A Rapid and Harsh Turn against Israel
Submitted by Daniel Pipes on Wed, 06/10/2009 - 08:36
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The much-anticipated meeting between Barack Obama and Binyamin Netanyahu on May 18 went off smoothly, if a bit tensely, as predicted. Everyone was on best behavior and the event excited so little attention that the New York Times reported it on page 12.
As expected, however, the gloves came off immediately thereafter, with a series of tough American demands, especially U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's insistence on May 27 that the Netanyahu government end residential building for Israelis in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem. This prompted a defiant response. The Israeli governing coalition chairman pointed out the mistake of prior "American dictates," a minister compared Obama to pharaoh, and the government press office director cheekily mock-admired "the residents of Iroquois territory for assuming that they have a right to determine where Jews should live in Jerusalem."
If the specifics of who-lives-where have little strategic import, the Obama administration's rapid and harsh turn against Israel has potentially great significance. Not only did the administration end George W. Bush's focus on changes on the Palestinian side but it even disregarded oral understandings Bush had reached with Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert.
An article by Jackson Diehl of the Washington Post captures this shift most vividly. Diehl notes, based on an interview with Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, that by publicly and repeatedly stressing the need for a without-exception freeze of Israeli building on the West Bank, Obama
has revived a long-dormant Palestinian fantasy: that the United States will simply force Israel to make critical concessions, whether or not its democratic government agrees, while Arabs passively watch and applaud. "The Americans are the leaders of the world. ... They can use their weight with anyone around the world. Two years ago they used their weight on us. Now they should tell the Israelis, 'You have to comply with the conditions'."
Of course, telling the Israelis is one thing and getting their compliance quite another. To this, Abbas also has an answer. Expecting that Netanyahu's agreeing to a complete freeze on building would bring down his coalition, Diehl explains that Abbas plans "to sit back and watch while U.S. pressure slowly squeezes the Israeli prime minister from office." One Palestinian Authority official predicted this would happen within "a couple of years" - exactly when Obama is said to expect a Palestinian state in place.
Meanwhile, Abbas plans to sit tight. Diehl explains his thinking:
Abbas rejects the notion that he should make any comparable concession-such as recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, which would imply renunciation of any large-scale resettlement of refugees. Instead, he says, he will remain passive. ... "I will wait for Israel to freeze settlements," he said. "Until then, in the West Bank we have a good reality . . . the people are living a normal life."
Abbas's idea of "normal life," one should add, is also largely provided by Washington and its allies; West Bank Palestinians enjoy by far the highest per-capita foreign aid of any group in the world; at just one "donors' conference" in December 2007, for example, Abbas won pledges for over US$1,800 per West Banker per year.
As Diehl tersely concludes, "In the Obama administration, so far, it's easy being Palestinian."
Even if one ignores the folly of focusing on Jerusalemites adding recreation rooms to their houses rather than Iranians adding centrifuges to their nuclear infrastructure and even if one overlooks the obvious counter productivity of letting Abbas off the hook - the new U.S. approach is doomed.
First, Netanyahu's governing coalition should prove impervious to U.S. pressure. When he formed the government in March 2009, it included 69 parliamentarians out of the Knesset's 120 members, well over the 61 minimum. Even if the U.S. government succeeded in splitting off the two parties least committed to Netanyahu's goals, Labor and Shas, he could replace them with right-wing and religious parties to retain a solid majority.
Second, the record shows that Jerusalem takes "risks for peace" only when trusting its American ally. An administration that undermines this fragile trust will likely confront a wary and reluctant Israeli leadership.
If Washington continues on its present course, the result may well be spectacular policy failure that manages both to weaken America's only strategic ally in the Middle East even as it worsens Arab-Israeli tensions.
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributor Daniel Pipes is director of the Middle East Forum, Taube distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution of StanfordUniversity, and a contributor to FrontPageMagazine.com. 
Obama and Clinton are deluded
Obama and Clinton are deluded if they think they will write themselves into the history books using Jewish blood for ink. Obama may squeeze out Netanyahu and Abas think he will reap more for this pressure. It will all just backfire and cement the relative radicalization of Israel that is inevitable - I do not call such a move 'radical'.
It is the 'palestinians' that will be squeezed out, under a unified Israel steeled to the truth of American and Western perfidy and exercising the will of God to the execution of His covenant. That torch will ignite Europe and burn up every muslim.
If Netanyahu goes, a further right replacement will be put there. THEN where will American politicking be? No influence in Israel means no leverage to sell to the arabs means no underwriting American government paper. American 'influence' over Israel will have to take more overt means, like threats. Which American soldier will raise their hands to die against the armies of the living God to finance American profligacy?!!
That will go down well with the US population. Oh, I forgot, according to Obama America is a muslim country.
The unprincipled money politics of the United States is going to blow up in their faces. Israelis will work harder and eat less but they will not yield to this agent of islamic terror. Obama will come and go.
If Obama will not live up to the promises of his predecessors why should any future Israeli government believe anything any other US president ever says? The American fiscal position is only going to get worse and so their dependence on foreign money!
Settlement activity was NOT a violation of the Oslo Accords. So Obama is trying to force additional Israeli concessions for even less than nothing in return because they were never required in the first place. Let the US give the Taliban a state first, say Texas, for their terrorism!!
Since Israel removed 9000 settlers from Gaza what has been the result Mr. Obama?
Screw America and screw Obama and his ridiculous circus. In the end it is results that count and this time next year the people will have had their fill of Affirmative Action. It merely lowers the fawning media threshold of success, it does not improve the objective outcome.
If Allah is the only God, as
If Allah is the only God, as claimed by mozzies,Why he makes non-muslims on earth in the first place????
And why muslims r mostly poor, illiterate and under developed if Allah really cares for the muslims????
what the mozzies pray 5 times a day?
in-spite of this why allah is not making them rich, literate,developed and tolerant???
Food for thought!
#2, Here's your answer: "If
#2, Here's your answer:
"If Allah is the only God, as claimed by mozzies,Why he makes non-muslims on earth in the first place????"
Because allah loves to play games. allah is lonely and he wants some excitement.
"And why muslims r mostly poor, illiterate and under developed if Allah really cares for the muslims????"
Because allah doesn't want muslims to stray from their duty (islamization of the world), by keeping muslims that way you'll get the condition of earlier muslims in 7th century. They will not fear death and always ready to fight for the sake of allah.
"what the mozzies pray 5 times a day?"
to keep muslims remember allah and their duty. 5 times is nothing compared to 50, isn't it.
"in-spite of this why allah is not making them rich, literate,developed and tolerant???"
Because that's not allah's objective. allah wants to conquer the world under islamic rule.
"Food for thought!"
Muslims don't need food for their brain, they only need quran.
Moooo wrote: Because allah
Moooo wrote:
Because allah loves to play games. allah is lonely and he wants some excitement.
to keep muslims remember allah and their duty. 5 times is nothing compared to 50, isn’t it.
Doesn't he get enough up there with Mo and the other Jihadists that are already with him?
If Allah is the only God, as
Why would any god create non-believers and then create a mess here and/or in hereafter?
Just look at this
Just look at this music!
"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBDlXNXruu4"
lyrics:
Occident en avant ! ( Advancing West)
Avant qu’il ne soit trop tard. (Advance before it's too late)
Venge les soldats tués au Drakkar (Revenge the soldiers killed in Drakkar)
Par Assad et par Ivan. (By Assad and by Ivan)
Chrétienté, il est temps (Christianity, It's about time)
De secourir le Liban chrétien (to help christian Lebanon)
Il t’appelle depuis si longtemps (It calls for you after so much time)
Et mourra sans ton soutien. (and it'll die without your support)
Ils sont venus armés par les rouges, (They came armed by the Reds)
Avec des chars et de l’artillerie, (with the chariots and the artillery)
De Palestine et de la mer Rouge, (From Palestine and Red Sea)
De Syrie pour chasser les Roumis.(From Syria to hunt the "Romans")
Le dos à la mer ils résistent seuls, (Their back to the sea , they stand alone)
Sous les obus, dans les attentats, (under the obus, among the attentats)
Abandonnés par leurs frères veules, (Left alone by their coward brothers)
Qui n’ont que mots pour ce Golgotha. (who have nothing better than word for their Golgotha)
Honneur à Stéphane Zanétacci, (Honour to Stephane Zanetacci)
Qui des tigres rejoignit les faisceaux, (who grouped together in a bundle the tigers)
Pour garder libre la Phénicie,(to keep/protect/guard free Phoenicia)
A Beyrouth, tué à l’assaut. (In Bayrouth, murdered in an assault)
BEAUTIFUL SONG! Against MUST-APES viciousness!
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