Obama’s appointments to his cabinet and national security team have reassured Jews that he is committed to continuing America’s strong relationship with Israel. Also, three main components of Obama’s foreign policy strategy, defusing North Korea and Iran, and achieving a Palestinian-Israeli agreement, are carry over’s from the Bush administration’s approach (2). Obama also seeks to strengthen international institutions and doing so will help to stabilize the fear-dominated atmosphere of the Middle East and indirectly benefit Israel.
Obama’s appointments embody his stated commitment to Israel. He appointed Senator Hillary Clinton, a long time Israel supporter, as Secretary of State. Pro-Israel groups are confident in Clinton’s ability to broker a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and have welcomed her appointment. Obama’s National Security Policy Working Group, which is one of the transition teams that will help to shape policy, includes several pro-Israel members such as James Steinberg; Dennis Ross, the Clinton administration’s top Middle East envoy; Jeremy Bash; and Daniel Shapiro, who led Obama’s Jewish outreach during the campaign (3;4).
Some Jewish observers are uneasy over the appointment of General James Jones, a former NATO commander, as national security advisor. He is known for cultivating closer NATO-Israeli ties, but in his most recent role as a monitor of Israeli and Palestinian compliance with peace agreements, he drew the ire of Israeli officials for his tough criticism of Israel, although he was equally as critical of the Palestinians. However, many Jewish skeptics feel that Jones will be held in check by the numerous pro-Israel Obama appointments (3).
Four of the staffers named to the Obama White House are Jewish. The most prominent of the four is chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who is ardently pro-Israel. Emanuel is known for his “killer instinct”, and his inclusion in Obama’s cabinet has effectively put to rest most Jews concerns with Obama’s impending administration (1). David Axelrod was also named as a senior adviser; Ron Klain as chief of staff to Vice President-elect Joe Biden; and Mona Sutphen as a deputy chief of staff. As a result, there will be a pro-Israel sentiment within Obama’s cabinet.
Obama’s foreign policy ambitions sound very familiar to those of President Bush and his appointments include many who previously served under the Clinton administration, an administration that is widely viewed as being pro-Israel. That, along with the fact that Obama has also surrounded himself with numerous close advisers who are proponents of the Jewish state, has eased the concern of many Jews. Obama’s stated intentions, and his action’s unspoken messages have alleviated Jewish concerns about his foreign policy intentions regarding Israel.
For Further Reading:
1. http://jta.org/news/article/2008/11/09/1000859/rahm-emanuel-attack-dog-policy-wonk-committed-jew
2. http://jta.org/news/article/2008/12/02/1001297/on-foreign-policy-obama-and-bush-sounding-similar
3. http://jta.org/news/article/2008/12/01/1001271/obama-names-national-security-team
4. http://jta.org/news/article/2008/11/24/1001192/jews-praise-obama-appointees
5. http://jta.org/news/article/2008/11/26/1001228/pro-israel-figures-on-obama-team
