Do you know what I’m referring to when I mention the slang term ‘frenemies?’ It’s referring to someone who is a false friend; someone who says what you want to hear to your face, but turns around and attacks you at every turn. That’s not someone who you want to put a lot of trust in. Because it will come back to haunt you in the end.
That’s why I’m confused at President Obama’s treatment of Israel, a longtime ally of the United States, versus how he is behaving with Iran, a long enemy of the state, who we’re only recently talking with in order to curtail their nuclear ambitions.
With our long-time ally, the Obama administration has done everything it can to undermine the current Israeli administration. They rebuked Israel when President Netanyahu came to address our congress to express concern over a potential nuclear nightmare if Iran were to get the nuclear weapons they’re actively pursuing. Previously, the administration had went so far as to threaten to shoot down Israeli planes in 2014, according to reports attributed to a Kuwaiti newspaper.
Yet when it comes to Iran, who has attacked our interests, been a state sponsor of terrorism, has a dismal record of human rights, and is pursing nuclear weapons, what does the president do? He intentionally omits Iran from the United States’ terror threat list despite being consistently included as a threat in previous years.
Why?
According to Israel, it’s believed that it comes as a result of the United States’ talks with Iran about a nuclear deal.
Possibly because there are those in the Obama administration that think if Iran suddenly talks nice to our face, they’ll magically become nice. Why, they may even stop sponsoring terrorist organizations like Hezbollah, who blow up American embassies, attack American military barracks, and kill American servicemen.
People who believe such things also believe unicorns will sprinkle fairy dust over the land, making us all like each other. Unfortunately, people who believe in such things are not dealing in reality.
The truth is that we need to trust our allies, and be very wary of those who attack America. When Netanyahu says there cannot be a two state solution for Israel until the Palestinians unify, demilitarize, and commit to peace, we should trust the man who lives there, and is charged with keeping Israelis safe from attack.
When our Senators, including US Senators John Thune and Mike Rounds, sign a letter to the Iranian government putting them on notice that not everyone in Washington believes in unicorns and fairy dust, and that they fully intend to ensure any agreement will be subject to congressional approval , we should give them at least a minimal amount of consideration that they’re looking out for our best interests.
This week, Israelis, faced with concerns that the president of their best ally in the west, the United States, might be heading down the wrong track, even though his hard line had been under criticism, they opted for their nation’s safety, and re-elected Benjamin Netanyahu to be the Prime Minister of Israel.
As Americans, that’s something we should not ignore.
In deciding how to approach Iran, we need to decide which of our friends we should listen to when it comes to the stability of the region. Should we listen to our friend Israel, who has been a strong ally since the state came into existence? Or should we listen to our new friend Iran who (still) ends Friday prayers with chants of “Death to America!”
I know which one I’m going to choose