Laura Rozen in Politico reports on a story appearing today in Israel.
It is about the effect that Prime Minister Netanyahu's announcement of new West Bank settlements -- during Vice President Biden's visit -- could do to the United States. It is written by a top Israeli journalist, Shimon Shiffer, in the conservative Yedioth Achronoth, the largest circulation newspaper in Israel..
People who heard what Biden said were stunned. "This is starting to get dangerous for us," Biden castigated his interlocutors. "What you're doing here undermines the security of our troops who are fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. That endangers us and it endangers regional peace."
Yesterday's announcement of 1600 new settler units was the tip of the iceberg. Today Israel announced another 50,000 settler units in Jerusalem. What a way to treat Joe Biden, who has been so close to Israel for 30 years that he's practically a kibbutznik.
It all makes me suspect that Israel is just faking its fear of Iranian nukes. If Israel was really concerned it would place its relationship with the United States above the political desire to suck up to settlers, religious fanatics and rightwing lunatics. Clearly, it does not.
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"dispatching Mullen for a carefully arranged meeting with Chief of the Israeli General Staff, Lt. General Gabi Ashkenazi. While the American press speculated that Mullen's trip focused on Iran, the JCS Chairman actually carried a blunt, and tough, message on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: that Israel had to see its conflict with the Palestinians "in a larger, regional, context" - as having a direct impact on America's status in the region. Certainly, it was thought, Israel would get the message.
Israel didn't. "
http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/03/14/the_petraeus_briefing_biden_s_embarrassment_is_not_the_whole_story
The humiliation of the US during Biden's visit (and the spin going on that the Obama Admin is now supposed to apologize for not tolerating the public ur i na ting on the US) has much graver consequences and explains Biden's comment that this is making it" dangerous for both of us."
"There are important and powerful lobbies in America: the NRA, the American Medical Association, the lawyers - and the Israeli lobby. But no lobby is as important, or as powerful, as the U.S. military. While commentators and pundits might reflect that Joe Biden's trip to Israel has forever shifted America's relationship with its erstwhile ally in the region, the real break came in January, when David Petraeus sent a briefing team to the Pentagon with a stark warning: America's relationship with Israel is important, but not as important as the lives of America's soldiers. Maybe Israel gets the message now. "
http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/03/14/the_petraeus_briefing_biden_s_embarrassment_is_not_the_whole_story
Are you going to write an article about how AIPAC was responsible for their decision?
Noone has campaigned as long and as loud as Foxman not to recognise this episode as genocide.
Ask what he thinks of this complete about turn?