April 9, 2009

It has become the Unifying Theory of the anti-Israel “realists”: America won’t be safe from Al Qaida until the United States “reconsiders” its close relationship with Israel. As notorious “realist” Charles Freeman put it in a speech to the Middle East Policy Council in 2006, Israel’s “inability to find peace with the Palestinians and other Arabs is the driving factor in the region’s radicalization and anti-Americanism.” (Emphasis added.)

Honest friends of Israel acknowledge that America pays a price in Arab perceptions for its support and friendship with Israel. But we also insist that America’s values and alliances must not be dictated by suicide bombers, nihilists, religious fanatics, and opportunistic despots.

The “realists” also hugely exaggerate the U.S.-Israel relationship’s role in “radicalizing” the Middle East. It was gratifying to hear President Obama set the record straight on this account, in an April 3 question-and-answer period with students in France:

“Al Qaida is still bent on carrying out terrorist activity,” said the president, according to the CNN transcript. “Don’t fool yourselves because some people say, well, you know, if we changed our policies with respect to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict or if we were more respectful towards the Muslim world, suddenly, these organizations would stop threatening us. That’s just not the case.

“It is true that we have to change our behavior in showing the Muslim world greater respect and changing our language and changing our tone. It is true that we have to work very hard for Israeli/Palestinian peace.

“But what is also true is that these organizations are willing to kill innocent people because of a twisted distorted ideology and we, as democracies and as people who value human life, can’t allow those organizations to operate.”

That’s realism we can live with.

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