make a donation












Why Donate to FLAME?

By supporting FLAME, you help fund our ads in national media, like U.S. News and World Report, The New York Times, The Nation, The National Review, The American Spectator, The Washington Times National Weekly, and others. You help publish our messages in Jewish publications, both in the U.S. and in Israel, among them The International Edition of the Jerusalem Post. Finally, your donation helps us publish our messages monthly in over fifty small-town newspapers, all across the United States and Canada.


Facts and Logic About
the Middle East
P.O. Box 590359
San Francisco, CA 94159
(415) 356-7801

 

June 15, 2010

Will Obama support a UN investigation of Israel's turning back the Gaza flotilla? Now's the time to raise our voices against this travesty!

Dear Friend of FLAME:

A short bombshell article appeared in The Weekly Standard late last week---we've reprinted it below---reporting that President Obama's diplomats are assuring other nations of the U.S.'s intention to support a U.N. investigation of Israel's actions against the ship attempting to run its blockade of Hamas-held Gaza.

While the White House has issued hasty denials of this report, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have drafted a letter urging President Obama to oppose efforts to chastise Israel in the United Nations . . . and moreover, to forcefully support the Jewish state in the world arena.

Here are the first few lines of their letter:

Dear Mr. President:

We write to affirm our support for our strategic partnership with Israel, and encourage you to continue to do so before international organizations such as the United Nations. The United States has traditionally stood with Israel because it is in our national security interest and must continue to do so.

Israel is our strongest ally in the Middle East and a vibrant democracy. Israel is also a partner to the United States on military and intelligence issues in this critical region. That is why it is our national interest to support Israel at a moment when Israel faces multiple threats from Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the current regime in Iran.

Thankfully, while Democrats and Republicans disagree on many issues these days, they seem largely still to agree on support of Israel. But, especially given the Obama administration's virtual war on Israel, we cannot take this support for granted. Senators Reid and McConnell will be seeking the signatures of other senators and representatives on their letter, and it's our urgent duty to assist them.

Israel is brutally beleaguered on the world stage as rarely before---and now, tragically, it suffers wavering support from our very own U.S. administration. So I ask you, what have you done for Israel lately?

I know I've asked you several times over the past few weeks to write to President Obama and your congressional representatives in support of Israel . . . yet I'm asking you to do so again, right now, while you're on your computer with email close at hand.

Our elected representatives must be made to feel the passionate support we steadfastly hold for the Jewish state. They must understand that we voters care about this issue---that it is a primary issue for us and for the well-being of the United States.

Using, if you care to, the words of Senators Reid and McConnell above, please take a few minutes right now to urge President Obama to support Israel unequivocally in the United Nations and to support Israel's right to protect itself: Write the President immediately. Please do the same with your Senators and Representative: Just go to Contacting the Congress and urge them to co-sign the letter from Senators Reid and McConnell. (You'll need your nine [5+4] digit zip code to find your Representative.)

Israel needs us now---today. It's time to lend a hand. It's time to stand up . . . and stand bravely with Israel.

Best Regards,

Jim Sinkinson
Director, FLAME

P.S.

If you agree that FLAME's brand of public relations effort on Israel's behalf is critical, I urge you to support us. Remember: FLAME's powerful ability to influence public opinion comes from individuals like you, one by one. I hope you'll consider giving a donation now, as you're able---with $500, $250, $100, or even $18. (Remember, your donation to FLAME is tax deductible.) To donate online, just go to http://www.factsandlogic.org/make_a_donation.html. Now more than ever we need your support to ensure that Israel gets the support it needs---from the U.S. Congress, from President Obama, and from the American people.


Sources: Obama Administration to Support Anti-Israel Resolution at UN Next Week
By William Kristol, The Weekly Standard, June 11, 2010

The Weekly Standard has learned that senior Obama administration officials have been telling foreign governments that the administration intends to support an effort next week at the United Nations to set up an independent commission, under UN auspices, to investigate Israel's behavior in the Gaza flotilla incident. The White House has apparently shrugged off concerns from elsewhere in the U.S. government that a) this is an extraordinary singling out of Israel, since all kinds of much worse incidents happen around the world without spurring UN investigations; b) that the investigation will be one-sided, focusing entirely on Israeli behavior and not on Turkey or on Hamas; and c) that this sets a terrible precedent for outside investigations of incidents involving U.S. troops or intelligence operatives as we conduct our own war on terror.

While UN Ambassador Susan Rice is reported to have played an important role in pushing for U.S. support of a UN investigation, the decision is, one official stressed, of course the president's. The government of Israel has been consulting with the U.S. government on its own Israeli investigative panel, to be led by a retired supreme court justice, that would include respected international participants, including one from the U.S. But the Obama administration is reportedly saying that such a "kosher panel" is not good enough to satisfy the international community, or the Obama White House.

PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION
If you'd like a printer-friendly, text version of this newsletter click the button below.
text

DONATE
How many times have you heard someone lament that Israel doesn't have good public relations? By supporting FLAME, you help one of the world's most powerful information efforts to spread the truth about Israel and the Middle East conflict. Please note that because FLAME is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, your donation is tax-deductible.
donate

FORWARD TO A FRIEND
If you know of a friend or colleague who would appreciate learning more Facts and Logic About the Middle East, please forward this issue of the FLAME HOTLINE to them using the link below.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE FLAME HOTLINE
If you have received this issue of the FLAME HOTLINE from a friend or colleague and you'd like to subscribe, please use the link below.


Our Ads and Positions | Donate | Our Letters to Editors | Our Acquisition Letters
FLAME's Purpose | Subscribe to Hotline Alerts | Home

©2010 FLAME. All rights reserved. | Site Credits | Contact Us

You are receiving this email because you have requested news, facts and analysis about Israel and the Mideast conflict.
1