Obama makes Israel uncomfortable

Obama makes Israel uncomfortable
18th June, 2009
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/06/18/letters-obama-makes-israel-uncomfortable.html

The success of a speech can be gauged by how it is attacked and what it leads to. From both these counts, Obama's speech in Cairo seems to be a great success with Muslim audiences all over the world. First, it attracted a preemptive attack from his biggest adversary, al Qaeda, two full days before he gave it ("Obama's bloody messages will not be concealed by polished words!").
And then, last Sunday, the Israeli PM accepted the two-nation principle to create a Palestinian state. Though he added a lot of conditions, these are just pre-loaded stuff for trading at the negotiating table in a subsequent give and take.
So President Obama is worthy of congratulation for this success. He was very balanced and apparently said what he meant and meant what he said. He was forthright to reiterate America's strong bonds with Israel but equally emphatic in promising that America would not turn its back on legitimate Palestinian aspirations, saying the Palestinian people had waited long in refugee camps to lead a life of peace and security in their own homeland.
Obama's body language during his recent meeting with Israeli PM Netanyahu in Washington was different from the coziness one generally sees between heads of state from both countries. Very rarely have I seen any American president expressing his views so forcefully and an Israeli prime minister looking so uncomfortable.
Obama covered many issues, and the other important issue beyond the Arab-Israeli conflict was democracy.
His comments on democracy were very interesting and educational for the young Indonesian democracy. He wanted elected governments to protect fundamental rights, free speech and adult franchise because, according to him, only elected governments were stable, successful and secure, and suppressing ideas never succeeded in making them go away.
He mocked leaders who advocated democracy only when they were out of power, but ruthless in suppressing the rights of others once in power.
Which examples was Obama alluding to? Presidents for life like Iddi Amin? The kings and emirs of the Middle East? Military rulers who come to power by way of coup d'*tats? Or those who usurp power under various excuses like constitutional loopholes, lack of stability, external threats, likely loss of unity of a country?
Or was it Hitler, who never won a clear majority in any of the three elections in 1932, but allowed the Nazi party to "arrange" crowds of thugs to create chaos, violence and even murder to force the elected president Hindenburg into appointing himself a Chancellor and once he thus usurped power, never allowed elections in Germany until her defeat in 1945.
Such silly tactics never succeed and finally people power wins.
But Obama's best sentence was, "Partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn't."
The world wishes President Obama success in his pursuit of a path not trodden.
K.B. Kale, Jakarta