Afew weeks ago President Obama gave the nod that former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel was his pick to fill the vacancy for Secretary of Defense.
Obama’s nominee, however, immediately encountered bipartisan opposition due to some of his past actions and words he directed toward the Jewish lobby and the Nation of Israel, some of Hagel’s opponents are going as far to say his statements are borderline anti-semitic.
So what exactly did Hagel do or say that has both Democrats and Republicans (might I add, the first sight of bipartisanship this country has seen in a few years) challenging Obama’s nominee?
1. In 2000 Hagel was one of 4 senators who refused to sign a Senate letter in support of Israel.
2. In 2001 Hagel was one of 11 senators who refused to sign a letter pressing then President Bush to refrain from communicating with Yasser Arafat until the Palestinians took steps to end the violence during the Second Intifada.
3. In 2005 Hagel was one of 27 senators who refused to sign a letter urging President Bush to press the Palestinians to prevent terrorist groups from participating in their elections.
4. In a 2006 interview with Aaron David Miller, Hagel was on-record saying, “The political reality is … that the Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here”.
5. In 2006 Hagel was one of 12 senators who refused to sign a letter asking the EU to consider Hezbollah a terrorist organization.
6. In 2006 Hagel insisted President Bush take up the “Saudi Peace Initiative”, which calls for Israel to pull out of the Golan Heights, the West Bank, and much of Jerusalem (Old City, Western Wall Complex) as prerequisite for peace.
7. In 2009 Hagel signed a letter requesting President Obama open the door to dialog with Hamas, the vocal terrorist organization who currently controls the Gaza and seeks the destruction of Israel.
I’m not writing this post to say Hagel is anti-Israel, however, his approach to handling issues in the Middle East is out of step with the other 99% of our legislative body. In fact, Ari Fleischer, former press secretary for President George W. Bush, said in a CNN commentary, “His position on Middle Eastern matters is so outside the mainstream of both parties that almost no one agrees with him.”
I believe Hagel’s philosophy on solving Middle East issues is rooted firmly in his conviction that communication with organized terrorist groups that threaten Israel, America, and the EU will open the door to solving deeply rooted problems in the Middle East. You can see this in the way he wishes to see Hezbollah, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard, and other Islamic organizations released from their “terrorist” label, thus enabling America to dialog directly with them.
What do you think of Hagel’s approach to Middle East issues? Will his philosophy on solving Middle East issues help or hurt Israel?
Note: For more information on Hagel’s past political decisions concerning Israel and the Middle East please read “Introduction to the Reading of Hagel” from The Weekly Standard.
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