cut the family fighting. It’s unnecessary; it’s destructive of our shared national interest. It’s time to lower voices, to get over the family feud between the U.S. and Israel. It just doesn’t serve anybody’s interests but our enemies’." ---Joe Lieberman, (CT-Lieberman)
"We are shocked and stunned at the administration's tone and public dressing down of Israel on the issue of future building in Jerusalem." ---Abraham Foxman, Anti-Defamation League
"AIPAC calls on the Administration to take immediate steps to defuse the tension with the Jewish State." ---The American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
More than a dozen congressmen/women and senators have released statements criticizing the Obama administration for being too harsh on Israel. Not a single congressman or senator---Democrats or Republicans alike---has come out to publicly support President Obama, Vice President Biden, and Secretary Clinton in demanding Israel to stop the settlement project in East Jerusalem.
General David Petraeus told the Senate Armed Services Committe: "The [I-P] conflict foments anti-American sentiment, due to a perception of U.S. favoritism for Israel."
Does it ever occur to these people President Obama was upset, not because he is anti-whatever, but because he is the commander in chief of the U.S. military and a decent human being and he cares about human lives?
Addendum (03-18-2010, 2:50pm EST):
(1) As it has been pointed out in the comments, the J-Post link contains a statement from Netanyahu's office, distancing himself from Mr. Ben-Artzi. I did not include this in the dairy because (a) I think it is only mildly relevant; (Of course, he cannot be held responsible for what his brother-in-law says.) (b) I don't want this dairy to be too long; (c) I was sure that many readers would read the J-Post article and post it in the comments.
(2) Also, to be fair, Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.) and Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) did issue statements criticizing Israel's government. However, as far as I know, their statements contain no demand that Israel stops the East Jerusalem settlement project.
(3) I am honored, pleasantly surprised, and a little bit embarrassed that this hastily composed post made it to the recommended list. It could have been much better written, to say the least.