WarSclerotic

The winner of the third televised presidential debate is a matter of opinion, but when it comes to Israel’s status in the United States, there is no doubt that this country received extremely positive reinforcement from both candidates on Monday night.

Not only was the word “Israel” said by President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney a total of 34 times throughout the debate, but the two went out of their way to compete over who is more committed to the security of “our most important ally in the Middle East.”

Both men promised that if Israel were to be attacked by Iran, they would “stand by its side.”

Romney attacked Obama for not visiting Israel as president, and called his tour of the Middle East at the beginning of his term an “apology tour.”

Obama reminded the audience of his visit to Israel in 2008. “I didn’t take donors with me [as opposed to Romney], and I didn’t take part in fundraisers,” the president stung back. “I visited Yad Vashem [Israel’s national Holocaust memorial] and Sderot,” said the president.

While Israel was mentioned again and again, the Palestinians were mentioned only once; the obvious inequality in this regard did not go unnoticed by the American press. The Washington Post’s foreign affairs columnist, Max Fisher, wrote a piece titled: “Debate’s big winner: Israel. Big loser: Israel-Palestinian peace process.”