Obama in Israel – Red, White and Blue

A few years ago as I walked home from the Old City, the red, white and blue American flag was blowing in the wind against a perfectly blue background sky over the American consulate building.

I took out a little pocket camera to take a photo of the beautiful sight. Within seconds, I was surrounded by huge security guys, ok  maybe not really huge, but in my walking shoes I am only 5′ 1″.

I tried in my best Southern accent to tell them that all I wanted was a photo of the flag and was not a security risk.

Immediately I realized that these guys had no idea what a Southern accent was and gave up. They then proceeded to delete my photos.

So for years the hardest picture to take on the streets of Jerusalem, Israel was the Star Spangled Banner, the US – red, white and blue, stars and stripes.

American flag, photo flags for Obama in Israel

But not this week, now there are hundreds of flags lining the roads for the Obama motorcade.

US flags at Presidents residense

Yesterday against a stormy sky two US flags flew outside Beit Hanasi. Soon this entire street will be off limits to photos, to all cars and also pedestrians.

Security for Obama visit. Obama in Israel

Security preparations have already started for this visit and will exceed those of President GW Bush’s visits.

US limo with GW Bush photo, Bush visit to Jerusalem

After GW Bush spoke at the Knesset, Ramban Street was empty of all vehicles, but people were allowed to watch his limo go by and wave.

For this visit, the US president will not speak at the Knesset.

It will be interesting to see how close any spectators can get.

In many Jerusalem neighborhoods, residents are bracing for a lock down situation.

Yes You Can banner, photo Pollard protest poster, Free Pollard campaign image

One thing I would bet, is that these banners at a major intersection will be long gone.

“YES YOU CAN”  free Jonathan Pollard will not be the red, white and blue that is out on the street for Obama to see when his special motorcade goes by.

13 thoughts on “Obama in Israel – Red, White and Blue”

  1. Are the security measures stronger now because the situation is more dangerous is because Baby Obama wants to speak at the convention center ?

    His supposed desire to “speak to all Israelis” is nothing more than nonsense, all the Israelis are represented at the Knesset and he is just applying the same “Arab street” logic to Israel : “Jewish street”.

  2. E Pluribus Beagle

    I can hardly wait for Debbie Wasserman Schultz to starts screaming on TV about Obama should be Lord of all Jews in Israel too. Maybe we can get a little sound byte from Chris “Balloonhead” Matthews muttering about how the Jews secretly control the White House or a little piece from Thomas “My head is flat” Friedman extolling the theoretical virtues of a nuclear attack on Israel.

  3. This is the point where I and many of my fellow faithful readers of IsraellyCool part company. I won’t single anyone out, since that would be a fool’s errand on this site. I’m fine with those who oppose Obama’s policies towards Israel. But to characterize them and Obama personally as anti-Israel is complete nonsense. It puts those who say such counter-factual charges in the same category as Donald Trump’s birther nonsense or Pamela Geller’s smear of Obama as anti-semitic or radio show host Mark Levine’s manufactured bilge that Obama is a marxist who hates America. When you objectively look at the facts, saying Obama is anti-Israel is just kind of nutty.

    1. I would invite you to consider the facts of the actions of Obama:

      – Forcing Bibi’s hand on a settlement freeze that lead to nothing, and made the Israeli negotiating position weaker.

      – Nominating the least sympathetic Sec of Defense in a year when action against Iran is of the utmost urgency. It is like nominating Zoabi to take care of Settlers, to steal a joke from MKs.

      – His action in Libya, Egypt and Syria complicates the Israeli security position, both because of the weaponry now at the hands of extremists from these countries but because of regime changes. I might be a little too optimistic on that, but time will tell the ultimate result.

      These three items where under direct control of Obama and was his sole decisions to make, his much vaunted support of Israel by the Iron Dome is bogus because the project started under Bush and Obama couldn’t cut even if He wanted to because He would have to fight against both Senators and Congressmen representing both pro-Israeli interests and the American Companies working on the project. Makes as much sense as taking credit for the sun rising.

      His restrain on Iran is the cherry on the cake for me, until I see F-35 sending the Iranian Nuclear reactors back to the Stone Age I won’t be convinced otherwise.

      Now I confess that I don’t like his politics and big lying face, but it is not a decisive factor in my opinion.

      1. A countervailing view is that Obama, over the past four years, has proven to be a consistent and reliable ally of Israel. He supported Netanyahu’s military operation in Gaza during Pillar of Cloud. He supported Netanyahu’s handling of the Gaza flotilla’s intervention into Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. Obama’s administration has repeatedly intervened on Israel’s behalf at the UN, the last time in support of Israel’s opposition to the Palestinian Authority’s efforts to attain observer status. Obama funded Iron Dome, which shortened Operation Pillar of Cloud and saved Israeli and Palestinian lives. While Obama has consistently opposed illegal settlements, just as all previous American presidents, he has supported the erection of the separation fence and other Israeli measures to reduce violence by Palestinians in the West Bank. Obama supports Israel’s fundemental objectives to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Obama has taken these actions and others in an environment where many of our long-time allies are far less supportive of Israel and want us to take a much more hardline stance against Netanyahu.

        This is why I believe Obama is pro-Israel. You seem to base your views on Obama’s intentions more than his words or actions. We just disagree on this and probably cannot be convinced of the other’s views. So this is what makes the world go ’round, I guess.

        1. We probably can’t convince each other, the words of Obama are meaningless for me and I am not judging him on his intentions but strictly actions : Nominating Hegel for Defense, forcing the settlement freeze and funding armaments that could be turned against Israel are all actions and not intentions.

          I also question your assertion that He funded the Iron Dome, the project started under the Bush Administration when Moffaz was Israeli Defense Minister of the then Kadima government.

          But yes the world goes around, lets just agree in our support for Israel, have a beer and maybe some beef barbecue 😉

  4. Facts are confusing to those who steadfastly refuse to acknowledge them as does Jim from Iowa. Whether or not Obama is a marxist (for sure, a redistributionist re socialist) et all is something that will come out eventually. But, simply put & in accordance with the FACTS, the current president of the US is anti- Israel. As are the rest of the progressive elites who surround him.

  5. Obama is definitely not a friend of Israel. He “inherited” Israel as an American ally, and knows that it will bee political suicide to abandon the pretense of friendship, but I see no reason to believe that he supports Israel. Israel is more of a an uncomfortable, unfortunate obstacle for his Middle East outreach attempts, he would abandon it if he could because he believes it is part of that “unfair” western power that he so diligently strives to take apart.

    1. who cares why he supports israel

      nixon hated the jew, and really couldnt give a crap about israel…but because of the cold war, he supported her

      bush 1 surrounded himself with rabid jew haters…yet supported israel because his party did

      israel will not continue because of some man…it is all in hashem’s hands

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