Counter-Speech

I have never really embraced Bibi, always feeling his personal indiscretions, "american style" campaigning, political gamesplaying and apparent lack of broad vision ill-fit the demands -- given what is at stake -- of the highest levels of the Israeli political arena. That said, having now read the transcript, it appears to me he gave a very close to perfect speech.

The speech had two audiences, the Israeli public and the President.

To the fractured, often combative, Israeli public he made clear that -- in contrast to his first go round -- he was going to be a uniter, not divider, governing from an inclusive consensus and not a narrow base. To left he argued: "Unity among us ... will help us achieve reconciliation with our neighbors." To the hard right he argued: they must recognize the reality of international situation even while standing firm on essential principles, such as the security of the Jewish State.

I demonstrated in my comments on Obama's speech in Cairo, that the audience for his defense of Israel was Jewish Americans rather than Muslims. The President, in his outreach to Muslims, is evidently concerned that Jewish Americans, who voted 75+% for him, perceive him as being fair to Israel. Netanyahu drew, for Obama, bright lines which can only be crossed at the real risk of undoing that perception. Even left-of-center Jewish Americans believe strongly that Palestinian partners in peace ought recognize the Jewish state and that the international community ought take seriously legitimate Israeli security concern. If Netanyahu demonstrates seriousness in avoiding any geographic expansion of settlements (and the if is big), the President will have a hard time convincing many Jewish Americans that kitchen-remodeling in Gush Etsyon is illegitimate and an obstacle to peace.

Above all, how without grace or goodness appear those who have no sympathy for a speech that concluded:

I call on the leaders of the Arab world and on the Palestinian leadership, let us continue together on the path of Menahem Begin and Anwar Sadat, Yitzhak Rabin and King Hussein. Let us realize the vision of the prophet Isaiah, who in Jerusalem 2700 years ago said: “nations shall not lift up sword against nation, and they shall learn war no more.”

With God’s help, we will know no more war. We will know peace