By
Cathy Sherman
March 16, 2015
NewsWithViews.com
The movie, The King’s Speech, tells a great and moving story about how King George VI of England mastered a speech impediment so that he could give a radio speech during the critical period preceding WWII. The year was 1939 and England had decided to enter the war against the Nazis. It was critical that the King speak to the citizens in this frightening time, to assuage fears and give confidence to his subjects. After much intense work, he conquered his speech defect and delivered a successful radio speech. The rest is history.
Fast forward seventy-five years or so and history is again focused on the speech of a “king”. Though not a king as such, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could assume a role similar to that of a king when appearing in foreign courts. The pomp and ceremony of a speech before the United States Congress also calls such a role to mind.
Like King George, Netanyahu had plenty of impediments to challenge before arriving at the podium before a joint session of Congress. Certainly his impediments were not in his articulation, as his delivery is impeccable, despite the fact that English is not his first language.
Both the Prime Minister and the King share a sense of purpose, a mission that propels them forward against the challenges. For King George VI, it was the need to inform, inspire and calm his subjects as they entered into the worst war in modern history. For PM Netanyahu, it is an existential concern for the survival of his nation and his people. Both burdens are heavy on the shoulders of the king and the prime minister. Both know that their message has to be delivered, regardless of their personal fears, doubts, misgivings, and questions about their ability to succeed.
Will the King’s subjects feel the need, the immediacy, while deriving strength for the trying days ahead? Could he look into the future and foresee the blitzkrieg of London, of Liverpool? Could he hear the cries of thousands of citizens killed or maimed by the German bombs in those two cities? The burden was an existential one, as the future of England would be challenged. A barbaric power was unleashed, which would plow through Europe leaving millions dead in its wake.
As for the Prime Minister, he was clear in communicating that he felt the burden as existential, that his nation’s survival was being challenged. Does he picture the aftermath of a nuclear bomb on Tel Aviv, G-d forbid? He appears to, though he looks beyond Israel - to the entire world, including Washington DC - as he calls up the picture of World War II deaths:
“But Iran's regime is not merely a Jewish problem, any more than the Nazi regime was merely a Jewish problem. The 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazis were but a fraction of the 60 million people killed in World War II. So, too, Iran's regime poses a grave threat, not only to Israel, but also the peace of the entire world.”
The King is pressured by his fears and doubts as to his ability to serve as England’s leader during the critical period. He stretches his comfort zone and strains to put his entire ability to the task of ridding his speech of the stutter.
For his part, the Prime Minister’s obstacles are those erected by his arch-nemesis, President Obama of the US. As soon as he accepted the invitation by the House Speaker Boehner, the flack began to fly. First Obama argued that Bibi’s appearance before Congress broke protocols, though Boehner reported he did send a notice to the President’s office. There were lies and obfuscations and charges of playing politics - of Bibi making the speech for personal gain. The US seemed extremely wary of affecting the Israeli election, which was ludicrous, as Bibi has been sounding the same alarm for years, before other groups, including the UN. The call went out from on high to boycott the speech, to put that brash Jew in his place.
Many democrats had the wisdom to put politics aside, to attend the speech to see if they could indeed learn something new from a leader who comes from the troubled neighborhood. If nothing else, his perspective of living so close to those who threaten his state’s existence on a daily basis, could shed some light on the Iranian problem. Fifty or so democratic congress people did stay away, including the President and Vice President. However, we know they at least read the speech, or possibly watched it in private, carried as it was on TV as well as Youtube and other Internet channels.
Both the King and the Prime Minister delivered their speeches and then, the people waited. In England, they moved out of major cities to avoid the bombs, or they depended on prepared shelters. They endured the German shelling for eight long months. But they gained a respect for their king, whose courage in making his speech was recognized.
In Israel, the people signed a sigh of relief that the Prime Minister had completed his task. Depending on one’s party, to the left or to the right, they responded. The leftists were appalled that Bibi had not cowered before Obama. The right wing, the Zionists and Torah followers who value the state of Israel as their only refuge, exalted. Some comments on Facebook after the speech included: “I’m finally proud to be an Israeli”, “Great speech, True leader”, “Awesome!”, “The Churchill of Today”
Arabs in the neighborhood also posted some comments, though we must always wonder if such comments are true opinions or propaganda.
The Saudis, sharing Israel’s position for once, were one of the first to comment. This appeared on an English website:
In a March 3, 2015 article on Al-Arabiya's English-language website, the website's editor, Faisal J. 'Abbas, wrote that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is right to warn Obama against an agreement with Iran. He remarked that, while it was rare for any reasonable person to agree with Netanyahu on anything, the Israeli PM had "hit the nail on the head" when he said that Middle Eastern countries were collapsing and that terror organizations, mostly backed by Iran, were filling in the vacuum. The problem with Iran, he explained, is not just its nuclear ambitions but also its expansionist aspirations, for the sake of which it backs various Shi'ite militias as well as Sunni ones, including Al-Qaeda. Moreover, he said, while in the past Iran carried out its terrorist activities in secret, today it carries them out in the open. For instance, it does not bother to hide the presence of Qods Force commander Qassem Soleimani in Syria.
'Abbas noted that, paradoxically, while fear of Iran is the only thing that Arabs and Israelis agree on, the only one who fails to realize the danger is U.S. President Obama, "who is now infamous for being the latest pen-pal of the Supreme Leader of the World's biggest terrorist regime," 'Ali Khamenei.
Since they have been consistent in their position on this issue, these statements ring true. Another response was published on Al-Jezeera, a Saudi media source which is no friend of Israel, printed a response whose writer declared in part:
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“I am very glad of Netanyahu’s firm stance and [his decision] to speak against the nuclear agreement at the American Congress despite the Obama administration’s anger and fury. I believe that Netanyahu’s conduct will serve our interests, the people of the Gulf, much more than the foolish behavior of one of the worst American presidents.”
Both the King and the Prime Minister went before the world to warn people about an approaching war. The King spoke from a position of imminent attack. The Prime Minister is trying to avoid attacks by Iran. Had the British people ignored the King’s warnings and not fled to safer cities or shelters, many more would have died. Do we then dare to ignore the warnings of the Prime Minister?
� 2015 Cathy Sherman - All Rights Reserved
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Cathy Sherman is a freelance writer with a major interest in natural health. She wrote many articles on healthy living. An interest in the fascinating subject of water inspired her to write her recently published children’s book, Drew Drop and the Water Cycle.
After moving to Israel, she realized the need to clarify some of the incorrect and misunderstood narratives surrounding Israel and its conflict with Arab neighbors.
E-Mail: shermaneutics2@yahoo.com
