What Obama could learn from Canada

It’s no secret that relations between Israel and President Obama are quite strained, though Obama, presumably with some assistance from Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, will pretend otherwise when the two meet this week. By contrast relations between Israel and the Canadian government appear never to have been better.
Speaking in Toronto, where he was greeted warmly, Netanyahu praised Harper, declaring him “a great champion of Israel’s right to defend itself [who] stands against all the efforts to delegitimize the Jewish state.” Speaking at the same event, Canadian Foreign Minister Peter Kent rejected the headline of a recent article in The Economist, which described Canada and Israel as “Unlikely Allies.” Said Kent:

With all due respect, the title couldn’t be more wrong. As vibrant and democratic states in which the rule of law and human rights are observed and revered, Canada and Israel are the likeliest and the most natural of allies.

Will Obama be able to speak as glowingly about Israel? Will Netanyahu be able to speak as glowingly about Obama? Or will Israel and the U.S. government remain unlikely adversaries?

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