While I have certainly been critical of the way that the Obama administration has dealt with Israel related issues in the past, I must say that the administration’s response to this crisis has been largely on the mark. If I’m going to criticize, when criticism is due, I should praise when praise is due. So first of all, no one spoke off the cuff and condemned Israel without waiting for the facts. Second, while seemingly everyone else was jumping on the “let’s slam Israel” bandwagon, the US stood by for hours. I can only imagine the ferocity of pressure from a multiplicity of sources that was aimed at the administration today to act, much less to speak harshly, against Israel. With that in mind, the US calm and measured response to proposals at the UN is all the more appreciated.
As reported by the JPost http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=177062:
US deputy ambassador to the UN Alejandro Wolff did not support the Turkish and Arab demand for an independent international probe at the special UN Security Council session Monday overnight, saying: “We expect a credible and transparent investigation and strongly urge the Israeli government to investigate the incident fully.”
In other words, “We believe Israel and support Israel.” The statement didn’t say that in so many words, but, with this problematic of a situation, opposing UNSC condemnation was significant as was opposition to an “independent international probe” which certainly would have found Israel guilty regardless of the facts and evidence. In this case, the Obama administration responded as a friend of Israel. Now, as for the investigation, might Israel inquire of itself why it had no better plan to deal with hostile protesters? If it were not for expertly trained commandos, there could easily have been dead or captured IDF soldiers in addition to many more dead violent protesters. More, a question from Meryl, why doesn’t Israel have all of its soldiers wear helmet cams during this type of raid when the media is watching? We can only have grainy helicopter video?