Is Adelson Paper Likening Obama To Hitler?

An editorial appearing today in Sheldon Adelson's Israel Hayom and distributed widely by the Israeli Foreign Ministry compares Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog to Neville Chamberlain and, by implication, Barack Obama to Hitler.

The free newspaper, which has the largest circulation in Israel, is considered a mouthpiece for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and is owned by Netanyahu's patron, casino billionaire Adelson, who spent an estimated $100 million in 2012 in a failed effort to defeat Barack Obama.

The Foreign Ministry sends out a daily summary of editorials, one each from five leading Israel papers.  Monday's selection from Israel Hayom was written by Omer Dostri, who the paper describes as " a master's student in diplomacy at Tel Aviv University and author of the political blog 'Why not politics now.'"

In an interview in Sunday's Washington Post, Herzog was quoted as saying, in reference to the nuclear negotiations with Iran, "I trust Obama to get a good deal." Here's how Israel Hayom portrayed it:

"Herzog's words could not help but bring readers back to September 1938, when then-British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain returned to London amid cheering throngs who praised him as 'the man who saved peace.'"

The writer accused Herzog and his running mate, Tzipi Livni, of "inviting international pressure and aligning themselves with the weak and irresponsible policy of U.S. President Barack Obama, [which] shows their complete disregard for the existential threat facing Israel from Iran."

Accusing those who disagree with Netanyahu of indifference toward national security smacks of desperation as the election tightens up and is too close to call.