Fact: In 1950, the US Administration pressured Israel to refrain from Jewish construction in Jerusalem and from declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel. Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion built, relocated government agencies and thousands of immigrants to Jerusalem, and declared Jerusalem the capital of the Jewish State.
Carter pressured Prime Minister Menachem Begin to abstain from direct negotiations.

In 1967, the US Administration pressured against annexation of eastern Jerusalem. Prime Minister Levi Eshkol annexed, reunited Jerusalem, and built the formidable Ramat Eshkol neighborhood.

In 1970, the US Administration pressured Israel to relinquish control over parts of Jerusalem. Prime Minister Golda Meir constructed the neighborhoods of Gilo, Ramot and Neveh Yaakov (with a current population of over 100,000).

The US Administration pressured; Israel constructed, Jerusalem expanded and the Jewish State earned strategic respect. 

Fact: In 1948, the US Department of State, the Pentagon and the CIA pressured Ben-Gurion to avoid a declaration of independence. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy pressured to stop the construction of Israel's nuclear reactor. In 1967, President Lyndon Johnson pressured against preempting the Egypt-Syria-Jordan military offensive.

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter pressured Prime Minister Menachem Begin to abstain from direct negotiations with President Anwar Sadat of Egypt. Instead, he wanted Begin to participate in an international conference focusing on the Palestinian issue and Jerusalem. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan pressured Prime Minister Begin against bombing Iraq's nuclear reactor. 

Defiance of pressure entails short-term cost, but enhances long-term national security. Submission to pressure exacerbates pressure. Fending off pressure is required in order to attain strategic goals; avoiding pressure - through concessions - leads to abandoning strategic goals. 

Fact: US public and Congressional support of Israel is robust. The Rasmussen Report documents 70% support (August 10, 2009) and Gallup ranks Israel as the fourth-favored ally (March 3, 2009).

Seventy-one senators signed an August 10, 2009 letter calling upon President Barack Obama to shift pressure from Israel to the Arab countries. The Democratic Chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, Howard Berman, called upon Obama to end his preoccupation with settlements. The Democratic Majority Leader, Steny Hoyer, resents Obama's opposition to Jewish construction in eastern Jerusalem.

The strongest (Democratic) Senator, Daniel Inouye, Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, is the most effective supporter of the US-Israel connection since 1948. Obama cannot get his legislative agenda passed without Inouye's support. While Congress has reservations about Israel's settlements policy, Congress also opposes sanctions against Israel.

Fact: Following the 1991 Gulf War, Israel asked for emergency assistance, which George H.W. Bush and James Baker rejected. Congress supported the request and Israel received $650 million in cash and $700 million in military systems. In 1990, Bush/Baker attempted to cut 5% of the foreign aid to Israel, on account of Israel's settlements activity. Congress opposed and the initiative was rescinded.

The American Legislature and the Executive branch of government are equal-in-power and fully independent of each other. The US Congress has been a systematic bastion of support for the Jewish State since before 1948.

Fact: President Obama has been transformed from a coattail president to an anchor-chained president, taking a dive from a 65% approval rating in January to less than 50% in September. It is the sharpest decline in recent
His position on Israel is not compatible with that of most Democrats.
decades, other than President Gerald Ford's (due to his pardon of Richard Nixon). Thus, Democratic House candidates and members are experiencing the lowest ebb in two years, while Republicans enjoy a systematic edge. Obama is confronted by an effective Blue-Dog Democratic opposition.

Fact: President Obama exercises psychological pressure against Israel. He cannot exert an effective tangible pressure. He was not elected to uproot Jewish settlements and prevent Jewish construction in Jerusalem. His political future - and that of Democratic legislators - does not depend on these issues.

The Arab-Israeli conflict is not among Obama's top priorities and his position on Israel is not compatible with that of most Democrats. Obama needs the support of Israel's friends on Capitol Hill in order to advance his primary domestic, national security and international agendas.