A new Gallup poll out today shows American support for Israel near a record high:
PRINCETON, NJ -- For the first time since 1991, more than 6 in 10 Americans -- 63% -- say their sympathies in the Middle East situation lie more with the Israelis than with the Palestinians. Fifteen percent side more with the Palestinians, down slightly from recent years, while a combined 23% favor both sides, favor neither side, or have no opinion.
Meanwhile, our government "slams" Israel:
... the State Department on Wednesday sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for adding two shrines in the West Bank to Israel's list of national heritage sites. The move, announced Sunday, sparked Palestinian protests and has drawn criticism from other quarters, including the United Nations.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the administration viewed the move as "provocative" and unhelpful to the goal of getting the two sides back to the table.
The two shrines? The Cave of Machpelah in Hevron and the Tomb of Rachel in Bethlehem.
Kol hakavod! to the Prime Minister ... and his Cabinet, which unanimously approved the plan back in February.
“Our existence here in our country depends not only on the IDF’s might and our technological and economic resilience. It is anchored, first and foremost, in the store of knowledge and the national sentiment we will bestow upon the coming generations, in our ability to justify our connection to the land, to ourselves and to others,” Netanyahu said at the start of the cabinet meeting, held on the 90th anniversary of the fall of national hero Joseph Trumpeldor at Tel Hai....
“I believe that this project is of national importance at the highest level and that at least some of the sites are world cultural assets of high international importance,” Netanyahu said.
Readers will recall the Israel retreated from Joseph's Tomb in October 2000.
... a Palestinian Arab mob entered the Tomb compound and began to systematically destroy everything in sight, including all remnants of the Yeshiva. The furniture and books that were left behind were burned by the mob. The Palestinian police stood by, failing to prevent any of these violent activities, despite their committment to guard the Tomb. Within hours, Joseph's Tomb was reduced to a smoldering heap of rubble. Within two days, as an Associated Press dispatch reported, "the dome of the tomb was painted green and bulldozers were seen clearing the surrounding area," as the Palestinian Arabs sought to transform the biblical Joseph's resting place into a Moslem holy site.
At the time, Oslo hero Shimon Peres said,
"The Palestinians made a terrible mistake in Joseph's Tomb. They pulled the rug out from under their feet regarding their demand for control of the holy places, by showing that they don't know how to preserve and respect them."
As recently as last April, Joseph's Tomb was vandalized again -- with the headstone smashed in and swastikas painted on the walls.
"Only barbarians could do such things. People who pathologically disgrace such a holy place don't deserve to be called human beings," said Gershon Mesika, head of the Jewish regional council in the West Bank.
Exactly. Someone should tell the O-mericans.