Verbal Rockets Fired At Israel Again

Flashback: by AF Branco
via ARRA News Service 7/28/14

by Gary Bauer, Contributing Author: After Benjamin Netanyahu's reelection last week, I warned readers not to expect an end to the attacks by the Obama White House on the nation of Israel. It is increasingly obvious that Obama has ordered his minions to smear, berate, libel and isolate our ally, even though by doing so they know Israel's and America's enemies will be emboldened.

White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough addressed the left-wing, George Soros funded group J Street yesterday. Channeling the rhetoric of Israel's Islamist enemies, McDonough demanded that Israel surrender Judea and Samaria, saying, "An occupation that has lasted almost 50 years must end."

Israel is not occupying anything, any more than we are "occupying" Texas. Israel, under intense pressure, withdrew from Gaza ten years ago. The territory quickly became a launching pad for rocket attacks on Israeli civilians.

Just a few months ago, Israel discovered intricate tunnels dug from Gaza deep into Israel -- tunnels that were intended for a surprise attack on Israeli communities in which thousands likely would have perished.

Senator Lindsey Graham took to the Senate floor to blast McDonough's remarks. "The language used by the chief of staff of the president of the United States is exactly what Hamas uses," Graham said. "Please watch your language. . . . You're making everything worse, and now you've added fuel to the fire."

But Obama certainly knows that his public isolation of Israel could very well lead to Israel's enemies striking again. Hezbollah is building its own tunnel network and Iranian officers are now directing troops near Israel's borders.


What Is Obama Hiding?
Now the Obama Administration is accusing Israel of espionage. The Wall Street Journal reports that senior Obama Administration officials say Israel was "spying" on the Iranian nuclear talks. But the real offense was that Israel reportedly dared to share the information with member of Congress.

"It is one thing for the U.S. and Israel to spy on each other. It is another thing for Israel to steal U.S. secrets and play them back to U.S. legislators," a senior U.S. official claimed. And just what are the secrets that Israel allegedly stole? How badly Obama was caving in to Iranian demands.

A senior Israeli official called the accusation "utterly false," adding that it was "clearly intended to undermine" relations between Israel and the United States.

Here's what you need to know: Israeli officials told the Wall Street Journal that they were not spying on American diplomats but "received their information through other means, including close surveillance of Iranian leaders." Moreover, "U.S. intelligence agencies helped the Israelis build a system to listen in on high-level Iranian communications."

The Journal also reported that other European nations "particularly the French, have been more transparent with Israel about the closed-door discussions."

But let's assume for the sake of argument that Israel was collecting intelligence on the nuclear negotiations. If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, it is of far greater concern to Israel than the U.S. as Iran's leaders routinely vow to annihilate the Jewish state.

Ponder this too: Israel is not only being accused of spying on the U.S., it is being accused of giving the information to one of our three branches of our government. Israel's alleged sin is not sharing the information with America's enemy, but sharing it with the branch of government that is supposed to ratify foreign agreements.

To the Obama Administration, briefing Congress about Obama's appeasement is considered treason. But, then again, Obama seems to treat congressional Republicans more like enemies than he does the Islamic regime in Tehran. Obama's whole strategy is to prevent you, the Congress, Israel and anyone else from discovering just how much he has caved in to Iranian demands.

Over in Congress ...
News of the spying allegations against Israel caught members of Congress by surprise. House Speaker John Boehner said he was "shocked" and "baffled" by the charge, telling reporters, "There was no information revealed to me whatsoever."

Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said, "I haven't had any of them coming up and talking with me about where the deal is. . . . I kind of felt left out."

Corker suggested this was all White House spin to further undermine Israel, telling reporters, "I think you all understand what's happening here. You understand who's pushing this out."

Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Israeli officials "never" spoke to members of his committee. "We don't know anything about it," Nunes said.

It's not just Republicans who are rallying to Israel's defense. Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), the ranking Democrats on the Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees, both denied the allegations. Feinstein told reporters, "All I know is what I read in this morning's newspaper."

The White House's hatchet job appears to be falling apart. Someone should be fired.
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Gary Bauer is a conservative family values advocate and serves as president of American Values and chairman of the Campaign for Working Families

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