Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon. Photo: Reuven Kapuscinski.

The American State Department has the gall to ask Moshe Ya’alon, the Defense Minister of Israel, for an apology? With endless American pressure being placed on the sovereign state of Israel, the U.S. wants the Defense Minister to apologize for telling the truth? Doesn’t America have bigger foreign problems today than this?

Amazingly, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Friday that “We still have remaining concerns about Ya’alon’s pattern of behavior,” adding, “I think we clearly expressed our displeasure by his offensive comments and an apology would be a natural next step.”

What was Ya’alon’s offense? During a speech at Tel Aviv University, he said that America “shows weakness” in various arenas around the world, including Ukraine, and has a “soft” approach to Iran’s nuclear program. He said that Obama’s “image in the world is feebleness.”

Can anyone with a straight face in America – Democrat or Republican – say that Ya’alon is wrong? In January, Ya’alon was criticized for calling U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry “messianic” for his fervent pursuit of peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. He was right then, and he is right now.

Ze’ev Jabotinsky, the Zionist prophet, wrote an article in 1911 that is perfectly relevant in response to the State Department’s request for an apology:

We constantly and very loudly apologize… Instead of turning our backs to the accusers, as there is nothing to apologize for, and nobody to apologize to, we swear again and again that it is not our fault… Isn’t it long overdue to respond to all these and all future accusations, reproaches, suspicions, slanders and denunciations by simply folding our arms and loudly, clearly, coldly and calmly answer with the only argument that is understandable and accessible to this public: ‘Go to Hell!’? We are hated not because we are blamed for everything, but we are blamed for everything because we are not loved…

We may apologize only in rare, unique and extremely important moments when we are completely confident that the Areopagus in front of us really has just intentions and proper competence. We do not have to apologize for anything. We do not have to account to anybody, we are not to sit for anybody’s examination and nobody is old enough to call on us to answer. We came before them and will leave after them. We are what we are, we are good for ourselves, we will not change and we do not want to.

Moshe Ya’alon: Thank you for telling the truth. As an American, I ask the Obama Administration: have you apologized to all of the countries that have been harmed because of your foreign policy disasters?