Obama’s Israeli Fans Sing His Praises

Josh Nathan-Kazis August 15, 2012

“Tank you Mister Obama, about everyting.”

So says a random Israeli interviewed in an exceptionally strange new video out today from the National Jewish Democratic Council.

The video opens with jaunty music playing under images of missile batteries. Then Israelis stopped on the street say nice things about the president.

One woman in a shopping mall laughs “Viva, Obama!” Residents of Sderot, the southern Israeli city that’s faced rocket attacks from Gaza, praise him. An older, bearded man standing on a sidewalk calls the president “a very bright man.”

Obama is apparently being thanked by Israelis for the Iron Dome system, which was designed to intercept missiles form Gaza. That’s strange, too, because the Iron Dome system is built in Israel. The United States partially funds the program.

The new ad comes a week after Sheldon Adelson initiated a libel suit against the NJDC.

Josh Nathan-Kazis is a staff writer for the Forward. He covers charities and politics, and writes investigations and longform.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forward. Discover more perspectives in Opinion. To contact Opinion authors, email [email protected].

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