Why Obama visiting the Dead Sea Scrolls is important

Monday, March 18, 2013 |  Ryan Jones  

Israel Today

US President Barack Obama appears to be warming up to Israel ahead of his visit later this week. And while many of Obama's scheduled stops during his 48-hour visit wouldn't seem to suggest a particularly pro-Israel slant, the opposite is actually true if one only reads between the lines.

Obama's biggest stop outside of meetings with government leaders will be at the Shrine of the Book and the adjacent Israel Museum. Seems like a very tourist-y thing to do, but, as Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren explained, it's actually meant to send a clear message of American support for the Jews' ancient ties to this land.

"The ancient Dead Sea Scrolls [that are housed at the Shrine of the Book were] written more than 2,000 years ago by Jews in Hebrew in their homeland, the land of Israel," Oren said on Israel's Channel 2 News on Saturday. Obama's visiting this attraction "sends a message to the world about the Jewish state’s deep roots in this region."

Oren continued: "This is not a country that fell from the sky after the Holocaust, this is a state that is truly rooted in the region, and is a permanent and legitimate," and Obama's visit is going to emphasize that point.
Keeping with that theme, Obama is scheduled to also visit the national cemetery at Mount Herzl, where he will lay a wreath at the grave of Theodor Herzl, the father of modern Zionism.

This is a "significant endorsement of the Zionist idea," said Oren.

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23738/Default.aspx?ref=newsletter-20130318

No Obama Veto on Ground Op, Says Ambassador

No Obama Veto on Ground Op, Says Ambassador

Michael Oren, Israel's U.S. ambassador, says Washington will fully support Israel, whatever it decides to do.

 

By Gil Ronen, Israel National News 

First Publish: 11/20/2012

 

President Barack Obama

Reuters

 

Israel's Ambassador in the United States, Michael Oren, told IDF Radio Tuesday that there is no American veto on a possible ground maneuver by the IDF in Gaza.

"Washington's support in any step Israel takes is full," he said. "Obama spoke twice with the prime minister and called our situation 'unbearable.'"

Minister of Home Front Defense Avi Dichter refused to say Tuesday whether Israel and Hamas are headed toward a ceasefire or more intensive hostilities. "The probability of an arrangement in the face of requests and pressure is identical to the probability that the operation will be ratcheted up," he told the military station.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said Tuesday that "A ground incursion into Gaza by Israel would be a dangerous escalation and it should be avoided." He added, though, that "Israel has legitimate security concerns and they should be respected." 

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/162318