(By NY Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz). This week an anonymous U.S. official used a vulgar and disrespectful term to describe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Even though the White House distanced itself from this utterance (which I won’t repeat here) and re-emphasized the close relationship between the U.S. and Israel, the damage was already done.
In a world where anti-Semitic attacks are on the rise and relations between the Obama Administration and Israel are perceived as being not quite as unshakable as during previous administrations, a misstep of this nature cannot be written off as merely salty.
In a world where anti-Semitic attacks are on the rise and relations between the Obama Administration and Israel are perceived as being not quite as unshakable as during previous administrations, a misstep of this nature cannot be written off as merely salty.
It degrades the level of public discourse concerning Israel and makes clearly unacceptable language if not exactly acceptable then not quite abhorred as it should be, especially at the highest levels of government. If trashing Israel’s leader on a deeply personal level is okay for someone described as a senior U.S. official, what door does it open for everyone else? Anti-Israel sentiment has already crossed a dangerous line. This latest incident doesn’t bode well for the future.
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