Well-handled, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Rather than apologize to the Turkish government for the deaths of nine of its nationals on the Mavi Marmara, you dug in and now your ambassador to Ankara has been expelled. At this rate, the once critical Israeli-Turkish relationship will soon be finished, leaving Israel with no friends in the region except shaky Jordan.
The peace treaty with Egypt is holding, but just barely and Egypt can hardly be considered a friend anymore. Its people despise Israel and identify it with former President Mubarak, the one Egyptian relationship Israel bothered cultivating. Israel's de facto friendship with Syria will end when President Bashar al-Assad goes. He is no Zionist, but he has been a force for stability on Syria's border with Israel, and Lebanon's, too.
Once he's gone, the north will almost surely heat up, especially now that Hezbollah plays a dominant role in the Lebanese government. As for the Palestinians, Netanyahu says that if they dare to take their case to the United Nations later this month, he may declare the Oslo agreement null and void. In other words, the Palestinians will be deemed enemies of Israel. Again.
In short, Binyamin Netanyahu is very close to bringing Israel back to where it was before the Oslo agreement of 1993. There is even the strong possibility that he will take it back to where it was before the Camp David peace treaty with Egypt -- with the added disaster that the relationship with Turkey (established in 1948) will also be gone.
In a normal country, a record of disastrous failures like those would lead to Netanyahu's departure from office. But not in Israel. Despite all the damage he has done to the country's security and to its economy (note the massive protests against Netanyahu's Tea Party economics), he remains in office because the right supports him and Israel is governed by an entirely right-wing coalition.
The worst part is that nearly all of Israel's problems with its neighbors could be resolved by ending the occupation. Even the economy would benefit if the Israeli government was not wasting so much money on the settlers and their exorbitant demands.
Israel's propaganda machine would have it otherwise. It insists that the Palestinians, and the Arabs and Muslims throughout the world who support them, don't really care about the occupation. Their goal, we are constantly told, is to destroy Israel itself. As proof, they insist that "the Palestinians have never recognized Israel's right to statehood."
This is the kind of thing that used to be called the "big lie." The Palestinians have repeatedly recognized Israel's right to statehood and security within the '67 borders.
For those who have forgotten, that is what President Clinton, Prime Minister Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasir Arafat agreed to on the White House lawn that day in 1993. Israel recognized Palestinian rights and the Palestinians recognized Israel. In the years since, neither side has threatened to revoke that recognition until last month when Netanyahu began saying that Oslo could be revoked if the Palestinians go to the United Nations.
But why?
The Palestinian turn to the United Nations offers the solution to virtually all of Israel's problems. President Mahmoud Abbas says that once Palestine is recognized by the international body, he will resume negotiations with Israel over all the issues that divide the two sides. The only difference will be that negotiations will be between two states, not one powerful state and one supplicant hoping a few crumbs fall off the table.
Netanyahu is terrified of a U.N. vote. He and his emissaries are going around the world demanding that the statehood resolution be voted down. And the combined forces of Netanyahu and the lobby here have cajoled the Obama administration to join Netanyahu in demanding a "no" vote.
It is clear that Netanyahu wants to preserve the status quo, even if it means that Israel reverts to a position where every one of its neighbors is an actual or potential enemy, even if it means that its strategic relationship with Turkey is over, even if it means that it has no one in the region to help prevent war with Iran.
It sounds crazy, but only because it is. Netanyahu's highest priority is to maintain the occupation. The settlers and the religious fanatics are his people; the Israelis of Tel Aviv and Haifa are not. It's not that Israel's security does not matter to Netanyahu. It does. But for him, Ariel and the crazed settlers of Hebron matter every bit as much as the state itself. To him, there is no difference. (On that score, Netanyahu is much like Palestinian extremists who view all of Israel as occupied territory. Netanyahu makes no distinctions either.)
Netanyahu is bringing Israel to the brink and no one is doing anything about it. Both the president and Congress go along with Netanyahu because the lobby tells them that the only way to support Israel (and, in turn, be supported by its "friends") is to approve of everything done by the Israeli prime minister. That is why the Palestinians have to go to the U.N. They cannot expect anything from the United States or even the Europeans (who are being pressured heavily on Netanyahu's behalf by the U.S.).
The U.N. vote is expected to occur on September 20. It is too much to hope that America will do what it knows is the right thing and vote "yes" or be an honest broker and abstain. The best we can hope for is that the United States and Israel are part of a very small minority voting "no." That kind of vote will strengthen the Palestinians and perhaps frighten Netanyahu into negotiating in good faith.
But even if not, the U.N. will have stated that the Palestinians are people, too; people with rights, including the right to full sovereignty in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. At that point, the writing will be on the wall. The occupation is ending, hopefully before Netanyahu does too much more damage ... to Israel.
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Haaretz (The Israeli Left-wing paper) Aug 28th: Abbas refuses to negotiate agreement recognizing Israel as a Jewish State (link below):
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/abbas-we-ll-never-sign-deal-demanding-recognition-of-israel-as-jewish-state-1.319329
He starts by talking about wether (or not) the Palestinians "have repeatedly recognized Israel's right to statehood and security within the '67 borders."
As evidence *against* that argument he points to Abbas' refusal to "negotiate agreement recognizing Israel as a Jewish State"
That's a non-sequitor.
And if you don't believe me then consider this:
The USA has repeatedly recognized Israel's right to statehood and security, and yet it has never once negotiated an agreement wherein the USA "recognizes Israel as a Jewish State".
One Once. Not Ever.
Those two issues are completely divorced one from the other.
Q: Has the Palestinians repeatedly recognized Israel's right to statehood and security within the '67 borders?
A: Yes, starting in 1993 with an exchange of letters between Arafat and Rabin, and repeated since then many time, at many venue, and under any circumstance that you would care to name.
That recognition was "unconditional", you see, and has never been rescinded nor renounced.
Indeed, Netanyahu's demand that they recognize "Israel as a Jewish State" leads to a manifestly absurd situation i.e. HE is insisting on placing a "condition" upon THEIR unconditional recognition of HIS state.
Which, when you stop to think about it, is a situation that is Beyond Chutzpah.
All American must understand that, including myself, US foreign aid is done for the purpose of advancing USA interests, influencing events and alliances around the world..... It does NOT entitle the US to interfere or dictate (although many times it tries) other Countries what to do….. and while the US generously provide over $40 Billion in foreign aid to over 50 countries beside Israel, those tax dollars do NOT give you the prerogative to TELL other nations the like of China, Brazil, Israel or the PA, what to do, they are sovereign countries…Kapish!
Just for your info, Israel sided 97% of the time with the US in all Int’l bodies, more than any other countries, even UK or Canada….. Also the US get plenty payback from Israel on its military aid in form of intelligence, battlefield lessons and data on US enemies’ weapon…… so get off your high and mighty entitlement horse and accept the facts of life…
By the way, if you’re a parent using money to control your kids is foolish and counterproductive in the long run…..
When I read how Israel was too proud to issue an apology, even an insincere one, I thought of the proverb
"Pride cometh before the fall"
"Pride cometh before the fall" sounds like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Does the former paragraph sound like pride?
The were no weapons on the ship .
Netanyahu´s arrogance will cost Israel dearly.
Compare and contrast: in 1993 the PLO gave an unconditional recognition of the right of the state of Israel to exist in peace and security.
Note that point: the PLO didn't just say that it was agreeable to discussing the possibility that Israel might be allowed to exist (with their permission, of course).
No, the PLO unconditionally recognized that Israel had a ***RIGHT*** to exist.
Now, compare that with dschiff's oh-so-graceous statement that Netanyahu will discuss the "possibility" of a state of Palestine exising if, you know, he is presented with a formula that he is "agreeable" to.
Ahhh, zionism and arrogance: two peas in a pod....
It also proves you have no rational argument.
http://thinkprogress.org/security/2011/09/03/311652/israeli-demonstrations-west-bank-gandhi/
http://wikileaks.org/cable/2009/05/09TELAVIV1098.html
When Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's forces lost control of the Gaza strip to the Islamist Hamas group, Bush told Israel he made a mistake and to give Fatah the money they have been holding up from the Palestinians and stop trying to starve them to death.
It is really screwed up now that Hamas is building strength and gaining world support just like what happened in the failed Lebanon invasion and Hezbollah win.
How demonizing Netaniyahu, but disregarding the fact that he represent views and positions of many Israelis is going to help to resolve this conflict?
MJ should call his articles something like "Life according to MJ (any connection to real life is accidental at the best)" ;-)
At least the pretence of Israel wanting peace is gone and Israel is shown to be nothing but thieves and greedy liars.
One chooses to hears only what he wants to hear. You blind by your hate. Expand your horizons - try to understand this conflict from both sides.
So, although there's no difference between them, I don't really blame the Israeli Neocons for putting forward policies which they think are Israel's best intrests.
Whether they are best for Israel is another discussion, but they certainly aren't the best for America.
For example, It took a lots of courage and guts for Israelis to start negotiations with Arafat - for them he has a huge of amounts of Israeli blood and death on his hands.
But there was no other choice, but start to negotiate with him and it led to Oslo and other agreements. Too bad it did not lead to final settlement.
Same with Hamas. But there are couple issues that would seriously undermine any serious negotiations with them - first of all Private Shalit. Any serious negotiation with Hamas will not go far until this one is resolved. It is hard to negotiate with side that keeps one of yours as a prisoner and Hamas also will have a temptation to use him as a "joker" in any negotiations.
Other issue is recognition of Israel right to exists - this is extremely important for Israel. It's somewhat absurd to manage negotiations with somebody that does not believe you should be here in the first place.
And last big one is issue with shooting rockets from Gaza - which in essence is a question if Hamas really in control oh Gaza? Can it control other factions there? Otherwise, it is hard to get any potential agreements with it if Hamas not really has control.
Hope my thoughts makes sense to you. Thank you for very good question.