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Some US Observers have portrayed Emanuel as the "bad cop" to Obama's "good cop". (Reuters) |
CAIRO — Two days after his historic election as America's first black president, Barack Obama picked up a pro-Israel Jew as his White House chief of staff.
Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel was selected as Obama's chief of staff, becoming the first senior level official to join the nascent administration.
"I announce this appointment first because the Chief of Staff is central to the ability of a President and Administration to accomplish an agenda," Obama said on Thursday, November 6.
"And no one I know is better at getting things done than Rahm Emanuel."
Emanuel was a political and policy aide in former President Bill Clinton's administration.
Born in Chicago in 1959, Emanuel is the son of an Israeli immigrant, Benjamin Emanuel.
His first name "Rahm" means "high" in Hebrew and his last name, "Emanuel" means "God is with us".
Emanuel's father is a pediatrician and a former member of the Irgun, a Zionist militia of former prime minister Menachem Begin, which carried out a series of terrorist attacks against Arabs in Palestine in the 1940s.
On April 18, 1948, Palestinian Tiberius was captured by Begin's Irgun militant group, putting its 5,500 Palestinian residents in flight. On April 22, Haifa fell to the Zionist militants and 70,000 Palestinians fled.
On April 25, Irgun began bombarding civilian sectors of Jaffa, terrifying the 750,000 inhabitants into panicky flight.
On May 14, the day before the creation of Israel, Jaffa completely surrendered to the much better-equipped Zionist militants and only about 4,500 of its population remained.
Rahmbo
Dubbed as "Rahmbo" by US media, Emanuel, a father of three, is known for his tough and aggressive style in the political arena.
He began his political career, initially specializing in fundraising campaigns in 1980s.
He then became the director of the finance committee of then-Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton presidential primary campaign.
When Clinton was elected president, Emanuel became a senior adviser to the Democratic president from 1993 to 1998.
After Clinton left office, Emanuel turned to investment banking before being elected to the House of Representatives.
In 2002, Emanuel supported the Bush administration's plans to invade Iraq to topple the Saddam Hussein regime.
In 2006, he was appointed to serve as Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Under his leadership, the Democrats gained 30 seats in the House of Representatives, allowing them to gain control of the House after 12 years of Republican control.
In 2007, he was elected to serve as the Democratic Caucus Chair, the fourth highest ranking Member of the House Democratic Leadership.
Bad Cop
Emanuel is a strong supporter of American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and personally introduced Obama to the group's directors during the 2008 presidential campaign.
In 1991, Emanuel volunteered to serve in Israel's army during the first Gulf War.
He has been a vocal critic of the Palestinian intifada against the Israeli occupation, criticizing Arab countries for not pressuring the Palestinians to stop "violence".
At a 2003 pro-Israel rally in Chicago, Emanuel said Israel was ready for peace but would not get there until Palestinians "turn away from the path of terror".
Emanuel's selection has prompted positive headlines in Israel, where some were concerned earlier in the election campaign about the likely direction of Obama's Middle East policy
In his White House post, Emanuel is likely to emerge as a key player in implementing Obama's agenda, which includes foreign policy, health care, energy and tax reform and efforts to tackle climate change.
Some US Observers have portrayed Emanuel as the "bad cop" to Obama's "good cop".
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