Dennis Ross To Be Relieved Of Iran Post: Haaretz

Haaretz:

Dennis Ross, who most recently served as a special State Department envoy to Iran, will abruptly be relieved of his duties, sources in Washington told Haaretz. An official announcement is expected in the coming days.

The Obama administration will announce that Ross has been reassigned to another position in the White House. In his new post, the former Mideast peace envoy under President Bill Clinton will deal primarily with regional issues related to the peace process.

Read the whole story: Haaretz

Comments

[skialethia]

Uh-oh! He's definitely going to clash with General Jim Jones!

-from "Can National Security Adviser James Jones Survive a Second Round of Attacks and "Longer Knives"? on this site:

"Jones has structured an all views on the table approach to decision making -- quite evident when it comes to Middle East policy -- and the hawkish/ne­ocon-frien­dly/Likudi­st-hugging part of the Obama administration's foreign policy operation may be engaged in a coup attempt against Jones. I don't know if he'll survive this latest effort to oust him -- but folks need to know that those "longer knives", on the whole, do not have pure motives."

- As I stated previously, there are "Neo" Democrats determined to see Obama's Mideast plan fail, particularly, with regards to the creation of a Palestinian State and diplomacy with Iran. Is Jones the next Charles Freeman, and is Ross, Aipac's choice to replace Jones?

[danielet]

SKIALETHIA, you are quite correct. I'm sorry I missed you post on Gen. Jones. Jones's troubles go further than Israel. He wants NATO stronger, Obama wants to cost cuts, making it Europe's thing instead of America's. Jones wants all out Afghan effort and sticking to Iraq surge "victory"-- doesn't think it real but thinks exposure is bad for US power image. Obama made clear his policy on Iraq/Aghan Wars when he told the AMA that health plan will cost $1 trillion but "that's what costs us one year in Iraq." He told Iraq Command that US out on schedual no matter what!

I still pray Netanyahu's speech was just old shyster Bibbi baloney cloud of words to ink issues so he can have freedom of action in secret diplomacy. But he knows, as does Pentagon, that Obama is boss and wants results. When Sharon's Finance Minister Netanyahu wanted to make Israel free of the US welfare check that keeps it but realized Israel can't afford self-sufficiency yet. Israelis suffers a brain drain to West in a reverse aliyah so it wants to scare US Jews into fearful stampede to Israel with their cash and goods. For some Israeli officials an American Krystalnacht would do just fine in order to fill all the EMPTY settlements with cash-paying Americans. That's outrageous and we must fight the anti-Semitism factories of both the Fascists and the Zionists to protect our fellow American Jews.

[Americafirst2008]

How come Chas Freeman who speaks about a rational policy in the middle east, where we treat Israel like any other country is slandered for his past associations?

He had less baggage than Ross, who is clearly beholden to Israel first. Is it not fair to ask who's interests he works for? As it's clear it's not America's

[who38]

And where is Freeman these days? Someplace in Samoa?

[tyruler]

Denny Ross is a neocon just like Biden...no ifs, ands, and buts about it. Good for the WH and its puzzling why he still "advises" on the Middle East. His knee jerk pro-Israeli views are well known.

[whoa20]

being Pro-Israel makes one a neocon? So I guess Clinton and Johnson and Kennedy were neocons. Sorry that Arafat turned down the peace deal.

[Ergon]

Being pro war is.

[MadHeart]

If this report is right, it's going to be interesting to find out who is appointed, considering the state of the country since the election. It's also interesting that we all sit here, smug in our "democracy" but let someone like George Bush steal an election without taking to the streets ourselves in numbers comparable to those in Iran. And we will pay for that for years to come.

[zaz33]

MadHeart. - Maybe the image of the Republican convention in St. Paul will keep us on the couch.

[MadHeart]

If I've learned anything in 68 years, it's not to take anything for granted, and to never get too comfortable.

[Rog49Thomas]

"Purported"? "Purported"? Someone at Haaretz is being sarcastic I guess.

As to Washington Institute for Near East Policy it's board of directors reads like the invite list for a neocon party.

Yep, we are the honest broker in the ME.

And if you believe that, post your email address, I've got a compelling investment for you in Lehman Brothers and GM stock. Get is now while the price is low.

[Pastilles]

It's about time. This man was ineffective, dishonest and not at all interested in peace.

[StopNThink]

Let's not get too excited.

HIs new job on 'peace in the region' is probably more problematic and lower profile, allowing him to be Israel's lawyer outside the spotlight, but just as vicious.

[abt]

Best news I've heard all day. The answer to the Haaretz headline (why was he fired?) is: Ross is in the pocket of AIPAC, probably a spy for Mossad and Likud, and a serial liar - especially on the supposedly even-handed peace deal he offered Arafat at Camp David. Either Mr. Ross got caught red-handed subverting the new peace talks, or President Obama decided he actually wanted to make real progress in the Middle East (or both).

[Ergon]

I guess the co-founder of a group (with Richard Holbrooke) dedicated to nuking Iran http://www.unitedagainstnucleariran.com/splash
wasn't likely to get anywhere with the Iranians.

[who38]

I can't imagine why he was sent there in the first place unless it was to set up an espionage network for the US, Israel, or AIPAC.

[whoa20]

dual loyalty, much? I guess he's one of the Elders of AIPAC.

[Americafirst2008]

Meanwhile Avigdor Lieberman was cozying up to Russia. Israel would sell us out in a heartbeat, they already sold our secrets from pollard to the Russians, and since they only look out for israel whatever they can steal from Americans is fair game.

They would sell out American interests and have done so in the past so this unbreakable bond is a joke that makes American look like dumb big brother while it's little punk brother starts fights with other people but expects us to come to their rescue with our money and lives.

Good, time for Dennis Ross to go back to Israel and let someone who puts America first in the position.

[stpmdn]

change coming to middle east. Iran will become more westernized and israel will cozy up to russia

[Hedonist]

Israel sold U.S. secrets to Russia? How idiotic a claim.

[Americafirst2008]

Look it up, Who was Pollard spying for? the Israelis, where did the stolen secrets end up?

Yep, you guessed it, Russia. It was one of the most damaging cases of espionage in US History. The Israelis gave the russians top secret info about US Subs and other sensitive data. Many American assets and spies were sold out by Israel to Russia and summarily executed.

Why did they do this? So the Russians would let more jews emigrate to Israel.

This is the truth plain and simple.

Now with AIPAC caught redhanded spying on us it shows that old habits die hard and Israel can't be trusted to protect our interests the way we stupidly protect theirs.

[Javani]

"argued against a linkage between the Palestinian issue and the West's policy against Iran's nuclear ambitions. "

So, this man is not infected with Western Imperial Hubris, the belief that everything revolves around and is responsive to itself. The belief that anything the other does is a response to the West or Israel.

The Mullahs do not need the reason of Israel to go nuclear. The idea that a settlement with the Palestinians rather than total victory would satisfy the Mullahs is ridiculous.

This man sounds like the rare Westerner free of the arrogance of Imperial Hubris.

[propaganda must die]

He suggested war with Iran in his book, and has many ties to Israel. This man sounds like an Israeli shill

[Javani]

If you take the threat of force off the table, you lose a big bargaining advantage. Case#1 Jimmy Carter and the hostage incident. His public disavowal of force handed the radicals a great sense of relief and empowerment.

The American self-congratulatory belief that if Americans only "talked more" to its enemies, or anyone for that matter, if only America would "apply more diplomacy", then the other would accede to America's belief systems, is plain arrogance. Arrogance that humorously gives the American believer the sense of moral superiority and better "understanding" of "the world."

The Jewish thing is hubristic too. Ahmadinejad openly mocks how the "Americans" keep trying to negotiate nuclear weapons. He doesn't mention Jews.

Diplomats all have ties to the regions they are concerned with. It is called "contacts" among other things. I suppose when it involves Jews it must be conspiratorial, when it involves Saudis or Chinese it is called "friendship" and "business."

[zachsma]

2012 will be very interesting. It will be very surprising if Obama gets a single Jewish vote. Heaven help us if the GOP puts up Palin.

[whoa20]

Its scary, his strongly Pro-P views are scaring me, not only for my party, but for my country. If he loses in 2012, it will be the thing that ruins the blogs, as people will blame them, rightfully so in some cases, of harboring the strongly anti-Israel and seemingly "anti-American" radicals, who just got their chance because of Bush. Our party will be discredited once again.

[StopNThink]

Pro-Palestinian? Can I have some of what you are smoking?

No American leader is, or can be, pro-P and get this far. Joe or Hillary or Rahm would pour cold water on that pdq.

At best he is sensibly and moderately pro-israel or dare I say, 'fair and balanced'. But have no fear, Netanyahu will obfuscate and delay as the concrete pours in the settlements, then oops lose his coalition before he has to do anything substantively helpful.

[maudefrickert]

Why does this guy have any role whatsoever in the Obama administration? He sounds much more like a neocon leftover from the Cheney presidency.

[danielet]

American Jews are as American as apple pie and for a two-states solution. "Dave1955" is on target: why did HA'ARETZ know first that Israeli "HASBARAIST" (BSer) Ross is no longer Obama's Iran guy? Bill Clinton tried covering-up Monica Lewinsky Affair with a Nobel Peace Prize on Mideast. So he rushed a diplomatic effort only to see Ross spin him in circles. David Makovsky seems purely a Likud mouthpiece disguized as an American. What's killing Israel's future is the chutzpah to think that we are all "dumb goyim"-- I wish I had a penny for every time I heard neocons refer to Christians that way. The concequences to our Jews are too great to allow this to go on. Iran doesn't take Obama seriously because it thinks he is choking on Zionists and Israeli agents in his Administration-- the same names and faces that sank Clinton's try at a Nobel Peace Prize. Anti-Semitism is silent, giving no warning, just like the madman who shot up the Holocaust Museum. American Jews are totally American, totally assimilated, this is their homeland despite Zionist efforts to scare them into moving to Israel with all their assets in order to blunt the "reverse aliyah" of Israelis who've had enough and are moving West. Reckless propagandists like Ross/Makovsky make Jews look like a Fifth Column driving America into still more Mideast bloodshed. People already angry with the economy will bring about a horrible American Krystalnacht. We must prevent it!

[StopNThink]

brilliant and heart-felt. Your last line was a bit over the top though. American Jews are very safe. Under Leiberman Palestinians are not. They are in danger of ethnic-cleansing, malnutrition, forced inbreeding (no travel outside your village - brilliant), and mass dehydration.

Agreed that Ross is trouble, but he is only being moved to a lower profile spot to do his work in the dark.

[DavePotts]

Sounds to me like tougher policies are the priority for Ross - not serious and credible diplomacy:

"Tougher policies - either militarily or meaningful containment - will be easier to sell internationally and domestically if we have diplomatically tried to resolve our differences with Iran in a serious and credible fashion"

Jumping straight in to figuring out what it'll take to sell the military option sounds like something out of the last administration. Good move on Obama's part.

[jackstpaul]

Finally.

[Pye Ian - Huffpost Blogger]

Keen move by the Obama Administration, in which Rahm certainly had a hand. Sends a firm --- and timely, considering what's happening in Iran right now -- message overseas that Washington means business about engaging Iran.

Were it to happen, it would serve US strategic interests greatly, considering who (and what) stand behind Iran currently (read: Russia/China).

More bold moves like this one, please.......

[freshnotbitter]

Is it really a bold move, tho?

The Cairo speech was foreign policy by committee - it was speech by committee as well - and Ross remains on the committee. IOW,moves are cosmetic, our foreign policy has been outsourced to K St and the results will be poor as O struggles to bring events beyond the jurisdiction under his control with no success. And perhaps that is exactly what the committee wants, to get nowhere.

[Pye Ian - Huffpost Blogger]

Brzezinski and his Realist contingent serve more as point on Obama's Mid-East foreign policy than business-as-usual K Street. The former sees the massive stakes involved in lasso-ing Iran back into the US fold, and the timing on the Ross announcement is testament to that.

Moscow and Beijing are very nervous over Iranian events of the past week -- a mood that must be taken advantage of by Washington and London.