Introspective Israelis Await Obama

CBS News correspondent Richard Roth filed this report from Tel Aviv.

(AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

Israel's military said its soldiers in Gaza were fired on by Palestinian militants in two separate incidents today; in a third, it said a mortar round was fired from Gaza toward southern Israel but apparently fell short.

No injuries were reported, and none of it was serious enough to affect the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, which Israel planned to complete today — by around the time Barack Obama is inaugurated.

Reservists are already being demobilized; as they head home this evening, they'll see road signs – erected to inspire them as they headed into battle – which read, "Strong in the rear – Victory at the Front."

Much of the mood here, though, is less celebratory; more introspective.

In a front-page essay in the daily Haaretz, David Grossman, one of Israel's most celebrated novelists, writes of "Operation Cast Lead," Israel's name for the three-week Gaza offensive, as "a mirror in which we in Israel see the reflection of our own face – a face that, if we were looking in from the outside or saw it on another people – would leave us aghast." He concludes the offensive in Gaza has proved only that Israel is strong; not that it's right.

Interestingly, Gaza was hardly mentioned at all on the front pages of Israel's other two big dailies. Ma'ariv features a page-filling photo of Barack Obama with the headline, "Making History." Yedioth Ahronoth's photo is accompanied by a headline in English which reads, "Good Luck."

Inside Yedioth Ahronoth, columnist Eitan Haber – who was a speech-writer for the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin – makes that "good luck' message a fret as well as a greeting. He likens Israel to America's, "forward aircraft carrier in this bloody part of the world," and worries whether Mr. Obama, "will bequeath to us from the great abundance of America or will we be for you, heaven forbid, a nation like all other nations?"

With perhaps a bit more confidence than that, Israel, too, is waiting for the new American administration.

[amirm2]

In Israel, they''re asking: So, Obama, can we?

http://forecasthighs.com/2008/11/06/yes-we-can/

[runningralph]

Israel has been the best ally for the West in the Middle East.

[iseetruth1]

Our bribed and blackmailed government has given Israel $200 billion stolen from hard-working US taxpayers to fund 60 years of the Israeli Terror State:

1) running people out of their homes and villages

2) stealing their property

3) walling them into refugee concentration camps

4) harassing them at hundreds of checkpoints so they can''t even go to the bathroom without Israel''s permission

5) diverting their drinking water so illegal jewish settlers can have lush green lawns in the desert

6) blockading their food fuel and medicine so their children eat like kids in sub-sahara africa

7) labeling them %u2018terrorists%u2019 if they resist

8) bombing them

9) murdering their children

10) and then blaming them for all the bad things that have happened to them

Makes people all over the world hate us. While bankrupting us. And how is that good for the USA?

[iseetruth1]

To understand why the USA acts as the puppet/proxy state in the service of mother Israel - you need to understand how our government is bribed and blackmailed into supporting their crimes:

google / YouTube: Israel lobby

google / YouTube: Steven Walt and John Mearsheimer

google / YouTube: Karen Kwiatkowski

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mearsheimer+and walt&search_type=&aq=1&oq=mearshe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynWjYHP91gA&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNQv5YSg_YA&feature=relatedn

They''ve already got Obama trained to jump through zionist hoops.

[mrthinker1]

I am afraid that the US will no longer have the will to assist Israel in its defense against the Islamic fascist movement and Russia%u2019s new expansion into that area.

I wonder why some Israel hating liberals think we should have to welcome the migrants from Mexico and other places, give them lots of services, and be nice to them, but think that the Jihad people should not have to be nice to their new migrant Jewish neighbors who came to a mostly deserted desert wasteland and created a thriving economy that many people including Arabs take part in?

Just a thought.

[l00ker1]

If Obama have the balls to make the tough decisions, he should sever ties Israel.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by pug_ster at 02:31 PM : Jan 20, 2009


Indeed, for our country''s sake, he better be toting a pair of steel ones.

[l00ker1]

You are a disgusting pig, you know that? How dare you compare Israels actions in Gaza to the holocaust. The Nazis massacred 6 million jews. the SS would drag families out of their homes, make them dig thier own graves and the shoot the jews in the head. Others were interred into concentration camps and starved/beaten to death. While Israel may be responding disproportionately, your comparison is obsence. Hamas was firing missiles at Israel, first. Also, even if Israel was provoking this attack, as you would contend, it is still not comprable to Hitlers holocaust. Israel fired thousands of missles at Gaza, a crowded city with 1.5 million inhabitants. If Israel truly wanted to masscre women and children the death rate would have been much higher than 1200 of which half were hamas militants. Also, lets recall that Arabs have started numerous wars against Israel with the express intent of wiping out the Jews in Israel. Hamas'''' charter still calls for this. Israel''''s actions viz a vis the palestinians, whether you consider it too harsh, disproportiante, or even imperialism, is in no way comprable to Hitlers actions. the very comparison victimizes jews who were Hitlers Victims.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by ephd at 03:12 PM : Jan 20, 2009


Israel is doing to the Palestinians in Gaza, what the Nazis did to the Jews in Warsaw.

[l00ker1]

Inside Yedioth Ahronoth, columnist Eitan Haber %u2013 who was a speech-writer for the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin %u2013 makes that %u201Cgood luck%u2019 message a fret as well as a greeting. He likens Israel to America%u2019s, %u201Cforward aircraft carrier in this bloody part of the world,%u201D and worries whether Mr. Obama, %u201Cwill bequeath to us from the great abundance of America or will we be for you, heaven forbid, a nation like all other nations?%u201D


We already have our fair share of carriers, and these Israelis will soon cease in making their problems aour problems. Heaven forbids indeed, but only if Obama allows this cancerous sore of the Middle East to be anything other than like any other nation. Tell that to the British.

[mrthinker1]

Ezekiel 36-38 describes Gog, Rosh, Meshach and Tubal which are long understood to be Russia and nearby territories along with Persia (Iran), Ethiopia, and Put (Libya) will invade this new Israel and be utterly destroyed. The alliance between Russia and Iran is forming right in front of you, if you would only pay attention. The enemies of God and Israel in this battle will be utterly destroyed and the Jews will build the Holy Temple for the third time.

The entire Temple structure has already been prefabricated. When these things happen it will be an absolute fulfillment of prophecy as was the rebirth of Israel. These words are written to show mankind the truth in prophesies and the absolute power God has over the events on earth. At some point Jews are going to repent and obey God, as sheep obey a Sheppard, as well as all those who%u2019s hearts are open to the truth. Forgiveness is granted for any one who is willing to humble them selves and only ask. We are condemned to die before we reach 120 years because of our tendency to sin. Geneses 6:3. No one in the modern world had ever been recorded to have lived past 120 years. This is also an amazing fulfillment of prophesy. The limits of our own will and scientific innovation are bound by these words.

[ephd]

suffering under the crazy Hitler,
have decided to use the same tactics against the Palestinians.

Please stop pouring my tax dollars down the rat hole of Israel.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by wagolf1 at 12:04 PM : Jan 20, 2009
+ report abuse

You are a disgusting pig, you know that? How dare you compare Israels actions in Gaza to the holocaust. The Nazis massacred 6 million jews. the SS would drag families out of their homes, make them dig thier own graves and the shoot the jews in the head. Others were interred into concentration camps and starved/beaten to death. While Israel may be responding disproportionately, your comparison is obsence. Hamas was firing missiles at Israel, first. Also, even if Israel was provoking this attack, as you would contend, it is still not comprable to Hitlers holocaust. Israel fired thousands of missles at Gaza, a crowded city with 1.5 million inhabitants. If Israel truly wanted to masscre women and children the death rate would have been much higher than 1200 of which half were hamas militants. Also, lets recall that Arabs have started numerous wars against Israel with the express intent of wiping out the Jews in Israel. Hamas'' charter still calls for this. Israel''s actions viz a vis the palestinians, whether you consider it too harsh, disproportiante, or even imperialism, is in no way comprable to Hitlers actions. the very comparison victimizes jews who were Hitlers Victims.