Last Friday, the United States of America under lame duck president Barack Obama turned their backs on Israel, refusing to veto the blatantly anti-Semitic U.N. Security Council Resolution 2334. Among other things, the resolution stated that “the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.”
Between the horrible Iran nuclear deal and abandoning one of America’s closest allies, the Obama administration’s foreign policy has left much to be desired. However, Secretary of State John Kerry feels otherwise:
“This administration has been Israel’s greatest friend and supporter with an absolutely unwavering commitment to advancing Israel’s security and protecting its legitimacy,” said Kerry in a 73 minute address on Wednesday, despite America betraying its closest Middle Eastern ally and the only democracy in the region.
In defense of Kerry’s hypocritical statement, one can bring up the point that Barack Obama just signed a deal to give $38 billion in military technology to Israel over the next 10 years.
While 38 billion dollars is an astronomical sum of money, people looking at the statistics must also consider the importance of the aid and not just the monetary value. Thirty-eight billion a year in military technology today during a time of relative peace is no more significant than a $135 million loan given to Israel to help build the country in 1948 when the fledgling nation needed all the help it could get.
No matter how much money Obama gives to Israel, it does not hide the fact that the world superpower broke its “unwavering commitment” to protecting Israel’s legitimacy by allowing U.N. Security Council Resolution 2334 to pass.
However, Israel still has hope in president-elect Donald Trump. In response to the sitting president’s poor decision, he tweeted:
“We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. They used to have a great friend in the U.S., but not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (U.N.)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!”
President Obama’s actions in the last month of his presidency is analogous to somebody who trashes everything at his workplace upon being notified that he is being laid off. He has acted foolishly, severing many ties with Israel and Russia with only 21 days left in his term. The burden of foreign relations now lies on president-elect Donald Trump’s shoulders, and we can only hope that he will rectify the last eight years of American mistakes.
By: Jack Benveniste-Plitt (10th Grade)