Israel and Foreign Policy: You Decide!

"... Internationalism is the guiding belief of most American Jews. And so they endorse Barack Obama (by a 2-1 margin in some polls) despite the fact that Obama and his advisors are dangerously anti-Israel." -- Ben Shapiro, Townhall.com, 6/25/08

Does this assertion make any sense? What does Shapiro use to base his claim? Speeches? Press releases? A feeling in his gut? To illustrate that neither Barack Obama nor John McCain is "dangerously anti-Israel," I've decided to make this post interactive!



All right, class. Get out a sheet of paper and a pencil, it's time for the "foreign policy and Israel" quiz. Let's see how well you know your candidates in 2008.

The following numbered quotes are taken from the writings/speeches of both John McCain and Barack Obama (or, more accurately, from their campaigns). For each quote, write down who you think the author is. Good luck!

(1) "During the July 2006 Lebanon war, [he] stood up strongly for Israel’s right to defend itself from Hezbollah raids and rocket attacks. [He] is an original cosponsor of the Senate resolution expressing support for Israel, condemning the attacks, and calling for strong action against Iran and Syria."

(2) "We hope that the talks between Israel and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will yield progress toward peace."

(3) "The Palestinian people are badly served with Hamas in charge of Gaza. This is a group that refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist, to denounce violence, and to acknowledge prior peace commitments."

(4) "[He] supports U.S. efforts to provide aid directly to the Palestinian people by bypassing any Hamas-led government that refuses to renounce violence and recognize Israel’s right to exist."

(5) "The United Nations Security Council should impose progressively tougher political and economic sanctions [on Iran]... We will encourage those in the region and our European partners to impose targeted sanctions."

(6) "He has sought to encourage Palestinian moderates who seek peace and to isolate Hamas and other extremists who are committed to Israel’s destruction."

(7) "Additionally, he has called for sustaining the unique U.S.-Israel defense relationship by fully funding military assistance and continuing cooperative work on missile defense programs, such as the Arrow."

(8) "He strongly supports the increase in military aid to Israel scheduled to begin in October, and is committed to making certain Israel maintains its qualitative military edge."








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Drum roll, please... Here are the answers:

(1) Senator Barack Obama
(2) Senator John McCain
(3) Senator John McCain
(4) Senator Barack Obama
(5) Senator John McCain
(6) Senator Barack Obama
(7) Senator Barack Obama
(8) Senator John McCain
(And please note, I gave them an equal number of quotes, because that's just the kind of guy I am...)

Surprised by the answers? Not surprised? Confused by the candidates' similar stances? Appalled by their differences? I really don't care how you reacted to the quotes and their authors (unless you leave me a comment, of course), as long as you reacted in some way.

If you got all of them correct, congratulations. If you didn't, don't fret. Regardless of how you scored, go back and read through the quotes, and check out these links (where I got my quotes): McCain and Israel and Obama and Israel. If you find all of the quotes and positions agreeable, then maybe you should pick another issue to differentiate between the two major candidates; furthermore, if you fall into this category, you should also feel comfortable knowing that, God willing, Israel will be just fine for years to come under either candidate. If you saw one candidate waver or mention something you found questionable, feel free to investigate, leave me a comment, and/or make a decision on who will earn your vote (with this being one of the many important issues you should consider in this presidential campaign).



"And Barack Obama, internationalist, will stand alongside the United Nations and the European Union." -- Ben Shapiro, again. Read their positions yourself, and see just how much McCain and Obama mention the UN and the EU in their ideas on foreign policy.