Sarah Palin: More Israeli Than the Israelis

In another clip from her fingernails-on-a-chalkboard interview with Katie Couric, Sarah Palin yesterday promised never to second guess “Israel’s security efforts.” 

Palin’s comments put her in direct conflict with just about everybody in Israel.  Anyone who’s spent any time there (and I have) knows that Israelis are rarely of a single mind on any issue, particularly ones dealing with security.  Two Jews, three opinions, Israelis like to say. 

Shortly after her selection, I noted the presence of an Israeli flag in her office:

Yesterday at the UN, she told Israeli President Shimon Peres about that flag.  As an unapologetic supporter of Israel, I don’t find this particularly reassuring.  

Palin’s “support” for Israel isn’t about security or democracy and it most certainly isn’t about peace.  It’s about advocating a religiously-motivated, militaristic, and uncompromising view of the Middle East. This is from the conservative Washington Times:

Sarah Palin displays an Israeli flag in her governor’s office in Juneau, even though she has never been to the country, and attends Protestant evangelical churches that consider the preservation of the state of Israel a biblical imperative.

Nothing wrong with that.  Israel’s continued existence shouldn’t be controversial, but in some quarters it is.  Palin’s brand of Evangelicalism, however, teaches very speicfic understanding of the meaning of “perservation of Israel.”  Here’s how one prominent Evangelical leader describes it:

[Pastor John] Hagee calls it “biblical advocacy,” an idea that has attracted prominent Evangelicals like Gary Bauer and Jerry Falwell to join Hagee. A “biblical advocate” for Israel believes the borders of the country were set by God and should not be altered. It’s a view at odds with the majority of Israelis who are prepared to trade land for peace, but, Hagee promises, the group won’t intervene in internal Israeli politics. 

The documentary Jesus Camp told the stories of Americans who share Palin’s views.  One family homeschooled its children, was, like Palin, radically conservative, revered George W. Bush, and believed Jesus’ return was imminent.  Every morning, family members gathered around the breakfast table and said the Christian Pledge of Allegiance.  In addition to the American and Christian flags, guess what that family waived:

Because of internal political and religious pressures, Israelis and Palestinians simply can’t make peace on their own.  Both sides need the US to bring its prestige, power and influence to bear to provide the cover each needs to make the kinds of historic, emotionally charged compromises required to make lasting peace. The “support” that Sarah Palin would offer to Israel as president or vice president is the kind that virtually guarantees that generations of Israeli — not Alaskan — children will remain locked in conflict because of a biblical worldview that they don’t share. 

Palin is no terrorist, but she shares something disturbing in common with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  Despite the fact that, officially at least, the Palestinians have already recognized the Jewish state, and regardless of what kind of comprehensive deal they conclude with Israel,  Iran will “never recognize Israel.” Many Iranians refer to this as the more Palestinian than the Palestinians policy.  And that’s the mirror image of what Palin proposes. 

Barack Obama, by contrast, promises “not to waste a minute” getting the parties to the table to restart negotiations. If negotiations succeed, the Jewish state will, for the first time in thousands of years, have defined, recognized borders which protect its democratic, Jewish character. That’s security.