With his clear support, will Israel's supporters warm to Obama?

Quite a few supporters of Israel were pessimistic in the extreme about the prospects of Barack Obama being re-elected. But that feeling was far from unanimous among staunch advocates for the survival of the Jewish state.

Prior to his reelection, praise for Obama's dedication to Israel's security came from a people varying from  Harvard Law Prof Alan Dershowitz to right-wing former Lukid Foreign Minister Moshe Arens.

At a lecture last winter in Toronto, Arens said of Obama's speech to the UN that it was as if not more pro-Zionist than anything ever said to that body by an Israeli leader.

With Israel embroiled in another round of violence trying to prevent rocket attacks by the Hamas terrorist government in Gaza, Obama's words may provide some reassurance.

Though it doesn't officially begin until January, for all intents and purposes, Obama is in his second term and does not have to concern himself with another political campaign. He is free to say what he likes and what he's said so far has been fully supportive of Israel.

Said Obama: "We are fully supportive of Israel's right to defend itself...and we will continue to be supportive of Israel's tight to defend itself."

His statements are forceful and non-equivocating, which stands in stark contrast to Canada's morally relativistic New Democrat Party. The NDP's opportunistic leader, Thomas Mulcair is known to be a supporter of Israel but is unlikely to be publicly forthright about it, in order to placate the extremist anti-Israel    fanatics within his party whose support he will require in the next general election.

As for President Obama, his support for Israel in this crisis has been as forceful as anything said by his predecessor, George W. Bush, who was considered the most pro-Israel US President to date.