With Emanuel,Obama Could Be Sending Signal to Israel

Barack Obama, by tapping a prominent Jewish congressman to be his chief of staff, earned renewed support from the Jewish community here and abroad.His choice, Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel, has already accepted the job, according to Democratic officials, though Emanuel would say publicly only that he's still considering his future. Obama's offer could be an early signal to the Middle East that the new president intends to follow through on his promises to uphold the U.S.-Israeli alliance in his administration."It's just another indication that despite the attempts to imply that Obama would somehow appoint the wrong person or listen to the wrong people when it comes to the U.S.-Israel relationship ... that was never true," said Ira Forman, executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council.Forman said Obama's selection of Emanuel helps build confidence that the United States will be vigilant in responding to any threats to Israel posed by Iran."Rahm has certainly never been accused of being too naive or not decisive in his analysis of these types of issues," Forman said.Here and around the world, the selection brought swift reaction. The Web site for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Wednesday was filled with articles on what an Obama presidency would mean for Israel. The top story, on Emanuel, noted his deep Jewish roots.Emanuel is the son of a Jerusalem-born doctor who worked for the Israeli underground before the nation's creation following World War II. The congressman belongs to an orthodox congregation in Chicago and worked as a volunteer in Israel during the first Gulf War. He had dual citizenship in the United States and Israel, but gave it up when he was 18."Of course he will influence the president to be pro-Israeli," his father Benjamin told an Israeli newspaper Thursday.Though Obama was accused of being conciliatory toward Iran and toward Palestinians during the presidential race, an Emanuel appointment could combat those perceptions.Last summer, Obama's campaign gave conflicting statements over how he views the status of Jerusalem. He told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee that Jerusalem "must remain undivided," but later he said it would be a matter of negotiation.Emanuel, though, has indicated consistent support for Israel's rights. While he has expressed empathy for Palestinians, Emanuel has explicitly condemned their leaders.In June 2007, Emanuel condemned an outbreak of Palestinian violence in the Gaza Strip and criticized Arab countries for not applying the same kind of pressure on the Palestinians as they have on Israel."Fatah and Hamas are tearing the Palestinian area of the Gaza strip apart in what they call a political rivalry, and the Palestinian people are paying a price for Palestinian violence," he said at the time. "Governments from around the world and the Arab world have said nothing. ... I just want you to think for a second, if this were the result of Israeli-Palestinian hostilities, would the international silence and the silence of the Arab world be this deafening?"At a 2003 pro-Israel rally in Chicago, Emanuel told the marchers Israel was ready for peace but would not get there until Palestinians "turn away from the path of terror," according to the Chicago Tribune.It's unclear exactly how an Obama administration would handle the Israel-Palestine peace process, which has failed to take off during the Bush administration. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice left Wednesday for a series of peacemaking meetings in the Middle East, but so far the kind of agreement sought at last year's Annapolis summit has been elusive."I would expect that what we are going to do is we're going to try to put this process in the best possible place going forward so that whomever comes next can formulate their policies, take a look at the process and possibly use it, take it further," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters, adding that upcoming elections in Israel further complicate matters.Emanuel's older brother Ezekial said the Illinois congressman will "want to see peace in the region.""That's what you need," he said. "Like every sensible human being, Rahm believes in a two-state solution."
FOX News' Reena Ninan and Judson Berger contributed to this report.
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/11/05/emanuel-obama-sends-signal-israel/
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