United States President Barack Obama’s announcement that he plans to wait for Congress' approval before deciding whether to intervene in Syria has caused some concern among Israel’s supporters in America.
Many Israeli experts are not eager to see the Western world intervene in Syria’s civil war, due to concern that intervention could strengthen Al-Qaeda linked rebel groups.
However, many are also concerned that if the Obama administration fails to act on recent chemical weapons attacks in Syria, after Obama referred to chemical weapons as a “red line,” Iran will decide that Obama’s “red line” on its own nuclear program is fiction.
A rabbi voiced his concerns in a meeting with Obama, and received his reassurance.
Obama met with around 1,000 American rabbis in honor of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, which will begin Wednesday night. During the meeting, one of the rabbis expressed concern over Obama’s decision to delay action on Syria, asking, “What will Iran learn from your hesitation?”
Obama’s response was that, while he cannot currently reveal his decisions regarding action in Syria, “when you see our response, your question will be answered.”