Why Did Bibi Run to the US?

By Moshe Feiglin

And G-d spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying: 'Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, every male, by their polls; From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: you shall number them by their hosts, even you and Aaron. (From this week's Torah portion, Bamidbar - Numbers 1:1-3)

Rashi explains that G-d loves His children, Israel, so much that He counts them every hour.

We have a Father. And He loves us. "You are sons to Hashem your G-d," He tells us. "Integrate that idea - I love you and each and every one of you is so important to Me, that I count you."

But when G-d's children returned to His Land, they decided that they can manage better without Him. Zionism took G-d and the dimension of sanctity out of the equation. And we have remained orphaned, longing for an alternative.

"No Israeli prime minister can survive for long if the Israeli public thinks that he is damaging Israel's special relationship with the USA."
Yitzchak Ben Horin - Ynet commentator in Washington

Israel has developed a very bad habit. Every time that a new prime minister is elected, he immediately rushes off to Father Sam in the US so that he can prove to his countrymen that Israel is not an orphan.

If you think that the reason for Israel's sense of dependency on the US is pragmatic - to maintain US aid to Israel - then it is time that we refresh the facts. Until the Six Day War in 1967, Israel's leaders hardly traveled to the US at all. Today, Egypt also receives American aid similar to the aid received by Israel. For some reason, Egypt's president does not run to the US to lobby for his aid. On the contrary - it is Obama who woos Egypt.

Netanyahu - like his recent predecessors - did not run to the US president because of Israel's genuine needs. He ran to the US because of his own political needs. We really don't need the pocket money that we get from Father Sam. Just for an example, Israel spent ten times the amount that it receives in annual US aid on the Expulsion from Gush Katif. Israel insists on continuing to receive its allowance from its adopted "father" because it is desperate to preserve its father/son relationship with the US.

We have chosen to orphan ourselves from our Father in Heaven. Today, the measure of Israel's leaders is determined by their ability to preserve the illusion that we have a different father, G-d forbid.

That is why Bibi ran to Obama.