Seidemann: The real problem in 1600

From the other side of the bench

by David Seidemann

Issue of April 16, 2010/ 2 Iyur 5770

Jeffrey was the second biggest troublemaker in our class. He spent more time in the hallway than the custodian. There was nothing worse than being sent out to the hall to stand with your face to the wall when parents, particularly your own, were scheduled to come to school. There was a classroom presentation one day and Jeffrey was sent out moments before parents arrived.

I shared with him one of my tricks: get down on one knee and pretend to tie your shoes, thus explaining your presence in the hallway. My job was to alert Jeffrey of the arrival of his mother, at which point he would get down on one knee and pretend to tie his shoe, thereby avoiding detection as a troublemaker.

I did not know that he was wearing slip-ons that day. You would think that he would’ve known. The plan failed. He cried, told his mother, my mother, and the teacher that I “set him up.” Believe it or not, I was sent to the hall! I still can’t figure it out. Since then I have been hyper-vigilant about warning others of danger. Please check your shoes for this column.

If you’ve haven’t checked the news in the last 62 years you might believe that Israel’s decision to build 1600 apartments was the cause of all the world’s ills. Such seems to be the position of Barack Obama, who believes that, under his leadership, the United States has the right to dictate the terms and preconditions of Mideast peace. Apparently forgotten are all the wars, pogroms, attacks, and suicide bombings initiated by the Arabs since 1948 that threatened Israel’s existence.

The the calls keep coming for goodwill gestures and concessions on Israel’s part, with nary a concession sought or offered from the Palestinians. Israel is called to retreat from land that it captured and developed; Israel is called upon to dismantle communities, while the Arabs are simply asked to renounce violence and acknowledge Israel’s right to exist in principle. They have failed to deliver on both counts.

No, the problem is not 1600 apartments. The problem is 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. No, the problem is not 1600 apartments. The problem is 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. This is not an editorial mistake. I write that sentence twice because I believe that a significant segment of the Jewish population fails to recognize just how misguided the present administration has become. We cannot wait until 2012 to punish them at the ballot box. By that time it might be too late. We must let Obama & Co. know now that our support for them has ended.

I met with Bibi Netanyahu in New York years ago during his first go-around as prime minister of Israel. I told him then that as tempting as it might be to view the United States as Israel’s best friend and ultimate protector, in reality, if Israel was to succeed and continue to exist he, as prime minister, needs to pretend that we are alone. Never have those words rang more true.

In Iraq, sectarian violence recently killed 50 and injured hundreds. In Afghanistan, Karzai vilifies the West and speaks of joining the Taliban. In India, rebels riot against the government. In Gaza, Hamas has been involved in its own “occupation” and not a word from our president. In Moscow, two bombings kill scores and the Chechen Islamists leader takes responsibility. North Korea and Iran proceed in their quest for nuclear weapons. In Kyrgyzstan, rebels fed up with Russian meddling, overthrow the government. Pakistan, which receives over $7 billion a year in aid from the United States, will not or cannot control the Islamic militants on its western borders. India sends a message to the United States not to interfere in its dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir. All the while, the administration expresses a desire for peace in these conflicts, but stops short of labeling one side as the impediment to peace.

Not so when it comes to Israel. Not so even though Israel could destroy those who still seek to destroy it, but decides instead to build. For this she is excoriated and singled out for rebuke.

We are witnessing an administration that treats friends as enemies and enemies as friends. We are witnessing an administration that treats friends as enemies and enemies as friends. And again, I write this sentence twice for I believe that a significant segment of our Jewish brethren still don’t get it; they still support this misguided administration at all costs out of some crazy allegiance to the Democratic Party. But this is not about party affiliation or a debt you might think we owe the Democratic Party for her assistance in the 1930’s and 1940’s. It is about Israel’s very survival that I feel is in greater peril than at any time since 1948. Every Jew must draw the line in the Negev sand and tell the present administration that they have no right to dictate Israel’s future.

This is the time when every Jew must tell President Obama, and Biden and Hillary and Rahm: you have lost us. We will no longer follow blindly and pull the lever that keeps you in Washington.

The abuse and its treatment ends today, Mr. Obama. When you treat friends as friends then you will realize that 1600 apartments are the solution and not the problem.

David Seidemann is a partner with the law firm of Seidemann & Mermelstein. He can be reached at (718) 692-1013 and at ds@lawofficesm.com