The Other McCain

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‘Crisis’ in Israel-U.S. Relations

Posted on | March 18, 2010 | 26 Comments

Pamela Geller in NewsMax:

U.S.-Israeli relations have hit a 35-year low over the contentious east Jerusalem building project. Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren said, “Israel’s ties with the United States are in their worst crisis since 1975 . . . a crisis of historic proportions.”

R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr. in The American Spectator:

Historians will some day piece together precisely what happened in Jerusalem last week when Vice President Joe Biden visited Israel to encourage renewed negotiations between the Israeli government and the Palestinians. Of a sudden, an announcement that Israel was proceeding with the construction of a small number of residential units –1,600 in a section of Jerusalem with over 400,000 inhabitants, roughly 181,500 being Jewish, and 229,000 being Muslim — was interpreted as a slap in the face to the United States. . . .
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton telephoned Netanyahu and raised hell for 43 minutes.

What obtrudes here is the sense of the Obama administration that their job is to tell Israel what to do. Granted, the U.S. role as Middle East peace-keeper goes back at least as far as the Carter administration and the Camp David treaty, but it seems to me that Israel has gotten itself into a position much like the position of Czechoslovakia in 1938, where they were counting on Britain and France to protect them. When Chamberlain sold them out at Munich, the Czechs were doomed.

If the Israelis feel that their security requires building more settlements in Jerusalem, that’s their call, and they shouldn’t sit around waiting for U.S. approval. Otherwise, the U.S. is in effect exercising a veto over Israeli policy — and, however unintentionally, lending credence to Arab claims that Israel is a U.S. puppet.

Meanwhile, there is speculation that Obama is seeking “regime change” in Tel Aviv, trying to bring down Netanyahu:

[Former U.S. diplomat Aaron David] Miller said Obama and Clinton may be trying to create the impression Netanyahu is “mismanaging the relationship” with Washington in order to shake up Israeli politics.

This is a decidedly disturbing suggestion. So the U.S. not only exercises veto power over Israeli policy, but it picks and chooses Israeli prime ministers? Politico quotes Obama from yesterday’s Fox News interview:

“Israel’s one of our closest allies and we and the Israeli people have a special bond that’s not going to go away. But friends are going to disagree sometimes,” the president said. “There is a disagreement in terms of how we can move this peace process forward…The actions that were taken by the Interior Minister in Israel weren’t helpful to that process, Prime Minister Netanyahu acknowledged as much and apologized for it.”
Obama insisted that despite the highly-public criticism of Israel by various U.S. officials, including Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the U.S. is being fair to both sides.
“Yesterday, when there were riots by the Palestinians against a synagogue that had been reopened we condemned them in the same way because what we need right now is both sides to recognize that it is in their interests to move this peace process forward,” Obama told Fox.

That’s a phrase — “peace process” – I’ve come to associate with disaster. “War” and “peace” are simple terms, defining known conditions. But exactly what the hell is this “process”?

If there is no war, there is peace, and no “process” is necessary. What we actually have in the Middle East, of course, is not peace at all. We have Palestinian terrorists awaiting the signal to start blowing up schools, buses and restaurants.

This is why the “peace process” can never lead to peace: The PLA, Fatah and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades don’t want peace, they want dead Jews.

And it looks like they’ll get what they want, if the Obama administration keeps going this way.

UPDATE: As if on cue:

A rocket fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip on Thursday killed a migrant worker in the northern Negev.
Paramedics brought the man to the infirmary at Moshav Nativ Ha’asara, but declared him dead shortly after. This was the third rocket fired from the Gaza Strip in less than 24 hours, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

There’s your “peace process,” Mr. President.

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Category: Israel

Comments

  • Joe

    It is and has been U.S. policy for some time to oppose settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The timing of the settlement announcement during Biden’s visit looks like it was intended to embarass the U.S. I doubt Netanyahu was beind it, it was probably a rouge member of the Israeli government trying to embarass Netanyahu and the U.S.

    But this area of East Jerusalem is actually not that disputed. It is unlikely to ever become part of any Palestinian state, but will almost certainty be part of greater Israel. This is not that big a deal. Certainly not as big a deal as Palestinians lobbing rockets into Irsrael from Gaza.

    And there are far better ways to deal with incidents like this, and the Obama administrations overreaction is telling (especially given its underreaction to the far worse behavior of certain other countries like Iran).

  • Joe

    It is and has been U.S. policy for some time to oppose settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The timing of the settlement announcement during Biden’s visit looks like it was intended to embarass the U.S. I doubt Netanyahu was beind it, it was probably a rouge member of the Israeli government trying to embarass Netanyahu and the U.S.

    But this area of East Jerusalem is actually not that disputed. It is unlikely to ever become part of any Palestinian state, but will almost certainty be part of greater Israel. This is not that big a deal. Certainly not as big a deal as Palestinians lobbing rockets into Irsrael from Gaza.

    And there are far better ways to deal with incidents like this, and the Obama administrations overreaction is telling (especially given its underreaction to the far worse behavior of certain other countries like Iran).

  • Joe

    I can’t figure out why American Jews (who supposedly support Israel) like Obama. It’s a mystery.

  • Joe

    I can’t figure out why American Jews (who supposedly support Israel) like Obama. It’s a mystery.

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  • Aileen

    A housing project in Jerusalem (east or west makes no difference; Jerusalem is one city, the capital of Israel) should not be called a settlement. If the French government builds a housing project in a Paris suburb, with the intention of renting the apartments to white Frenchmen, would you call it a settlement? Don’t reply that eastern Jerusalem is claimed by Palestinian Arabs; Paris’s suburbs are not just claimed, they’re ruled, by Algerian Muslims.

    Second point: I wish commentators would quit saying that the announcement of the housing project was unfortunate in its timing. Why should any domestic action by Israel’s government be timed to suit any foreigners’ plans? That apologetic tone strengthens the impression that Israel and its friends believe their country is an American protectorate. This dependency attitude has strengthened the position of the Israel-haters, including Obama. Although intended to disarm critics, it has the opposite effect and is thus self-defeating.

  • Aileen

    A housing project in Jerusalem (east or west makes no difference; Jerusalem is one city, the capital of Israel) should not be called a settlement. If the French government builds a housing project in a Paris suburb, with the intention of renting the apartments to white Frenchmen, would you call it a settlement? Don’t reply that eastern Jerusalem is claimed by Palestinian Arabs; Paris’s suburbs are not just claimed, they’re ruled, by Algerian Muslims.

    Second point: I wish commentators would quit saying that the announcement of the housing project was unfortunate in its timing. Why should any domestic action by Israel’s government be timed to suit any foreigners’ plans? That apologetic tone strengthens the impression that Israel and its friends believe their country is an American protectorate. This dependency attitude has strengthened the position of the Israel-haters, including Obama. Although intended to disarm critics, it has the opposite effect and is thus self-defeating.

  • Joe

    Biden is not particularly outraged. Biden says, “Meh.”

  • Joe

    Biden is not particularly outraged. Biden says, “Meh.”

  • Joe

    I missed this gem. Biden says, “Meh.”

  • Joe

    I missed this gem. Biden says, “Meh.”

  • Chris Mallory

    Since they are big boys now, all grown up, can we quit wasting treasure and blood defending them? I can’t find a thing in the Constitution about giving money taken from Americans to any other nation.

  • Chris Mallory

    Since they are big boys now, all grown up, can we quit wasting treasure and blood defending them? I can’t find a thing in the Constitution about giving money taken from Americans to any other nation.

  • Occam’s Razor

    We don’t waste blood defending them, and Haifa is a useful port in the Mediterranean, Chris Mallory. Besides, the vast majority of the aid to Israel is spent by things in the USA.

    Mossad also occasionally provides us with Intell.

  • Occam’s Razor

    We don’t waste blood defending them, and Haifa is a useful port in the Mediterranean, Chris Mallory. Besides, the vast majority of the aid to Israel is spent by things in the USA.

    Mossad also occasionally provides us with Intell.

  • Occam’s Razor

    Sorry Chris, that’s “buying things in the USA.”

  • Occam’s Razor

    Sorry Chris, that’s “buying things in the USA.”

  • jb

    Chris (#8) hits one nail on the head.

    Another is the simple fact that the Israelis simply stole, or appropriated land that was not theirs, and went so far as to blow up the Kind David hotel and blow away British diplomats (gee, who does that sound like?), to force their way.

    And–this one is on record, and you can see the scrambling to prove it:

    “Every time we do something you tell me America will do this and will do that . . . I want to tell you something very clear: Don’t worry about American pressure on Israel. We, the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans know it.” – Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, October 3, 2001

    Hmmm . . . words from a “valued” ally.

  • jb

    Chris (#8) hits one nail on the head.

    Another is the simple fact that the Israelis simply stole, or appropriated land that was not theirs, and went so far as to blow up the Kind David hotel and blow away British diplomats (gee, who does that sound like?), to force their way.

    And–this one is on record, and you can see the scrambling to prove it:

    “Every time we do something you tell me America will do this and will do that . . . I want to tell you something very clear: Don’t worry about American pressure on Israel. We, the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans know it.” – Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, October 3, 2001

    Hmmm . . . words from a “valued” ally.

  • jb

    Ah

    What the heck!

    I know Ole Willie. I don’t think he would lend his name to Gillette.

    One must attend to history–not something most are inclined to do.

    Ocamm’s dull blade is still dull. He was rather simplistic. ;-)

  • jb

    Ah

    What the heck!

    I know Ole Willie. I don’t think he would lend his name to Gillette.

    One must attend to history–not something most are inclined to do.

    Ocamm’s dull blade is still dull. He was rather simplistic. ;-)

  • LEdross3232

    yes because israel is big bad and evilasshole you have no problme with muslims blowing stuff away so take your faux outrage someplace else :roll:

  • LEdross3232

    yes because israel is big bad and evilasshole you have no problme with muslims blowing stuff away so take your faux outrage someplace else :roll:

  • LEdross3232

    oooooooops skip a space

    problem*

  • LEdross3232

    oooooooops skip a space

    problem*

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