President Barack Obama’s attempt to impose his will on Israel–and save face after Secretary of State John Kerry’s disastrous ceasefire mission–continued at the UN Security Council overnight, with a midnight session Monday morning demanding a ceasefire.
It was a gross betrayal of America’s best ally in the Middle East. However, it has–quite unintentionally–created a new opportunity for Israel in its war against Hamas.
The war has continued Monday, since Hamas keeps firing rockets and boasting about terror tunnels, and Israel–which promised not to initiate fire for three days–has responded. Israeli politicians are very reluctant to defy the U.S. openly (albeit less so as the grievances against Obama mount). Yet it is far easier to defy the UN–even the UN Security Council–for which Israelis of all political stripes have long ago developed a studied contempt.
Ironically, therefore, while Obama’s stunt at the UN was meant to isolate Israel, he made it easier for Israel to keep fighting. Now Israeli leaders can say they are not defying Obama directly, or alone: they are defying such human rights paragons as Nigeria and Rwanda, along with Russia and China, which presume to sit in judgment of Israel’s self-defense efforts.
Even when he is trying to be nasty, Obama’s incompetence shines through.
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