"Atem Lo Lavad" - The President in Jerusalem

There are times when one can truly enjoy political speeches and feel that a speech has historic ramifications, that it is not just some stump speech made for press releases. Earlier today in Jerusalem, I think President Obama made one of these speeches. I had the pleasure of listening to President via POTUS and I heard the enthusiasm of the Israeli crowd that greeted his comments.

Of course, what everyone will remember about this speech is when President Obama uttered the words "Atem Lo Lavad" - "You are not alone" to thunderous applause from the crowd.

Once again I have to give credit to the Transcript Editors at Daily Kos for their transcript of the President's Speech in J'Slem.

Here is context and that passage:

For young Israelis, I know that these issues of security are rooted in an experience that is even more fundamental than the pressing threat of the day. You live in a neighborhood where many of your neighbors have rejected your right to exist. Your grandparents had to risk their lives and all they had to make a place for themselves in this world. Your parents lived through war after war to ensure the survival of the Jewish state. Your children grow up knowing that people they have never met hate them because of who they are, in a region that is changing underneath your feet.

So that is what I think about when Israel is faced with these challenges – that sense of an Israel that is surrounded by many in this region who reject it, and many in the world who refuse to accept it. That is why the security of the Jewish people in Israel is so important – because it can never be taken for granted. But make no mistake: those who adhere to the ideology of rejecting Israel’s right to exist might as well reject the earth beneath them and the sky above, because Israel is not going anywhere. Today, I want to tell you – particularly the young people – that so long as there is a United States of America, Ah-tem lo lah-vahd.(vb1 emphasis)

But what struck me as much as this speech was the thunderous applause from the Israeli students particularly when the President spoke of Peace. Remember one difference between these students and students in America. For the most part, these students are Veterans of the Military. In Israel, most people go into the Armed Services right after High School and THEN go to college. So an important distinction was that he was able to talk to people that know what conflict and War are about first hand.

In listening to the speech, there was not silence (no matter what lies the Right Wing tells) regarding his calls for a Two Street Solution. In fact, I heard strong applause for those words. Here are some that I felt spoke to the heart of the matter:

I know Israel has taken risks for peace. Brave leaders – Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Rabin –reached treaties with two of your neighbors. You made credible proposals to the Palestinians at Annapolis. You withdrew from Gaza and Lebanon, and then faced terror and rockets. Across the region, you have extended a hand of friendship, and too often have been confronted with the ugly reality of anti-Semitism. So I believe that the Israeli people do want peace, and you have every right to be skeptical that it can be achieved.

But today, Israel is at a crossroads. It can be tempting to put aside the frustrations and sacrifices that come with the pursuit of peace – particularly when an Iron Dome repels rockets, barriers keep out suicide bombers, and so many other pressing issues demand your attention. And I know that only Israelis can make the fundamental decisions about your country’s future.

I also know that not everyone in this hall will agree with what I have to say about peace. I recognize that there are those who are not simply skeptical about peace, but question its underlying premise, and that’s a part of democracy and the discourse between our two countries. But it is important to be open and honest with one another. Politically, given the strong bipartisan support for Israel in America, the easiest thing for me to do would be to put this issue aside, and express unconditional support for whatever Israel decides to do. But I want you to know that I speak to you as a friend who is deeply concerned and committed to your future, and I ask you to consider three points.

First, peace is necessary. Indeed, it is the only path to true security. You can be the generation that permanently secures the Zionist dream, or you can face a growing challenge to its future. Given the demographics west of the Jordan River, the only way for Israel to endure and thrive as a Jewish and democratic state is through the realization of an independent and viable Palestine. (vb1 emphasis) Given the frustration in the international community, Israel must reverse an undertow of isolation. And given the march of technology, the only way to truly protect the Israeli people is through the absence of war – because no wall is high enough, and no Iron Dome is strong enough, to stop every enemy from inflicting harm.

This was strongly applauded, and rightly so. The President is talking about securing the Zionist dream of David Ben Gurion. A dream that saw Israel as both Jewish AND Democratic. And the President is absolutely 100% right. As the great Abba Eban once said:

1. Israel can be a Democratic State
2. Israel can be a Jewish State
or
3. Israel can be a State from the Jordan to the Mediterranean. 

But Israel can only be two of the three, It cannot be all of them unless it is willing to destroy it's very soul through massive ethnic cleansing, and then honestly... what kind of democracy would it really be then, more than that what kind of Jewish State would it really be?

Of course the President is well aware of what he is dealing with when it comes to asking the Israelis to make Peace with the Palestinians. I am bolding some of the important things I think need to be emphasized.

Only you can determine what kind of democracy you will have. But remember that as you make these decisions, you will define not simply the future of your relationship with the Palestinians – you will define the future of Israel as well. As Ariel Sharon said, “It is impossible to have a Jewish, democratic state and at the same time to control all of Eretz Israel. If we insist on fulfilling the dream in its entirety, we are liable to lose it all.” Or, from a different perspective, think of what David Grossman said shortly after losing his son, as he described the necessity of peace – “a peace of no choice” he said, “must be approached with the same determination and creativity as one approaches a war of no choice.”

"Of course, Israel cannot be expected to negotiate with anyone who is dedicated to its destruction."

A direct reference to understanding that Hamas is certainly no partner for Peace and until they undergo transformative changes, never will be.

...Negotiations will be necessary, but there is little secret about where they must lead – two states for two peoples. There will be differences about how to get there, and hard choices along the way. Arab States must adapt to a world that has changed. The days when they could condemn Israel to distract their people from a lack of opportunity are over. Now is the time for the Arab World to take steps toward normalized relations with Israel. Meanwhile, Palestinians must recognize that Israel will be a Jewish state, and that Israelis have the right to insist upon their security. Israelis must recognize that continued settlement activity is counterproductive to the cause of peace, and that an independent Palestine must be viable– that real borders will have to be drawn. I’ve suggested principles on territory and security that I believe can be the basis for talks. But for the moment, put aside the plans and process. I ask you, instead, to think about what can be done to build trust between people.

Over all, what can I say... I have go with "Kol HaKavod Mr. President". One thing that is interesting is the Times of Israel OP-ED piece that leads on their Front Page:

The Stirring Speech of a Left Wing Zionist

By the end, the students were applauding almost every sentence. They stood and cheered when it was over, roaring their approval. 

Barack Obama, widely perceived by Israelis before this visit as a cold president, a leader dutifully supporting Israel but lacking any real empathy for it, transformed that image in the course of the powerhouse central address of his visit here on Thursday afternoon — for the 1,000 ecstatic young Israelis in Jerusalem’s International Conference Center, and doubtless for many, many Israelis watching on live television nationwide.

He knew, he told the listening Israelis, that you live in a region in which many have rejected your very right to exist. He knew, he said, that the security of the Jewish people in Israel cannot be taken for granted. He knew Israel had seized opportunities for peace with Egypt and Jordan under Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Rabin, and tried hard to make peace with the Palestinians, including under Ehud Olmert at Annapolis. He knew that the 2000 Lebanon pullout and the 2005 Gaza withdrawal had been met with rocket fire, and that “the hand of friendship” had too often been met with rejectionism and terror.

He knew. He understood. He empathized. And yet, he argued, there was no choice but to keep trying. A democratic, Jewish Israel requires a Palestinian state, he said. He quoted Ariel Sharon — seek to maintain the entire Land of Israel and you risk losing it all. The Palestinians deserve a state, he said. Israelis deserve it. It’s the only path to security, to an end to isolation, to that better future.

Being that this is a Center / Center Left Zionist site... this is what we have been saying about the President all along. He IS a Zionist, he just does not define his Zionism by the terms that Rightists and/or Republicans here in the U.S.insist upon. Frankly, he shouldn't either. Just because the Rightists and their cadres insist on something, doesn't mean it has to be and if they are too stupid to realize this... well that's their problem.

Kudos Mr. President. Once again you make America Proud.