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.
