The Fallout of Obama’s Israel Speech

Cal Thomas | Syndicated Columnist | Updated: May 24, 2011

The Fallout of Obama’s Israel Speech

May 24, 2011

As President Obama tours Europe this week, the damage from his speech about Israel continues to be felt. In an address delivered at the Arabist State Department, the president neutered any negotiating position for our supposed ally – Israel – by stating the country needs to return to its 1967 borders. Those borders, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rebuked the president, are indefensible.

The formula of “land for peace” ought to have been declared null and void a long time ago. Israel has been attacks five times by its neighbors and many more times by terrorist groups. Its unilateral concessions over land have not brought peace, but more terrorism as Israel’s enemies use that land to launch new attacks.

Does anyone seriously believe more land concessions would change behavior, which is rooted in Islam and the stated commitment to wipe Israel from the map? Only fools believe it. This president believes it. Draw your own conclusions.

Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.

The Fallout of Obama’s Israel Speech