The ultimate betrayal
Let’s say you have a lifelong friend, someone with whom your relationship is more like family. You have done things for each other that go beyond friendship. Your children are close; you share both in happy occasions and during tragic moments. You house each other during storms, help each other financially and give each other moral and all forms of support. Occasionally, you or your friend slip up and in your own self interest do or say something that is hurtful to the other, yet the bonds are so strong that after a cooling off period, apologies and a good heart to heart chat everything is forgotten; the relationship endures, you are as close as family.
Then, just once, your friend does one thing, one act of betrayal, one act of such great deception, disloyalty and disrespect that the no matter the mutual history and interests you just can no longer look the old friend in the face anymore. You don’t hate them. You don’t wish them ill, you just don’t ever want to have anything to do with them anymore because you are so deeply hurt, you feel like you’ve been so backstabbed that in the deepest recesses of your heart you know the relationship will never be the same. You might even understand why your friend thought this particular act of betrayal was in her own self-interest. You just don’t understand for the life of you why your best friend would just not give you a heads up; let you know that what she is about to do will be hurtful, but hey she’s got to do what she’s got to do. Even then you would appreciate the forewarning, perhaps still not agree, perhaps still be hurt but you know the relationship will endure because your best friend laid out what she felt she needed to do for herself, for her family.
But no heads up? No forewarning? No explanation? You sat together at lunch and she knew exactly what she was about to do a few hours later and didn’t tell you? Worst of all, this particular act of disloyalty will further exacerbate an ongoing family fight you’ve been having and make it appear that instead of neutrality, instead of not picking sides in your internal family fight, her act will very much put her on one side and not even your side. How would you react? Answer this to yourself honestly. You would be pissed beyond belief. You know full well that repairing that relationship will take much more than a cursory apology and after the fact explaining. In fact the only thing that would probably repair the relationship would be that once your friend knew how much pain her deception caused, she knocked on your front door, crying and yelling about how bad she feels and offer to do anything to make things better.
Welcome to Bibi’s ultimate act of betrayal. Welcome to the beginning of the new reality of US – Israel relations. Welcome to the Likud – Republican alliance. Welcome to a reality where 70% of Jewish Americans who lean towards the Democrat party and twice overwhelmingly voted for President Obama are now disregarded by an Israeli Prime Minister who is so paranoid, is such an egomaniac that his only transparent interest is forwarding his own agenda and getting reelected, no matter what the consequences.
In a conversation with a friend who is a giant of Jewish American leadership and by no means a dove, I was told that in the eyes of many leaders in the American Jewish establishment, Bibi is perceived as Nixonian; paranoid and self destructive. He told me that with this latest petulant, immature, tantrum like, gotcha stunt, Bibi has forever altered US – Israel relations. Future presidents, future legislators and certainly many democrats will always have to tread carefully with Israel moving forward. All of this could have been avoided by one heads up to the White House. It could still be repaired by a sincere apology and some crying on the doorstep of the White House. But Bibi Nixon is incapable of seeing beyond his ego, beyond his political viability and beyond his wife’s use of the Israeli treasury for her own personal checking account.
I can only hope and pray that Israeli voters will see through Bibi’s transparent egoism but he seems to have nine lives. He is the candidate of choice of Hezbollah, Hamas, ISIS and Al Qaida. Nothing serves their agenda more than the march to war blabbering Bibi. They will be sure to ramp up the violence so Israelis are fooled into voting for Bibi who wraps himself in the cloak of Mr. Security even after his disastrous handling of last summer’s Gaza war. And frankly, President Obama, that great disappointment, will only help Bibi by not hiding his preference for an alternative to Bibi. Let’s face it; Israelis may not love Bibi but they HATE Obama. All in all this has turned into one big cluster f***. With Bibi’s reelection chances looking pretty good right now the next year and half will be very trying for US – Israel relations. I hope they endure but I am sure they will never go back to the way it was. Fredo, you broke my heart!