President Barack Obama's unwillingness to take action in different regions throughout the world is not only hurting Israel, but will ultimately undermine U.S. security, as well, says Rabbi Shmuley Boteach.
In a column for
The Jerusalem Post, Boteach says the unstable and violent situations in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Libya, Ukraine, Turkey, and North Korea are evidence that the world is "becoming unstuck" under Obama because the president argues for a "minimalist approach" to foreign engagements.
"This argument, however, is shallow. Yes, Americans are weary of entering foreign conflicts. The president is correct that we don't want our boys dying to fight on behalf of Iraqi cowards who shed their uniforms at the first sound of gunfire," Boteach wrote.
"But even less do we want another 9/11 attack, and by allowing Iraq and Syria to degenerate into Afghanistan we are all but guaranteeing another hit on the United States. A lawless world cannot possibly keep America safe."
Boteach also reflected on the outbreak of violence in Iraq and blamed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for being "guilty of gross ingratitude."
"Rather than show America any kind of thanks for all that we sacrificed to give his nation its freedom, he treats America with disdain. Who wants to help a man who is becoming a despot, hates democratic Israel, and reaches out to America only when he fears being strung up by jihadists?" Boteach wrote.
Boteach says, however, that the chaos in that country will ultimately make America vulnerable to renewed threats by al-Qaida.
"Barack Obama drifts along, meditating on his mantra of 'let's do nothing stupid.' But I have long believed that the true sins we are guilty of in life are not the sins of commission, the mistakes we make, but rather the sins of omission, the good things we fail to do," Boteach wrote.
"Obama is fiddling while the world is burning. Israel is already smoldering, and it won't be long before America, too, feels the heat."
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