The message reached the president.
The other day, I blogged that the time is right for President Obama to visit Israel, noting that his support in Israel is slipping. If he makes his case directly to the Israeli public, I wrote, he would likely win crucial Jewish support for his Middle East agenda.
Today, during a meeting at the White House with American Jewish leaders, Obama was pressed on this point, directly. This is from the Jerusalem Post’s coverage:
At the end of the meeting, Americans for Peace Now President Debra DeLee suggested that Obama visit Israel to deliver his message directly to Israelis as a way of emphasizing his commitment to Israel and reassuring Israelis that he is concerned about their well-being.
While Obama did not respond to the request at the time, according to those in the room, there has been discussion that the president might make such a trip as part of his policy of active engagement in the Middle East.
In addition to the 16 Jewish leaders from 14 organizations, “those in the room” included, according to The Forward, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, senior advisor David Axelrod, and Daniel Shapiro, who heads the Middle East division of the National Security Council.
That an Obama trip to Israel is under consideration is very good news.