Kenneth Bialkin’s op-ed piece, “U.S. Policy Weakens Defense Against Terrorism” (Oct. 5), contributes to an overly simplistic yet stubbornly persistent narrative that conflates support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with support for Israel, and preemptive strikes on Iran with U.S. global leadership. It overlooks 60 percent of Israelis who oppose unilateral strikes on Iran, and Bibi’s paltry 30 percent approval rating. Remember that Israel is a democracy, and Bibi has shown little interest in forming a broad centrist coalition.
It is entirely possible to be pro-Israel and yet reject the rash approach towards Iran taken by Netanyahu and encouraged by Romney. Equating U.S. global leadership with military strikes is extremely shortsighted. By encouraging a diplomatic solution that will enhance Israel’s prospects for long-term peace and security, Obama has shown himself to be the true pro-Israel candidate.
Given the collapse of the rial [Iran’s currency] in the past week, his tactics already seem to be working.
