The
following is my latest column in The Jewish Link of Bergen County, in which I
write about ISIS and the real threat that it poses to the United States and to
the legacy that President Obama is working to establish during the final years
of his presidency:
ISIS ON THE RISE
By:
N. Aaron Troodler, Esq.
As
he attempts to counteract the characterizations of him as a “lame duck,”
President Obama is facing an array of struggles. As the de facto head of the
Democratic Party, he suffered an ignominious defeat in the 2014 midterm
elections as Democratic candidates across the country were felled by a
Republican tsunami that gave the GOP a sweeping mandate and control of the
United States Senate. At home, the President is mired in a debate about
immigration reform that puts him at odds with the newly empowered Republican
congressional leadership. Our Commander-in-Chief is also desperately seeking to
avoid a complete collapse of the nuclear talks with Iran, a sensitive
international issue that is on the front burner of his foreign policy agenda.
Yet,
for all of the political and policy problems that stand in President Obama’s
way, there is one issue that essentially trumps everything else. The elephant
in the room is the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria,
or “ISIS” as it is commonly known.
What began as an offshoot of al Qaeda has morphed into one of the
biggest terrorist threats facing the world today. Under the leadership of Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi, ISIS is spreading its brand of terror far and wide.
As a result of a brazen land grab that seemingly took everyone by
surprise, ISIS now exerts control over large portions of northern and western
Iraq and has solidified its presence and authority in Syria as well.
In what has become its modus operandi, ISIS routinely carries out
mass killings and public executions. Earlier this week, we learned that ISIS
beheaded Peter Kassig,
an American aid worker, who became the fifth known Western hostage that was
decapitated by ISIS in an unthinkable act of barbarism.
The
horrific fate that befell Peter Kassig, as well as U.S. journalists James Foley
and Steven Sotloff, and British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, are
shocking not just by virtue of the gruesome fashion in which they were
executed, but also by the manner in which we learned of their tragic ends.
In
a testament to the sick and sadistic nature of this terrorist group, ISIS
informed the world of these deaths by releasing videos showing the beheading of
each of the hostages. The audacity of ISIS in proudly publicizing these ghastly
murders is staggering, but it is their callous disregard for human life and
their proclivity for pain and torture that is especially disconcerting.
What
is remarkable is that despite President Obama’s efforts to combat ISIS through
the use of targeted air strikes in Iraq and Syria, ISIS appears to be more
powerful than ever.
Just
one week ago, an audio recording of a man purporting to be Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was circulated, in which he openly
mocked the United States and its coalition partners. Calling the U.S.
“terrified, weak and powerless,” al-Baghdadi said that the American effort to
destroy ISIS has been a “failure.”
At this juncture, there is a great degree of truth to that
statement. We have seen indications that ISIS is expanding, not waning. In
September, the CIA declared that although initial intelligence reports indicated
that ISIS had approximately 10,000 fighters in its ranks, the number is
actually in excess of 31,000 fighters.
Contrary to what you may think, ISIS does not just employ
homegrown terrorists. As time goes on, they are drawing terror troops from all around
the world. For example, in the video showing the beheading of Peter Kassig,
there were men from England and France who were among the executioners. There
are estimates that several thousand Westerners have signed up to join ISIS. The
idea that foreign-born militants are gravitating to ISIS is a genuine cause for
concern and further proof of the allure that this terrorist group has for
individuals who possess a sick and twisted penchant for unadulterated evil.
The
sophistication and adeptness that ISIS has demonstrated in the social media
realm is remarkable. They skillfully utilize platforms such as Twitter, Instagram,
and WhatsApp to effectively disseminate their propaganda. The videos they
circulate are semi-professional in nature. In an effort to reach a vast
audience, ISIS sometimes posts statements and materials in multiple languages.
We are able to somewhat track ISIS’s actions not necessarily because of
American intelligence, but because ISIS is hiding in plain sight in the social
media world for everyone to see. We are able to closely follow ISIS’ activities
because they consciously and calculatedly make it easy for us to do so.
With
a well-oiled PR machine and an infusion of new fighters eager to join their
jihad, ISIS presents a real challenge to the United States, and, more
specifically, to President Obama. The U.S. air strikes persist, but ISIS
perseveres. There is of course the possibility that the President may send in
ground troops to supplement the air strikes and attempt to hit the nucleus of
ISIS’ terror operations. However, that directive may very well result in a
prolonged military conflict that could have dire consequences for American
forces.
As
President Obama works to cement his legacy over the last two years of his
presidency, the public nuisance that is ISIS is going to plague him throughout
the duration of his tenure. Regardless of whether he focuses on domestic policy
or sets his sights on accomplishments in the foreign policy arena, ISIS is
going to cast a long shadow over the President’s endeavors. The grave threat
that ISIS poses to the United States and to the world cannot be understated and
cannot be overlooked.
ISIS
may be sophisticated, but they are not invincible. If President Obama wants to fulfill
his pledge to eradicate ISIS, the United States is going to have to do a better
job both militarily and in the media. In order for the President to put ISIS on
ice and freeze its ability to perpetrate acts of terror, it is going to take
much more than air strikes that seemingly have little effect on this enigmatic terrorist
organization. How we can best defeat ISIS may be open for debate, but the exigent
need to do so is undisputed.
N. Aaron Troodler is an attorney and principal of Paul
Revere Public Relations, a public relations and political consulting firm.
Visit him on the Web at TroodlersTake.blogspot.com, www.PaulReverePR.com, or
www.JewishWorldPR.com. You can also follow him on Twitter:@troodler
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Thursday, November 13, 2014
The GOP Kingmaker
In my latest column in The Jewish Link of Bergen County, I consider
Governor Chris Christie’s strong showing on Election Day in his capacity as chairman
of the Republican Governors Association and assess how his performance will
impact his 2016 presidential prospects:
THE GOP KINGMAKER
By: N. Aaron Troodler, Esq.
Election Day 2014 is a day that most Democrats would like to forget. The Republicans swept into the majority in the Senate with a huge mandate and a sensational surge that absolutely decimated and disheartened Democrats across the United States.
While much of the attention was on national politics as control of the U.S. Senate hung in the balance, there were many hotly contested gubernatorial races that had huge implications in quite a number of states. When all of the votes were counted, the Republican trend that manifested itself on the national level was replicated in statehouses across the nation.
While the GOP emerged victorious in twenty-six gubernatorial contests, sixteen of those races had a common link. The thread that tied those particular contests together was Chris Christie.
For all of those New Jersey residents who have been wondering where their Governor has been since he was re-elected in November 2013, the answer became very apparent on Election Day. As chairman of the Republican Governors Association, Governor Christie has spent approximately a third of his second term outside of the Garden State. Instead of focusing exclusively on governing, Christie has spent a considerable amount of time traversing the country and campaigning on behalf of other Republican gubernatorial candidates.
Out of the shadow of Bridgegate and his state’s fiscal issues, Chris Christie has had the opportunity to bask in the glow of the national spotlight. Under Christie’s leadership, the Republican Governors Association has flourished, raising a staggering $106 million in just one year. As chairman, Christie has traveled to thirty-six states, including an incredible pre-Election Day swing that took him to nineteen states in five days, including such key battlegrounds as Florida, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Colorado, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin. With thirty-six gubernatorial races on tap, Chris Christie was a virtual one-man political campaign machine, and when the dust settled on Election Day after the polls closed, it became apparent that Christie had the Midas touch.
Not only did Chris Christie help many incumbent Republican governors retain their seats on Election Day, he also played a pivotal role in enabling the GOP to win the keys to the Governor’s Mansion in Arkansas and Illinois, which had previously been held by Democrats.
In a sign of just how pivotal Chris Christie’s role was in scoring huge wins for Republican candidates, he made triumphant appearances on several national television news shows on the morning after Election Day to trumpet the GOP’s victories and further bolster his image as a key Republican kingmaker.
Other than being able to pat himself on the back, what does all of this mean for Chris Christie? More specifically, how does this impact Christie’s yearning desire to relocate to the big white house on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington?
The fact is that Chris Christie’s tremendous showing on Election Day solidified his spot as a frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. Not only did he notch some impressive victories on November 4, he also buttressed his growing national network of big GOP donors and top Republican operatives. By visiting so many states that will play critical roles in 2016, Chris Christie got a big jump on his potential Republican presidential rivals by establishing early connections with the voters and political leaders whose support they all covet.
Additionally, there are now Republican elected officials across the country who presumably feel indebted to Chris Christie for his political and financial assistance. When the calendar turns to 2016 and the presidential primary season is in full swing, you can be sure that Chris Christie will make the rounds to collect on all of these invaluable political IOU’s.
Chris Christie’s tenure as chairman of the Republican Governors Association has provided him with a unique opportunity to flaunt his fund raising prowess and display his keen political acumen. It has given him a much needed respite from the controversies that have dogged him in New Jersey and enabled him to prove to big Republican donors and GOP leaders that he is a force to be reckoned with on the national stage.
While other possible Republican presidential candidates jockey for position and contend with one another for media attention and national prominence, for the moment, Chris Christie has set himself apart by skillfully leveraging his chairmanship to get tangible results for GOP candidates.
Although he himself was not on the ballot on Election Day, Chris Christie scored what was perhaps one of the biggest victories of the day. Christie flexed his political muscles and proved that he belongs in the ring with the other GOP hopefuls who are seeking to one day take home the ultimate championship belt.
Yes, Governor Christie undoubtedly has major issues to contend with in New Jersey and all eyes will inevitably be on him as he attempts to navigate the choppy political waters in his home state. However, Christie has the luxury of heading towards 2016 with an aura of invincibility after his virtuoso performance in the midterm elections. He will certainly be judged by his ability to govern effectively, but that will not necessarily be the primary factor that will come to define Chris Christie in the context of presidential conversations.
Chris Christie’s legacy will be his role as a GOP kingmaker, which is what is going to catapult him to the front of the pack. It is safe to assume that there will be a bruising battle for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, but barring any future scandals or major mishaps by the New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie may be positioned to pick up the ultimate win.
N. Aaron Troodler is an attorney and principal of Paul Revere Public Relations, a public relations and political consulting firm. Visit him on the Web at TroodlersTake.blogspot.com, www.PaulReverePR.com, or www.JewishWorldPR.com. You can also follow him on Twitter: @troodler
THE GOP KINGMAKER
By: N. Aaron Troodler, Esq.
Election Day 2014 is a day that most Democrats would like to forget. The Republicans swept into the majority in the Senate with a huge mandate and a sensational surge that absolutely decimated and disheartened Democrats across the United States.
While much of the attention was on national politics as control of the U.S. Senate hung in the balance, there were many hotly contested gubernatorial races that had huge implications in quite a number of states. When all of the votes were counted, the Republican trend that manifested itself on the national level was replicated in statehouses across the nation.
While the GOP emerged victorious in twenty-six gubernatorial contests, sixteen of those races had a common link. The thread that tied those particular contests together was Chris Christie.
For all of those New Jersey residents who have been wondering where their Governor has been since he was re-elected in November 2013, the answer became very apparent on Election Day. As chairman of the Republican Governors Association, Governor Christie has spent approximately a third of his second term outside of the Garden State. Instead of focusing exclusively on governing, Christie has spent a considerable amount of time traversing the country and campaigning on behalf of other Republican gubernatorial candidates.
Out of the shadow of Bridgegate and his state’s fiscal issues, Chris Christie has had the opportunity to bask in the glow of the national spotlight. Under Christie’s leadership, the Republican Governors Association has flourished, raising a staggering $106 million in just one year. As chairman, Christie has traveled to thirty-six states, including an incredible pre-Election Day swing that took him to nineteen states in five days, including such key battlegrounds as Florida, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Colorado, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin. With thirty-six gubernatorial races on tap, Chris Christie was a virtual one-man political campaign machine, and when the dust settled on Election Day after the polls closed, it became apparent that Christie had the Midas touch.
Not only did Chris Christie help many incumbent Republican governors retain their seats on Election Day, he also played a pivotal role in enabling the GOP to win the keys to the Governor’s Mansion in Arkansas and Illinois, which had previously been held by Democrats.
In a sign of just how pivotal Chris Christie’s role was in scoring huge wins for Republican candidates, he made triumphant appearances on several national television news shows on the morning after Election Day to trumpet the GOP’s victories and further bolster his image as a key Republican kingmaker.
Other than being able to pat himself on the back, what does all of this mean for Chris Christie? More specifically, how does this impact Christie’s yearning desire to relocate to the big white house on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington?
The fact is that Chris Christie’s tremendous showing on Election Day solidified his spot as a frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. Not only did he notch some impressive victories on November 4, he also buttressed his growing national network of big GOP donors and top Republican operatives. By visiting so many states that will play critical roles in 2016, Chris Christie got a big jump on his potential Republican presidential rivals by establishing early connections with the voters and political leaders whose support they all covet.
Additionally, there are now Republican elected officials across the country who presumably feel indebted to Chris Christie for his political and financial assistance. When the calendar turns to 2016 and the presidential primary season is in full swing, you can be sure that Chris Christie will make the rounds to collect on all of these invaluable political IOU’s.
Chris Christie’s tenure as chairman of the Republican Governors Association has provided him with a unique opportunity to flaunt his fund raising prowess and display his keen political acumen. It has given him a much needed respite from the controversies that have dogged him in New Jersey and enabled him to prove to big Republican donors and GOP leaders that he is a force to be reckoned with on the national stage.
While other possible Republican presidential candidates jockey for position and contend with one another for media attention and national prominence, for the moment, Chris Christie has set himself apart by skillfully leveraging his chairmanship to get tangible results for GOP candidates.
Although he himself was not on the ballot on Election Day, Chris Christie scored what was perhaps one of the biggest victories of the day. Christie flexed his political muscles and proved that he belongs in the ring with the other GOP hopefuls who are seeking to one day take home the ultimate championship belt.
Yes, Governor Christie undoubtedly has major issues to contend with in New Jersey and all eyes will inevitably be on him as he attempts to navigate the choppy political waters in his home state. However, Christie has the luxury of heading towards 2016 with an aura of invincibility after his virtuoso performance in the midterm elections. He will certainly be judged by his ability to govern effectively, but that will not necessarily be the primary factor that will come to define Chris Christie in the context of presidential conversations.
Chris Christie’s legacy will be his role as a GOP kingmaker, which is what is going to catapult him to the front of the pack. It is safe to assume that there will be a bruising battle for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, but barring any future scandals or major mishaps by the New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie may be positioned to pick up the ultimate win.
N. Aaron Troodler is an attorney and principal of Paul Revere Public Relations, a public relations and political consulting firm. Visit him on the Web at TroodlersTake.blogspot.com, www.PaulReverePR.com, or www.JewishWorldPR.com. You can also follow him on Twitter: @troodler
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Fighting To The Finish In The Fifth
The following is an article that I wrote for The Jewish Link of
Bergen County, in which I take a look at the campaign in New Jersey’s 5th Congressional
District, assess Democrat Roy Cho’s spirited challenge to incumbent Republican
Congressman Scott Garrett, and examine Cho’s relationship with the large Jewish community in the district that he is seeking to represent:
FIGHTING TO THE FINISH IN THE FIFTH
By: N. Aaron Troodler
The race in New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District has surprisingly become one of the more closely watched races in the nation. No one thought that this district would be as competitive as it has – that is, no one except Roy Cho.
A 33-year-old first time candidate, Roy Cho, a Hackensack resident and a Manhattan attorney, has closed the gap with incumbent Republican Congressman Scott Garrett and has been winning over people throughout the district and across the state.
At a recent event of the New Jersey State Democratic Committee’s Jewish Caucus in Teaneck, Cho spent several hours shaking hands and engaging in conversation with the Jewish Democrats who were eager to speak with him. After addressing the crowd, Cho got a standing ovation accompanied by thunderous applause.
Roy Cho’s energy and excitement have won him a lot of fans, not only in the district that he’s seeking to represent in Washington, but also among the state’s political establishment.
“We are absolutely delighted with how the race has gone and with Roy Cho as our candidate,” Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg told me. “He’s an excellent candidate, he’s articulate about the issues, and he’s been able to raise enough money to get his message out. He’s made me very proud.”
After referring to Roy Cho as “one of the great up and coming stars,” Senator Cory Booker said that his mother and brother both told him that, “the most exciting politician in the state is Roy Cho.”
“This is a truly amazing human being,” said Senator Booker, referring to Cho. “His grit and determination has dramatically closed the gap with his opponent.”
“If we get him to Congress, I guarantee you this – 10 years from now, 15 years from now, you will see one of the more influential leaders in this country,” Senator Booker said.
Referring to the momentum that Cho’s campaign is carrying into the final days of the campaign, Bergen County Democratic Chairman Lou Stellato said that, “Roy Cho’s train is full speed ahead and it’s not stopping until next Tuesday.”
Roy Cho, who has garnered valuable endorsements by The Bergen Record and The Star Ledger, has raised an impressive $1.2 million thus far for his campaign.
I recently had the opportunity to talk with Roy Cho about his campaign and to discuss his relationship with the Jewish community. Throughout the course of the interview, Cho spoke quickly as he displayed the sense of energy and enthusiasm that has come to define his campaign.
“The support that I’ve been receiving from constituents in the district who are Jewish has been truly incredible,” Cho said.
Cho and I discussed his recent journey to Israel, which was his first trip to the Jewish State, where he was able to gain a better understanding of the challenges that the Israeli people are living with on a daily basis.
Cho described his trip to Israel as “really impactful and a very important part of this campaign journey.” “It was a trip that I really wanted to take and I was honored to be able to go there,” he said. “It was a learning experience for me.”
He recounted to me the details of his visit to the Israeli city of Sderot. Although Cho had attended an AIPAC Young Leadership event several years ago where he heard the chief engineer of the Iron Dome speak about the remarkable life-saving technology, it did not compare to traveling to Sderot, seeing how the people live, talking to the residents, and witnessing how they integrate bomb shelters into the children’s play areas.
“My favorite defining childhood memory was jumping onto a bicycle in the suburbs and disappearing for a couple of hours and then coming back for dinner,” Cho said. “The kids in Sderot don’t have that same opportunity.”
“It was a very jarring experience to be able to see what the Israeli people are dealing with on a daily basis,” Cho told me. “Despite all of that, to see how welcoming and open and how friendly, hopeful, and optimistic the Israeli people were was something that was so refreshing to me.”
I asked Cho how he could play a role in taking steps to ensure the safety and security of Israel as a Member of Congress.
“Israel needs money,” Cho said. “It needs federal funding from the United States to be able to implement programs like Iron Dome and to also allay their security costs that they have to deal with on a daily basis.”
Roy Cho discussed the $3.1 billion of annual foreign aid to Israel, which he called “necessary dollars.” “As a Member of Congress, I want to aggressively advocate for that federal funding,” he said.
“From a foreign policy perspective, I want to be a leader in this debate and I want to advocate aggressively in favor of Israel’s interests, because we recognize that Israel’s interests are America’s interests,” Cho said.
Cho addressed the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe and noted that that we are seeing Islamist fundamentalists crop up all over the world. “This is something that we have to be very vigilant against, and as a Member of Congress, I want to be able to push past the political rhetoric and recognize that from just a hard security perspective, our interests are Israel’s interests,” he said.
“We have to make sure that we are aggressively advocating on behalf of Israel’s interests because our interests are intertwined,” said Cho. “From a foreign policy perspective as well from a larger cultural perspective, the importance of Israel to America is very, very clear.”
Cho and I discussed the importance of the Jewish community, both in the context of the broader political arena and within the 5th Congressional District.
“The Jewish community is a very sophisticated community that is involved in the issues, whether it’s the cost of day schools, whether it is foreign policy – all the way from local, state to federal issues, American Jewry across the country is very engaged in political issues,” Cho said. “It is a very natural and important constituency, and it also happens to be a large constituency in the 5th Congressional District.”
Roy Cho, a Korean-American who is the son of immigrants, drew interesting parallels between the Korean-American community and the Jewish community.
“I want to be able to find an overlap that does exist between Jewish values and Korean-American values, because there is a tremendous amount of overlap,” he said. “The emphasis on education, the emphasis on a close-knit family, and the emphasis on giving back to the community if you are successful in the private sector – all of these values are shared values that we have.”
“A lot of Korean-Americans have modeled themselves after what American Jewry has been able to accomplish in this country,” noted Cho.
Noting that he appears to be heading into the homestretch of his campaign with a great deal of momentum, I asked Cho what his approach is going to be between now and Election Day.
“Going into the homestretch, we’re going to continue to stay on message and talk about the issues,” he said. “The reality is that people saw this as being an uphill battle for a long period of time, but we recognize the mismatch that exists between Scott Garrett’s representation and the interests and beliefs of the people who live in the 5th Congressional District, and we knew that our message could penetrate.”
“In the 5th Congressional District, we have one of the most highly educated congressional districts in the entire country,” remarked Cho. “The voters who live in this district are not just going to blindly vote on party lines – they’re going to vote on the issues that are important to them – the bread and butter issues that matter.”
“When I walk around the district, I’m talking about the local issues and what impacts them, and asking whether their representative is making votes that are fundamentally mismatched with their own beliefs,” Cho said. “If that is the case, then it’s time for somebody else.”
Noting that he is not only getting support from the Democratic base, but also from moderate Republicans, Cho told me that, “the notion of having someone who can govern from the center has really been resonating.”
Cho called his message “complex and nuanced” but said “he’s fortunate to have a voting electorate that is incredibly sophisticated” and that his message “is penetrating.”
“We believe that we are peaking at just the right time, going into the homestretch,” he said.
Scott Garrett has criticized Cho during the course of the campaign, alleging that he only recently moved into the district solely in order to run for Congress. Cho and his campaign have vehemently rejected this charge and painted it as an attempt by Garrett to distract voters from the real issues in the campaign.
“Scott Garrett’s allegations that Roy did anything improper are completely false,” Cho’s campaign spokesman Derek Roseman told me. “Roy has never lived his life like career politicians like Scott Garrett who plans every move based on serving his political interests. In fact, Roy only decided to run for Congress after deciding to set his roots in Bergen County and realizing how Scott Garrett does not represent the interests of the 5th Congressional District at all.
“Roy is a person just like millions of others who have moved around before finding their permanent home,” Roseman added. “Political and legal experts alike have said he did absolutely nothing improper.
“It’s not surprising that Scott Garrett, the career politician who continues to lie to voters about dragging his feet on Sandy relief in order to distract them from his extreme record of voting against women, veterans, seniors and the majority of his constituents, would turn to such sleazy tactics as a last-ditch effort to save his flailing campaign,” Roseman said.
As he endeavors to deflect his opponent’s political attacks, Roy Cho continues to do what he can to connect with the people in the district and win their support. We will soon see whether or not he will emerge victorious on Election Day, but regardless of the outcome, Roy Cho has demonstrated to everyone that he belongs in the political arena. As he fights to the finish in the 5th Congressional District, this young man has proven his political prowess and solidified his position as a rising star within the Democratic Party.
N. Aaron Troodler is an attorney and principal of Paul Revere Public Relations, a public relations and political consulting firm. Visit him on the Web at TroodlersTake.blogspot.com, www.PaulReverePR.com, or www.JewishWorldPR.com. You can also follow him on Twitter: @troodler
FIGHTING TO THE FINISH IN THE FIFTH
By: N. Aaron Troodler
The race in New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District has surprisingly become one of the more closely watched races in the nation. No one thought that this district would be as competitive as it has – that is, no one except Roy Cho.
A 33-year-old first time candidate, Roy Cho, a Hackensack resident and a Manhattan attorney, has closed the gap with incumbent Republican Congressman Scott Garrett and has been winning over people throughout the district and across the state.
At a recent event of the New Jersey State Democratic Committee’s Jewish Caucus in Teaneck, Cho spent several hours shaking hands and engaging in conversation with the Jewish Democrats who were eager to speak with him. After addressing the crowd, Cho got a standing ovation accompanied by thunderous applause.
Roy Cho’s energy and excitement have won him a lot of fans, not only in the district that he’s seeking to represent in Washington, but also among the state’s political establishment.
“We are absolutely delighted with how the race has gone and with Roy Cho as our candidate,” Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg told me. “He’s an excellent candidate, he’s articulate about the issues, and he’s been able to raise enough money to get his message out. He’s made me very proud.”
After referring to Roy Cho as “one of the great up and coming stars,” Senator Cory Booker said that his mother and brother both told him that, “the most exciting politician in the state is Roy Cho.”
“This is a truly amazing human being,” said Senator Booker, referring to Cho. “His grit and determination has dramatically closed the gap with his opponent.”
“If we get him to Congress, I guarantee you this – 10 years from now, 15 years from now, you will see one of the more influential leaders in this country,” Senator Booker said.
Referring to the momentum that Cho’s campaign is carrying into the final days of the campaign, Bergen County Democratic Chairman Lou Stellato said that, “Roy Cho’s train is full speed ahead and it’s not stopping until next Tuesday.”
Roy Cho, who has garnered valuable endorsements by The Bergen Record and The Star Ledger, has raised an impressive $1.2 million thus far for his campaign.
I recently had the opportunity to talk with Roy Cho about his campaign and to discuss his relationship with the Jewish community. Throughout the course of the interview, Cho spoke quickly as he displayed the sense of energy and enthusiasm that has come to define his campaign.
“The support that I’ve been receiving from constituents in the district who are Jewish has been truly incredible,” Cho said.
Cho and I discussed his recent journey to Israel, which was his first trip to the Jewish State, where he was able to gain a better understanding of the challenges that the Israeli people are living with on a daily basis.
Cho described his trip to Israel as “really impactful and a very important part of this campaign journey.” “It was a trip that I really wanted to take and I was honored to be able to go there,” he said. “It was a learning experience for me.”
He recounted to me the details of his visit to the Israeli city of Sderot. Although Cho had attended an AIPAC Young Leadership event several years ago where he heard the chief engineer of the Iron Dome speak about the remarkable life-saving technology, it did not compare to traveling to Sderot, seeing how the people live, talking to the residents, and witnessing how they integrate bomb shelters into the children’s play areas.
“My favorite defining childhood memory was jumping onto a bicycle in the suburbs and disappearing for a couple of hours and then coming back for dinner,” Cho said. “The kids in Sderot don’t have that same opportunity.”
“It was a very jarring experience to be able to see what the Israeli people are dealing with on a daily basis,” Cho told me. “Despite all of that, to see how welcoming and open and how friendly, hopeful, and optimistic the Israeli people were was something that was so refreshing to me.”
I asked Cho how he could play a role in taking steps to ensure the safety and security of Israel as a Member of Congress.
“Israel needs money,” Cho said. “It needs federal funding from the United States to be able to implement programs like Iron Dome and to also allay their security costs that they have to deal with on a daily basis.”
Roy Cho discussed the $3.1 billion of annual foreign aid to Israel, which he called “necessary dollars.” “As a Member of Congress, I want to aggressively advocate for that federal funding,” he said.
“From a foreign policy perspective, I want to be a leader in this debate and I want to advocate aggressively in favor of Israel’s interests, because we recognize that Israel’s interests are America’s interests,” Cho said.
Cho addressed the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe and noted that that we are seeing Islamist fundamentalists crop up all over the world. “This is something that we have to be very vigilant against, and as a Member of Congress, I want to be able to push past the political rhetoric and recognize that from just a hard security perspective, our interests are Israel’s interests,” he said.
“We have to make sure that we are aggressively advocating on behalf of Israel’s interests because our interests are intertwined,” said Cho. “From a foreign policy perspective as well from a larger cultural perspective, the importance of Israel to America is very, very clear.”
Cho and I discussed the importance of the Jewish community, both in the context of the broader political arena and within the 5th Congressional District.
“The Jewish community is a very sophisticated community that is involved in the issues, whether it’s the cost of day schools, whether it is foreign policy – all the way from local, state to federal issues, American Jewry across the country is very engaged in political issues,” Cho said. “It is a very natural and important constituency, and it also happens to be a large constituency in the 5th Congressional District.”
Roy Cho, a Korean-American who is the son of immigrants, drew interesting parallels between the Korean-American community and the Jewish community.
“I want to be able to find an overlap that does exist between Jewish values and Korean-American values, because there is a tremendous amount of overlap,” he said. “The emphasis on education, the emphasis on a close-knit family, and the emphasis on giving back to the community if you are successful in the private sector – all of these values are shared values that we have.”
“A lot of Korean-Americans have modeled themselves after what American Jewry has been able to accomplish in this country,” noted Cho.
Noting that he appears to be heading into the homestretch of his campaign with a great deal of momentum, I asked Cho what his approach is going to be between now and Election Day.
“Going into the homestretch, we’re going to continue to stay on message and talk about the issues,” he said. “The reality is that people saw this as being an uphill battle for a long period of time, but we recognize the mismatch that exists between Scott Garrett’s representation and the interests and beliefs of the people who live in the 5th Congressional District, and we knew that our message could penetrate.”
“In the 5th Congressional District, we have one of the most highly educated congressional districts in the entire country,” remarked Cho. “The voters who live in this district are not just going to blindly vote on party lines – they’re going to vote on the issues that are important to them – the bread and butter issues that matter.”
“When I walk around the district, I’m talking about the local issues and what impacts them, and asking whether their representative is making votes that are fundamentally mismatched with their own beliefs,” Cho said. “If that is the case, then it’s time for somebody else.”
Noting that he is not only getting support from the Democratic base, but also from moderate Republicans, Cho told me that, “the notion of having someone who can govern from the center has really been resonating.”
Cho called his message “complex and nuanced” but said “he’s fortunate to have a voting electorate that is incredibly sophisticated” and that his message “is penetrating.”
“We believe that we are peaking at just the right time, going into the homestretch,” he said.
Scott Garrett has criticized Cho during the course of the campaign, alleging that he only recently moved into the district solely in order to run for Congress. Cho and his campaign have vehemently rejected this charge and painted it as an attempt by Garrett to distract voters from the real issues in the campaign.
“Scott Garrett’s allegations that Roy did anything improper are completely false,” Cho’s campaign spokesman Derek Roseman told me. “Roy has never lived his life like career politicians like Scott Garrett who plans every move based on serving his political interests. In fact, Roy only decided to run for Congress after deciding to set his roots in Bergen County and realizing how Scott Garrett does not represent the interests of the 5th Congressional District at all.
“Roy is a person just like millions of others who have moved around before finding their permanent home,” Roseman added. “Political and legal experts alike have said he did absolutely nothing improper.
“It’s not surprising that Scott Garrett, the career politician who continues to lie to voters about dragging his feet on Sandy relief in order to distract them from his extreme record of voting against women, veterans, seniors and the majority of his constituents, would turn to such sleazy tactics as a last-ditch effort to save his flailing campaign,” Roseman said.
As he endeavors to deflect his opponent’s political attacks, Roy Cho continues to do what he can to connect with the people in the district and win their support. We will soon see whether or not he will emerge victorious on Election Day, but regardless of the outcome, Roy Cho has demonstrated to everyone that he belongs in the political arena. As he fights to the finish in the 5th Congressional District, this young man has proven his political prowess and solidified his position as a rising star within the Democratic Party.
N. Aaron Troodler is an attorney and principal of Paul Revere Public Relations, a public relations and political consulting firm. Visit him on the Web at TroodlersTake.blogspot.com, www.PaulReverePR.com, or www.JewishWorldPR.com. You can also follow him on Twitter: @troodler
A Shidduch Made In Trenton
The following is my latest column in The Jewish Link of Bergen
County, in which I take a look at the New Jersey State Democratic Committee’s
newly formed Jewish Caucus:
A SHIDDUCH MADE IN TRENTON
By: N. Aaron Troodler, Esq.
With just over a week to go before Election Day, over 200 Bergen County Democrats gathered at the Richard Rodda Community Center in Teaneck on Sunday, October 26 for an event sponsored by the newly formed New Jersey State Democratic Committee’s Jewish Caucus.
A number of dignitaries were in attendance at the standing room only event, including Senator Cory Booker, Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, New Jersey State Democratic Committee Chairman John Currie, Executive Director of the National Jewish Democratic Council Rabbi Jack Moline, congressional candidate Roy Cho, Assemblymen Gordon Johnson and Gary Schaer, Bergen County Democratic Chairman Lou Stellato, Bergen County Freeholder Tracy Silna Zur, Teaneck Mayor Lizette Parker, Teaneck Deputy Mayor Elie Y. Katz, Teaneck Councilman Jason Castle, Rabbi Menachem Genack, and Jewish Caucus Co-Chair Rabbi Ben Kelsen.
While enjoying a delectable kosher brunch provided by Sammy’s Bagels of Teaneck, the crowd heard from a number of speakers who discussed the importance and value of the Jewish Caucus.
Following introductory remarks by Steven Goldstein, Deputy Vice Chair of the New Jersey State Democratic Committee and a Co-Chair of the Jewish Caucus, Senator Weinberg enumerated the reasons why having a Jewish Caucus is so important and emphatically stated that, “my Jewish values shape my public life.”
In an interview with Senator Weinberg, she told me that, “we need to make sure that within the party structure itself in New Jersey and in Bergen County we have an organized voice so that the party structure is always aware of things that are important to the Jewish community.”
“The idea of having a Jewish Caucus is a very positive step,” Senator Weinberg said to me during our conversation. “It’s good for the organized Jewish community to know that there is a place to come to in the event that there are issues relating to state government.”
“I think that we, and I’m talking about the Jewish community, feel at home in the Democratic Party,” she said.
The formation of the Jewish Caucus was spearheaded and supported by Chairman John Currie, who told me that, “it’s about inclusion and being open and getting people to participate.” “Folks are excited to have a voice,” he said.
“Jewish values are Democratic values,” said Chairman Currie. “I’m very excited about the Jewish Caucus.”
“The caucus is a great idea,” Rabbi Jack Moline told me. “I think that there are messages that we need to deliver to constituents to give them sort of a comprehensive idea of why they should be voting as Democrats, rather than voting on specific issues.” “I hope that other states will follow this example,” he said.
“This is a caucus that really excites me more than you all know,” Senator Booker told the crowd. “I’ve had a very interesting Jewish life, if I must say,” he remarked as he discussed his unique connection to Judaism that began during his time as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. “I was discovering myself through the study of Judaism and the Torah.”
“The Democratic values and ideals really resonate with Jewish values,” said Senator Booker. “My hope is that we don’t just talk about things and we don’t just hope about things. This is about a purpose. We have got to be active and engaged.”
After the event concluded, I spoke with Senator Booker about why he believes the Jewish Caucus is so crucial.
“Every time you organize around common ideals and common objectives you increase your strength,” he told me. “I think that with the Jewish voice becoming stronger within the Democratic Party, even more so that it’s been traditionally, and influencing elections and making a difference, I think that really affects policy and helps the interests and the ideas of the community have even more of an impact and more influence.”
I asked Senator Booker how important the Jewish community is in the context of Democratic politics in New Jersey.
“The Jewish community is extraordinarily important,” he said. “The Jewish community has the ability to make a big impact on larger social policy issues.”
“The Jewish community was active in the civil rights movement and helped to dramatically change where we are as a country right now, and the Jewish community has the same potential to make that type of impact today,” said the Senator.
When I spoke with Roy Cho, who is vying to unseat the incumbent Republican Congressman in New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District, he immediately drew a parallel between the Democratic Party and the Jewish community.
“A lot of the values that the Jewish community holds dear are values that the Democratic Party also holds very dear,” Cho told me. “From a political perspective, it’s important for us to really focus upon the shared values that the Democratic Party has with the Jewish culture.”
There is no doubt that with the formation of the Jewish Caucus, New Jersey’s large and vibrant Jewish community has a more formal voice in state Democratic politics than ever before. With the steadfast support and enthusiastic backing of some of New Jersey’s most prominent elected officials and leading State Democratic Party officials, it looks like this shidduch made in Trenton between the New Jersey State Democratic Party and the Jewish community is going to bear some wonderful fruit.
N. Aaron Troodler is an attorney and principal of Paul Revere Public Relations, a public relations and political consulting firm. Visit him on the Web at TroodlersTake.blogspot.com, www.PaulReverePR.com, or www.JewishWorldPR.com. You can also follow him on Twitter: @troodler
A SHIDDUCH MADE IN TRENTON
By: N. Aaron Troodler, Esq.
With just over a week to go before Election Day, over 200 Bergen County Democrats gathered at the Richard Rodda Community Center in Teaneck on Sunday, October 26 for an event sponsored by the newly formed New Jersey State Democratic Committee’s Jewish Caucus.
A number of dignitaries were in attendance at the standing room only event, including Senator Cory Booker, Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, New Jersey State Democratic Committee Chairman John Currie, Executive Director of the National Jewish Democratic Council Rabbi Jack Moline, congressional candidate Roy Cho, Assemblymen Gordon Johnson and Gary Schaer, Bergen County Democratic Chairman Lou Stellato, Bergen County Freeholder Tracy Silna Zur, Teaneck Mayor Lizette Parker, Teaneck Deputy Mayor Elie Y. Katz, Teaneck Councilman Jason Castle, Rabbi Menachem Genack, and Jewish Caucus Co-Chair Rabbi Ben Kelsen.
While enjoying a delectable kosher brunch provided by Sammy’s Bagels of Teaneck, the crowd heard from a number of speakers who discussed the importance and value of the Jewish Caucus.
Following introductory remarks by Steven Goldstein, Deputy Vice Chair of the New Jersey State Democratic Committee and a Co-Chair of the Jewish Caucus, Senator Weinberg enumerated the reasons why having a Jewish Caucus is so important and emphatically stated that, “my Jewish values shape my public life.”
In an interview with Senator Weinberg, she told me that, “we need to make sure that within the party structure itself in New Jersey and in Bergen County we have an organized voice so that the party structure is always aware of things that are important to the Jewish community.”
“The idea of having a Jewish Caucus is a very positive step,” Senator Weinberg said to me during our conversation. “It’s good for the organized Jewish community to know that there is a place to come to in the event that there are issues relating to state government.”
“I think that we, and I’m talking about the Jewish community, feel at home in the Democratic Party,” she said.
The formation of the Jewish Caucus was spearheaded and supported by Chairman John Currie, who told me that, “it’s about inclusion and being open and getting people to participate.” “Folks are excited to have a voice,” he said.
“Jewish values are Democratic values,” said Chairman Currie. “I’m very excited about the Jewish Caucus.”
“The caucus is a great idea,” Rabbi Jack Moline told me. “I think that there are messages that we need to deliver to constituents to give them sort of a comprehensive idea of why they should be voting as Democrats, rather than voting on specific issues.” “I hope that other states will follow this example,” he said.
“This is a caucus that really excites me more than you all know,” Senator Booker told the crowd. “I’ve had a very interesting Jewish life, if I must say,” he remarked as he discussed his unique connection to Judaism that began during his time as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. “I was discovering myself through the study of Judaism and the Torah.”
“The Democratic values and ideals really resonate with Jewish values,” said Senator Booker. “My hope is that we don’t just talk about things and we don’t just hope about things. This is about a purpose. We have got to be active and engaged.”
After the event concluded, I spoke with Senator Booker about why he believes the Jewish Caucus is so crucial.
“Every time you organize around common ideals and common objectives you increase your strength,” he told me. “I think that with the Jewish voice becoming stronger within the Democratic Party, even more so that it’s been traditionally, and influencing elections and making a difference, I think that really affects policy and helps the interests and the ideas of the community have even more of an impact and more influence.”
I asked Senator Booker how important the Jewish community is in the context of Democratic politics in New Jersey.
“The Jewish community is extraordinarily important,” he said. “The Jewish community has the ability to make a big impact on larger social policy issues.”
“The Jewish community was active in the civil rights movement and helped to dramatically change where we are as a country right now, and the Jewish community has the same potential to make that type of impact today,” said the Senator.
When I spoke with Roy Cho, who is vying to unseat the incumbent Republican Congressman in New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District, he immediately drew a parallel between the Democratic Party and the Jewish community.
“A lot of the values that the Jewish community holds dear are values that the Democratic Party also holds very dear,” Cho told me. “From a political perspective, it’s important for us to really focus upon the shared values that the Democratic Party has with the Jewish culture.”
There is no doubt that with the formation of the Jewish Caucus, New Jersey’s large and vibrant Jewish community has a more formal voice in state Democratic politics than ever before. With the steadfast support and enthusiastic backing of some of New Jersey’s most prominent elected officials and leading State Democratic Party officials, it looks like this shidduch made in Trenton between the New Jersey State Democratic Party and the Jewish community is going to bear some wonderful fruit.
N. Aaron Troodler is an attorney and principal of Paul Revere Public Relations, a public relations and political consulting firm. Visit him on the Web at TroodlersTake.blogspot.com, www.PaulReverePR.com, or www.JewishWorldPR.com. You can also follow him on Twitter: @troodler
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
The Annual State of the Jewish State Address
The following is my latest
column in The Jewish Link of Bergen County, in which I examine the significance
of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s annual address to the United Nations General
Assembly:
THE ANNUAL STATE OF THE JEWISH STATE ADDRESS
By: N. Aaron Troodler, Esq.
In what has become a highly anticipated annual event, each year, the United Nations General Assembly welcomes dignitaries from across the globe to the East Side of Manhattan for a confab of the world’s most powerful leaders.
The UN General Assembly means different things to different people. For many people, it symbolizes a week of frustration due to the incredible gridlock on the streets around the United Nations. Some people enjoy the opportunity to gawk at the dignitaries, with their large entourages and fancy motorcades, as they traverse the Manhattan streets. Other folks eagerly anticipate hearing some of the more extreme and sometimes incendiary speeches which are delivered by the dictators and tyrants that just cannot help themselves when they take to the podium with the world watching.
As for me, for the past several years, I have always looked forward to listening to the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, make his annual address. I consider it to be Prime Minister Netanyahu’s annual “State of the Jewish State Address” to the world.
In addition, to appreciating his masterful command of the English language and its many colloquial nuances, I genuinely enjoy listening not only to what Prime Minister Netanyahu has to say, but also how he says it.
This year, in what marked a sharp deviation from his addresses to the UNGA in 2013 and 2012, the Prime Minister, although he discussed Iran, did not make it the centerpiece of his remarks.
To put it in perspective, Netanyahu uttered the word “Iran” (or variations thereof) 25 times in his 2014 address. By contrast, he mentioned “Iran” 68 times in his 2013 speech, at which time he famously referred to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as “a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” and 55 times in his 2012 address, during which he unveiled the now famous “Bibi Bomb” graphic.
This year, in addition to a very timely Derek Jeter reference, Netanyahu spent a good deal of time discussing ISIS and the threat of militant Islam. Picking up on President Obama’s call to the nations of the world to form a coalition to combat ISIS, Prime Minister Netanyahu likened Hamas to ISIS and called for the world to “remove this cancer before it’s too late.”
“The fight against militant Islam is indivisible,” said Netanyahu. “When militant Islam succeeds anywhere, it’s emboldened everywhere. When it suffers a blow in one place, it’s set back in every place. That’s why Israel’s fight against Hamas is not just our fight. It’s your fight. Israel is fighting a fanaticism today that your countries may be forced to fight tomorrow.”
Looking back at Netanyahu’s UN addresses over the past several years, one of the common themes that he touches on annually is Israel’s desire to achieve peace.
In order to solve the conflict with the Palestinians, “[w]e have to sit together, negotiate together, and reach a mutual compromise, in which a demilitarized Palestinian state recognizes the one and only Jewish State,” declared Netanyahu in his 2012 address the UN General Assembly. “Israel wants to see a Middle East of progress and peace. We want to see the three great religions that sprang forth from our region – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – coexist in peace and in mutual respect.”
“Israel continues to seek an historic peace with our Palestinian neighbors, one that ends our conflict once and for all,” said Netanyahu in his 2013 speech to the UN. “We want a peace based on security and mutual recognition in which a demilitarized Palestinian state recognizes the Jewish state of Israel. I remain committed to achieving an historic conciliation and building a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”
“For peace to be achieved, the Palestinians must finally recognize the Jewish state and Israel’s security needs must be met,” continued Netanyahu. “I am prepared to make an historic compromise for a genuine and enduring peace. But I will never compromise on the security of my people and of my country of the one and only Jewish state.”
“In any peace agreement, which will obviously necessitate a territorial compromise, I will always insist that Israel be able to defend itself by itself against any threat,” Netanyahu stated in this years’ remarks to the UN. “Yet despite all that has happened, some still don’t take Israel’s security concerns seriously. But I do, and I always will. Because, as Prime Minister of Israel, I am entrusted with the awesome responsibility of ensuring the future of the Jewish people and the future of the Jewish state. And no matter what pressure is brought to bear, I will never waver in fulfilling that responsibility. I believe that with a fresh approach from our neighbors, we can advance peace despite the difficulties we face.”
Yes, Hamas and militant Islam pose a grave threat to the State of Israel and to the world. And we are all well aware of the great dangers associated with a nuclear-armed Iran. Prime Minister Netanyahu always goes to great lengths to illustrate these frightening facts to the world in his UN addresses, and rightfully so.
But Netanyahu also does what he can to ensure that the international community comprehends that Israel is interested in peace. Despite the perception of many that Israel is somehow the impediment to peace, the reality is that Israel wants nothing more than to live in peace and to see an end to the fighting.
As Netanyahu has repeatedly pointed out, a demilitarized Palestinian state and Palestinian recognition and acceptance of Israel as a Jewish State are fundamental prerequisites to peace. These are certainly not unreasonable requests on the part of Netanyahu. If the Palestinians truly want peace, Prime Minister Netanyahu has made it explicitly clear how that can be achieved. If Mahmoud Abbas would simply listen to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s annual “State of the Jewish State Address” at the UN instead of repeatedly advocating for unilateral steps to achieve statehood, he would realize that the roadmap to peace has been handed to him on a silver platter.
N. Aaron Troodler is an attorney and principal of Paul Revere Public Relations, a public relations and political consulting firm. Visit him on the Web at TroodlersTake.blogspot.com, www.PaulReverePR.com, or www.JewishWorldPR.com. You can also follow him on Twitter: @troodler
THE ANNUAL STATE OF THE JEWISH STATE ADDRESS
By: N. Aaron Troodler, Esq.
In what has become a highly anticipated annual event, each year, the United Nations General Assembly welcomes dignitaries from across the globe to the East Side of Manhattan for a confab of the world’s most powerful leaders.
The UN General Assembly means different things to different people. For many people, it symbolizes a week of frustration due to the incredible gridlock on the streets around the United Nations. Some people enjoy the opportunity to gawk at the dignitaries, with their large entourages and fancy motorcades, as they traverse the Manhattan streets. Other folks eagerly anticipate hearing some of the more extreme and sometimes incendiary speeches which are delivered by the dictators and tyrants that just cannot help themselves when they take to the podium with the world watching.
As for me, for the past several years, I have always looked forward to listening to the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, make his annual address. I consider it to be Prime Minister Netanyahu’s annual “State of the Jewish State Address” to the world.
In addition, to appreciating his masterful command of the English language and its many colloquial nuances, I genuinely enjoy listening not only to what Prime Minister Netanyahu has to say, but also how he says it.
This year, in what marked a sharp deviation from his addresses to the UNGA in 2013 and 2012, the Prime Minister, although he discussed Iran, did not make it the centerpiece of his remarks.
To put it in perspective, Netanyahu uttered the word “Iran” (or variations thereof) 25 times in his 2014 address. By contrast, he mentioned “Iran” 68 times in his 2013 speech, at which time he famously referred to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as “a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” and 55 times in his 2012 address, during which he unveiled the now famous “Bibi Bomb” graphic.
This year, in addition to a very timely Derek Jeter reference, Netanyahu spent a good deal of time discussing ISIS and the threat of militant Islam. Picking up on President Obama’s call to the nations of the world to form a coalition to combat ISIS, Prime Minister Netanyahu likened Hamas to ISIS and called for the world to “remove this cancer before it’s too late.”
“The fight against militant Islam is indivisible,” said Netanyahu. “When militant Islam succeeds anywhere, it’s emboldened everywhere. When it suffers a blow in one place, it’s set back in every place. That’s why Israel’s fight against Hamas is not just our fight. It’s your fight. Israel is fighting a fanaticism today that your countries may be forced to fight tomorrow.”
Looking back at Netanyahu’s UN addresses over the past several years, one of the common themes that he touches on annually is Israel’s desire to achieve peace.
In order to solve the conflict with the Palestinians, “[w]e have to sit together, negotiate together, and reach a mutual compromise, in which a demilitarized Palestinian state recognizes the one and only Jewish State,” declared Netanyahu in his 2012 address the UN General Assembly. “Israel wants to see a Middle East of progress and peace. We want to see the three great religions that sprang forth from our region – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – coexist in peace and in mutual respect.”
“Israel continues to seek an historic peace with our Palestinian neighbors, one that ends our conflict once and for all,” said Netanyahu in his 2013 speech to the UN. “We want a peace based on security and mutual recognition in which a demilitarized Palestinian state recognizes the Jewish state of Israel. I remain committed to achieving an historic conciliation and building a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”
“For peace to be achieved, the Palestinians must finally recognize the Jewish state and Israel’s security needs must be met,” continued Netanyahu. “I am prepared to make an historic compromise for a genuine and enduring peace. But I will never compromise on the security of my people and of my country of the one and only Jewish state.”
“In any peace agreement, which will obviously necessitate a territorial compromise, I will always insist that Israel be able to defend itself by itself against any threat,” Netanyahu stated in this years’ remarks to the UN. “Yet despite all that has happened, some still don’t take Israel’s security concerns seriously. But I do, and I always will. Because, as Prime Minister of Israel, I am entrusted with the awesome responsibility of ensuring the future of the Jewish people and the future of the Jewish state. And no matter what pressure is brought to bear, I will never waver in fulfilling that responsibility. I believe that with a fresh approach from our neighbors, we can advance peace despite the difficulties we face.”
Yes, Hamas and militant Islam pose a grave threat to the State of Israel and to the world. And we are all well aware of the great dangers associated with a nuclear-armed Iran. Prime Minister Netanyahu always goes to great lengths to illustrate these frightening facts to the world in his UN addresses, and rightfully so.
But Netanyahu also does what he can to ensure that the international community comprehends that Israel is interested in peace. Despite the perception of many that Israel is somehow the impediment to peace, the reality is that Israel wants nothing more than to live in peace and to see an end to the fighting.
As Netanyahu has repeatedly pointed out, a demilitarized Palestinian state and Palestinian recognition and acceptance of Israel as a Jewish State are fundamental prerequisites to peace. These are certainly not unreasonable requests on the part of Netanyahu. If the Palestinians truly want peace, Prime Minister Netanyahu has made it explicitly clear how that can be achieved. If Mahmoud Abbas would simply listen to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s annual “State of the Jewish State Address” at the UN instead of repeatedly advocating for unilateral steps to achieve statehood, he would realize that the roadmap to peace has been handed to him on a silver platter.
N. Aaron Troodler is an attorney and principal of Paul Revere Public Relations, a public relations and political consulting firm. Visit him on the Web at TroodlersTake.blogspot.com, www.PaulReverePR.com, or www.JewishWorldPR.com. You can also follow him on Twitter: @troodler
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