Obama to tell Israelis: US-Israel alliance is ubreakable

Here's to unbreakable alliances, unsinkable ships, to Yitzhak Rabin and to the passengers and crew of the SS Titanic.

      
Obama to tell Rabin memorial: U.S.-Israel alliance is unbreakable
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
 

 

The alliance between Israel and the United States is unbreakable, U.S. President Barack Obama will tell Israelis at a memorial ceremony for former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin on Saturday night.

 

Obama will make the comments in a videotaped message in which he also will pledge that U.S. support for Israel's defense will never be undermined.

 

The video is another step in the U.S. leader's attempt to speak directly to the Israeli public in light of the very low level of support he has among Israelis.
 

 

Obama will also tell Israelis that the U.S. will never give up on its joint goal with Israel to reach a just peace and coexistence between Israel, the Palestinians and the Arab world.

 

He will also mention the legacy left by Rabin, who was assassinated in 1995 by a Jewish extremist.

 

Several polls over the past few months show the American president has won the support of only 6 percent to 10 percent of the Israeli public, with people saying Obama does not support Israel.

 

Obama's advisers are worried about his lack of popularity and the expressed feeling that he is hostile to Israel. They believe this seriously harms his ability to advance the peace process with the Palestinians. Obama's advisers see this as the reason why Israelis view his diplomatic initiatives on both Iran and the Palestinians so negatively.