They met, the prime minister of Israel and the president of the United States and for the first time, nobody got hurt.
This was no rumble in the jungle, like Ali versus Foremen, or like Ali versus Frazier, when somebody is bound to go down.
Nor was it the Yankees against the Red Sox when arch rivals meet and there is all that excitement in the air.
This meeting in New York on Wednesday was dullsville – Thank goodness!
Maybe so because it is the last time these two fighters will be meeting, officially, and they’ve had enough.
There were no stare-downs as in the past. Members of the press hate this. Where’s the action?
We were promised that there will be blood. We could always count on a jab or two.
They even came out of their corners smiling, Bibi and Barack, yes indeed, they are now on a first-name basis.
This wasn’t like the old days when any meeting between the two provided spills and thrills. This time again we kept waiting. But nothing happened.
They even ended up smiling. Netanyahu invited Obama to Jerusalem. Obama promised to be there with the Mrs. and the kids, and there was no questioning Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Okay, Obama did mention the two-state solution thing. But it sounded like something he has to say because…well, because.
Same business about “the settlements” that Obama mentioned as an obstacle to peace, but Bibi ducked that and let it slide for another day with another president, who, if it’s Trump, certainly not Hillary Clinton, will understand that the "settlements" are Jewish to the core and the most crucial part of Israel’s Biblical heritage.
Netanyahu also ignored other old business, like Obama’s terrible blunder as to the Iran Nuke Deal. This too is for another day.
Obama, wistfully it seemed, mentioned that he’ll be leaving office in a few months, which may be why this meeting lacked fireworks.
The President of the United States appeared to be tired, and tired of this particular brawl.
Obama, over the years, had his say, and Bibi got in his licks, and, like warriors who’ve taken all the blows, they’ve come to respect one another.
Remember, we are just talking about one day in New York. Remember also that just the other day he spoke of Israel occupying “Arab land.” (Wherever that is.)
At least Obama has taken the measure of the man, tested him, and found him to be no pushover.
The leader of the free world has finally come to terms, or so it seems, with what it means to be Jewish surrounded by enemies who can’t live in peace even among themselves. Obama appeared to understand Israel’s precarious position in a precarious neighborhood.
He pointed to Syria and to Iraq as concerns for both the United States and for Israel…as though Obama finally gets it!
This is not to say that there won’t be flare-ups. The next three months will prove if Obama has truly seen the light.
Danger lurks ahead, particularly at the UN. It is still to be determined if Obama will stand with Israel when the votes are counted in the coming days.
Can Obama really be counted on as a friend of the entire Jewish State, including Jerusalem and Judea/Samaria? It would be naïve to say so.
Remember, we are just talking about one day in New York. Remember also that just the other day he spoke of Israel occupying “Arab land.” (Wherever that is.)
Repeated demands against Israel, to have her relinquish territory, at a time when a fattened Iran keeps threatening the Jewish State, qualifies as a sucker punch.
Meanwhile, the two men shook hands and reminded one another of the enduring friendship that exists between the United States and Israel.
Now that…now that is so very exciting and so very welcome.
New York-based bestselling American novelist Jack Engelhard writes a regular column for Arutz Sheva. His thriller “The Bathsheba Deadline” exposes the media. New from the novelist: “News Anchor Sweetheart,” a novelist’s version of Fox News and Megyn Kelly. Engelhard is the author of the international bestseller “Indecent Proposal.” He is the recipient of the Ben Hecht Award for Literary Excellence. Website: www.jackengelhard.com