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kpete

(71,996 posts)
Sat Jan 24, 2015, 01:27 PM Jan 2015

Dear President Obama: Please Invite Me to the White House During Netanyahu's Congressional Speech

Dear President Obama: Please Invite Me to the White House During Netanyahu's Congressional Speech
byDavid Harris Gershon
Originally published in Tikkun Daily


Dear President Obama,

You don't know my name, though you know the names of those who represent hundreds of thousands of American Jews who, like me, publicly support your diplomatic efforts with Iran.

And while you don't know my name, you know that I and those like me represent 52 percent of U.S. Jews who support your diplomatic efforts over those presented by Congressional Republicans and Israel's Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, who are now shamlessly working in concert, behind your back, to undermine your administration's historic gains.

As the leader of Israel, Netanyahu often claims to speak for all Jews, absurdly conflating his political ideals with those of American Jewry. But he does not speak for most of us. Indeed, there are over three million American Jews for whom he does not speak. Over three million voices in the American Jewish community who reject current efforts to scuttle historic nuclear negotiations with Iran. Who reject efforts to undermine peaceful diplomacy. And who reject John Boehner's outragous breach of protocol by inviting a foreign leader to deliver a response to your State of the Union address.

I know you are rightly outraged, viewing Netanyahu as having spat in your face after your consistent defense of Israel on the international stage. I know that you and officials in your administration feel as though there should be consequences for what is about to transpire on February 11, when Netanyahu will rise before Congress as the leader of a foreign 'ally' and publicly reject your diplomatic efforts for political gain back home.

This, in my view, should be the consequence: the amplification of 'pro-Israel' voices like mine in the American Jewish community who reject Netanyahu, be it for his desire to bomb Iran, his desire to continue Israel's occpuation of the Palestinians or his expansion of settlements and rejection of peace.

I'm not actually asking for a personal invitation to the White House, though I would certainly not turn one down. What I'm asking is that you invite American Jewish leaders and activitsts to the White House on February 11 to publicly amplify those liberal and progressive voices Netanyahu claims to represent. I'm asking that you use this as an opportunity to reveal to the American public that most American Jews see Netanyahu as a harmful force, both in Israel, in the Middle East and in the world. I'm asking that you give us a chance to support your diplomatic efforts with Iran passionately and eloquently as Congress rises repeatedly to applaud Netanyahu's damaging rhetoric.

And after you have done so, I ask that you invite civil leaders and activists in the Iranian-American and Palestinian-American communities in order to amplify their pro-diplomacy, pro-peace voices.

The New York Times calls what Israel and the GOP have done to be a disrespectful "breach of sense and diplomacy." What NYT editors did not say is that this breach is an opportunity, now that the hole is gaping, for you to counter Netanyahu's voice with powerful ones which exist within the nation you lead.

I ask that you let us help you lead.

Best,
An American Jew





More, plus lots of links:
http://www.tikkun.org/tikkundaily/2015/01/24/dear-president-obama-please-invite-me-to-the-white-house-during-netanyahus-congressional-speech/
12 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Dear President Obama: Please Invite Me to the White House During Netanyahu's Congressional Speech (Original Post) kpete Jan 2015 OP
mega hefty rec LawDeeDah Jan 2015 #1
Big Rec! BrotherIvan Jan 2015 #2
+1 2naSalit Jan 2015 #3
This American Jew knows iandhr Jan 2015 #4
Bibi's party has, what, 25% of the seats in the Parliament? Speaks for all of them? Fred Sanders Jan 2015 #6
More like 20%. n/t. Ken Burch Jan 2015 #10
31 out of 120 seats in the ruling coalition? Wonder why that simple fact is not known to the American media?? Fred Sanders Jan 2015 #11
the 31 seats included(when that was counted)12 mk's from Yisroel Beitenyu Ken Burch Jan 2015 #12
Brilliant! sybylla Jan 2015 #5
Thank you, American Jew! Mahalo kpete! Cha Jan 2015 #7
powerful powerful!!! Voice for Peace Jan 2015 #8
This is a wonderful idea, and I hope Obama LuvNewcastle Jan 2015 #9

BrotherIvan

(9,126 posts)
2. Big Rec!
Sat Jan 24, 2015, 02:10 PM
Jan 2015

So perfectly stated. Jews all over the world standing up and saying, "Netanyahu does not speak for me" will take all of the wind out of his sails. There is no better way to take his ego down to size and perhaps tip the election in favor of someone who isn't itching for a war.

iandhr

(6,852 posts)
4. This American Jew knows
Sat Jan 24, 2015, 03:01 PM
Jan 2015

If there are two Jews in a room there are three opinions. The idea there is one person who speaks for us is ludicrous.

Fred Sanders

(23,946 posts)
11. 31 out of 120 seats in the ruling coalition? Wonder why that simple fact is not known to the American media??
Sun Jan 25, 2015, 09:23 AM
Jan 2015

His Likud party has ...19!

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_Israel

Israel's political system is based on proportional representation which allows for a multi-party system with numerous parties. There are currently five parties with more than ten seats in the 120-seat Knesset, and a single party usually has no chance of gaining power by itself (only once has a party held an absolute majority in the Knesset), forcing the parties to cooperate and form coalition governments.

Interesting stuff that the PR and Entertainment reps posing as journalists in American media do not personally know and the paymasters keep it that way.
 

Ken Burch

(50,254 posts)
12. the 31 seats included(when that was counted)12 mk's from Yisroel Beitenyu
Sun Jan 25, 2015, 07:55 PM
Jan 2015

A party of recent Russian immigrants who are to Likud's right on security issues.

Likud and Beitenyu are once again standing as separate slates is election.

sybylla

(8,514 posts)
5. Brilliant!
Sat Jan 24, 2015, 03:23 PM
Jan 2015

I would love to see the President use this as an opportunity to bury the ideologies and political pandering of both of those yahoos in a fashion just like this.

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