I found this story interesting for two reasons.
First, one of the primary conditions the Palestinians had to meet under both Oslo and the RoadMap was an end to what was defined in those documents as incitement - defined in both cases as deliberately frothing up anti-Semitic and anti-Israel hatred via the Palestinian's mosques, schools and media instead of educating their people for peace.It's a condition they've never even come close to trying to meet, and it tickles me that Obama would be furious at 'incitement' directed at him personally (not at the US) reportedly coming from Israel.
If, in fact it's true..... because the writer, Akiva Elder is a notorious Lefty who has been known to be truth challenged, and it's in Ha'aretz:
The U.S. administration is furious over Israeli incitement against President Barack Obama, Democratic congressmen close to Obama told an Israeli source who returned from a visit to Washington this week.
The congressmen even hinted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been personally involved.
The source, who met in Washington with administration officials and members of Congress, told Haaretz he was stunned by the level of anger there over attempts to portray Obama to the American public as an enemy of Israel because of his efforts to restart peace talks and freeze settlement construction.
"There are people here who are playing with fire by damaging our relationship with the U.S.," the source said.
Which brings to the second thing I find interesting about this. If Eldar is telling the truth, his 'Israeli source' belongs to that marginal four per cent that consider Obama pro-Israel..which means he shares Eldar's Lefty views, so why would he be considered an unbiased source about anonymous conversations that supposedly took place in what purports to be a news article?
It's also well known that Obama and the current Israeli government don't get along,but have made decent attempts to paper over their differences, at least publicly - because it suits the Obama Administration as well as Netanyahu politically to pretend that this remains 'a disagreement between friends'.
So why,pray tell, would people in the Obama Administration be leaking things like this that are sure to get back to Netanyahu and jeopardize that little arrangement? I doubt even someone like Obama shill Rep.Bob Wexler is that stupid.
On the other hand, if Eldar is lying what kind of mentality does he have to put out something like this?
Does he figure that he's going to increase Obama's credibility by trying to scare Israelis that they had better knuckle under or else? That train already left the station after Obama's Cairo speech, and it picked up speed when Obama and his Secretary of State reneged on US commitments under the Roadmap agreement and started trying to tell Jews where they could and couldn't live..including Jerusalem.
After what Obama had to say at the UN , the sort of reasonably polite relationship between Israel and the Obama Administration going on now is about as good as it's going to get.
Whether this is something he decided to run because some anonymous Israeli told him something Eldar has no corroboration for or whether he simply lied to make himself look more important, there was no good purpose involved here. And it certainly wasn't 'news'.
2 comments:
Actually it would be America who would be "playing with fire" in trying to damage the relationship between Israel and America. As an American it pains me to keep to pointing this out. America is largely finished as a major world power. Its economy is in shambles, as is its infrastructure. Its military is worn down from continuing operations in the "war on terror." In addition to the huge problems faced by America's conventional military forces, its nuclear arsenal is getting old and may be unreliable. Both the nuclear arsenal and the conventional forces desparately need upgrades in order to be competitive. There is no money to address any of this.
Given these factors, it is long past time for Israel to cut America loose. America is a net liability to Israel. Again, as an American, it pains me to say this but it is true. To not say these things is to ignore reality. Ignoring reality will get us nowhere productive.
Finally, I don't think the American government ever had any intention of keeping any agreements it made with Israel regarding settlements. I think this was an underhanded deal to entice Israel to sign onto the road map. I hope and pray I'm wrong of course. What is clear is if America behaved in a manner this duplcitious towards another country the American and world media would be beside themselves with rage at how the American government for how it behaved. Yet when this is done to Israel they are either silent or they are encourageing it!! Shame on the news media and double shame on the American government. Israel should cut America loose right now. It is a net liabilty to her.
Its puzzling why Obama would be furious over "incitement" from Israel's leadership. Israel is simply trying to survive. This is precisely what America should be trying to do. How can you get upset over incitement by a small country that poses no threat to you and act like not much is happening when the leaders of Iran, a mortal enemy of America, talk in such condescending tones to Mr. Obama, the American leadership, and America in general. This is just plain stupid on the part of Mr. Obama and his team.
The best way to stop the incitement is to stop meddling in Israel's affairs and to not promise things to people that can't be delivered. For example, how is America going to make Israel do any thing? It's military is worn down and its economy is a sick joke. That combined with its massive national debt make it all but impossible for America to have much an influence on its own.
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