Why did Barack Obama have to go to the Holocaust Museum in Washington to criticise an Arab government —Syria — much as the country's long-serving leadership is the target of international and Arab criticism for its brutal policies?
Is it reasonable to believe that in America's spacious capital city, which has several university campuses, institutions and government halls, he did not have any option other than the controversial museum? It had raised eyebrows when it was established since Americans had no role in the dastardly act of the Nazis.
The likely answer is that he wanted to win over the influential and wealthy Jewish community which plays a major role in American politics, certainly in terms of financial contributions to either political party now engrossed in a seemingly tight presidential election.
Here's what he told his audience, which included Israeli ambassador, Michael Oren. Obama said: "‘Never again' is a challenge to defend the fundamental right of free people and free nations to exist in peace and security — and that includes the State of Israel. And on my visit to the old Warsaw Ghetto, a woman looked me in the eye, and she wanted to make sure America stood with Israel. She said, ‘It's the only Jewish state we have.' And I made her a promise in that solemn place. I said I will always be there for Israel.
"So when efforts are made to equate Zionism to racism, we reject them. When international fora single out Israel with unfair resolutions, we vote against them. When attempts are made to deligitimise the state of Israel, we oppose them. When faced with a regime that threatens global security and denies the Holocaust and threatens to destroy Israel, the United States will do everything in our power to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon."
Syria conflict
Obama then focused on Iran and Syria, forgetting in this respect that Syria had the quietest armistice line with Israel and had repeatedly attempted to negotiate a peaceful settlement with the government of Benjamin Netanyahu but to no avail. Israel appeared determined to keep the strategic Golan Heights.
But the point that Obama failed to underline was the appropriateness of focusing on the Palestinian people and their quest for independence and security so far denied by the Israelis.
However, Obama's insensitive remarks came on the heels of the popular CBS 60 Minutes programme, which highlighted the plight of Palestinian Christians in the West Bank (www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57417408/christians-of-the-holy-land/?tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel)
The well-produced programme, authored by the highly-respected CBS correspondent, Bob Simon, received lots of attention, in good part because of the inelegance and arrogance of ambassador Oren.
Oren's miscalculation was revealed in the live programme when he was questioned about his abhorrent behind-the-scene attempt to twist the arms of Jeff Fager, the CBS news editor, while the programme was still being prepared. He apparently was afraid that the programme was "a hatchet job" against Israel.
The Israeli ambassador sought to blame the dwindling Christian community in the West Bank on Islamic extremism. but when Palestinian Christians were interviewed about the subject they started laughing.
"Not surprisingly," a reporter commented, "Oren calls Israel's Christian critics anti-Semites." Another, Robert Wright, a senior editor of The Atlantic, found the programme "legitimate and balanced".
Mitri Raheb, a Palestinian Lutheran minister told CBS: "If you see what's happening in the West Bank, you will find that the West Bank is becoming more and more like a piece of Swiss cheese where Israel gets that cheese that is the land, the water resources, the archeological sites, and the Palestinians are pushed in the holes behind the walls."
There are several other prominent issues that Obama could have raised at the Holocaust Museum. For example, Israel's decision to sever its ties with the UN Human Rights Council, which was authorised to probe the "implications" of Israeli colonies for Palestinians.
The eviction of a Palestinian family from occupied East Jerusalem in the neighbourhood of Beit Hanina and allowing Israelis to occupy the area — a step that was condemned by the European Union this week. So far, 67 other Palestinians have been forcibly displaced in the same region.
What has been equally alarming is a report from the US Congressional Research Service that has revealed that the US military has stockpiled in Israel $800 million (Dh2.93 billion worth of weapons for emergencies; the amount may grow by 50 per cent. An Israeli defence report also revealed that the US gave approval to the Israel army to use some of the weapons during the Second Lebanon War in 2006.
All this — and more — raises the question of whether Obama can be expected to do more to bring peace to the Middle East should he have a second term at the White House while seemingly putting all his eggs in the Israeli basket.
George Hishmeh, a Washington-based columnist, can be contacted at ghishmeh@gulfnews.com
