THE OBAMA VICTORY AND ISRAEL

By Sig Demling

As I prepared to leave shul this morning a friend, who had spent the last two weeks wearing an Obama button, approached me. 

"Well," he chortled, "we won."

To which i shot back, "Not me."

I might have added, "And not Israel either" but I was not inclined to argue with an otherwise nice chap. 

My shul pal represents many of my Jewish friends who supported the Democratic incumbent. I had few disputes with them because I know futility when it's staring me in the face. 

It's an indisputable fact that no matter how logical my anti-Obama points may have been with Jewish voters, they react genetically in the "I'm a Democrat and I vote Democratic Party and that's that."

It doesn't matter that Obama did not visit Israel once during his first administration; no matter that he treated Israel's Prime Minister like a third-class citizen -- until the time came to worry about Jewish votes.

Nor do American-Jewish voters seem bothered by the President's on-his-knees appeasement policy toward Iran nor the endless foreign policy blunders that began in Egypt and continue in blood-drenched Syria.

What's more my shul-buddy has a son who has studied in Israel. The man with the Vote Obama pin has genuine links to the Middle East's only democracy but that didn't sway him a bit. American Jews vote Democrat whether it imperils Israel or not.

Which brings us to the pivotal point, what does Obama's re-election mean for Israel?

One Jewish friend of mine who votes Democrat -- but not for Obama this time --= sums it up thusly: "He'll sell out the Jews and Israel."

And if he doesn't it will be the upset of the half-century.

Here's what to expect:

* IRAN; Obama will do everything short of giving the mullahs plans for Pearl Harbor in an attempt to woo them away from their aim to obliterate Israel. They will respond by laughing up their long sleeves.

* SYRIA; He will continue his do-nothing policy. What a few thousand dead here or there.

* EGYPT: No matter how anti-American the Muslim Brotherhood leadership my react, the Muslim president will dispatch billions to Cairo as if the Egyptian leaders are his first cousins.

* LEBANON: He'll turn away from Hezbollah's arms stockpiling as if nothing is happening.

* TURKEY: You can bet he'll be in Ankara before he'll be in Jerusalem.

As for Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu can expect the hardest arm-twisting of his political life from the White House. 

It will come in the form of demands that 1. Israel accept the dreaded two-state solution: 2. Israel must vacate cities, farms and settlements over the Green Line; 3. Israel must be satisfied with a piece of paper that will signify piece on the part of Palestinians. (That piece will last about a month or until Hamas over-runs Abbas, Inc. and that will be that; 4. Obama will forbid Bibi to attack the Iranian nuclear facilities.

So far, Netanyahu has been the very soul of discretion or should I say procrastination. But in his last public pronouncement prior to the American election, Bibi made it clear that Israel's interest get priority over America's or any other country for that matter. 

Which means that all of Obama's entreaties may go for nought and Israel just may strike if nothing meaningful is done to curb Tehran. 

Frankly, I hope I wrong about every anti-Obama point listed above but until the president shows that he's a genuine -- not just a pre-election -- friend of Israel I'll stay with the Harry Truman philosophy: SHOW ME!