lutherblsstt
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The other day in another forum I quoted someone in Israel: Quote of the Day: Why Is Obama Treating Netanyano So Rudely | The Moderate Voice
"I'm in Israel now for Passover Week and the mood here is terrible. It's a weird combination of arrogance and self-righteous defensiveness combined with a feeling that another Masada is right around the corner. I anticipated a backlash of support for Netanyahu but among the people I have been with there is a genuine fear that if Israel loses the US backing, it truly will be alone in the world. The fear is not military but of economic and political isolation which will have negative economic effects as well as raise the issue of an imposed peace agreement. Israelis suspect, I believe rightfully so, that an imposed solution would be worse for them than anything that would emerge from genuine negotiations."
Do they have reason to worry? We have this:
"US 'may not veto UN resolution on Jerusalem'
The US is considering abstaining from a possible UN Security Council resolution against Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem, sources suggest to the BBC.
The possibility surfaced at talks in Paris last week between a senior US official and Qatar's foreign minister.
The official said the US would "seriously consider abstaining" if the issue of Israeli settlements was put to the vote, a diplomat told the BBC.
US officials in Washington have not confirmed the report.
There are no concrete plans at present to table such a resolution at the UN.
But it is likely that the US is considering how to maintain pressure, and a UN resolution would be one way, says BBC state department correspondent Kim Ghattas.
The US usually blocks Security Council resolutions criticising Israel.
But relations between the allies have been severely strained by the announcement of plans to build 1,600 homes in an East Jerusalem settlement during a recent visit to Israel by US Vice-President Joe Biden. "
Friends don't let friends drive drunk but that's exactly what the US has done for over 40 years. Daniel Larison:
"Does it then make sense for Washington to endorse every Israeli military action and encourage the perception that Israel may act however it wishes outside its borders because the United States will provide support and political cover? After all, it is such actions and the support Washington provides for them that contribute greatly to negative attitudes toward Israel and the United States. If the world is aflame with anti-Israel sentiment as Wehner claims it is, surely the greatest facilitators of the increasing hatred are the people here and in Israel who justify every excess, excuse every illegality, and overreact against most criticisms with accusations that the critics wish to betray Israel or that they wish for Israel’s destruction. “The yes-man is your enemy, but your friend will argue with you.” If hatred for Israel is as great as Wehner claims, neither Israel’s Western critics nor members of the administration are the ones responsible. It is the yes-men who have much more to answer for. "
Many more are taking another look at the US-Israel relationship. This from Salon:
" One of the many platitudes ritually invoked at the annual AIPAC conference is the claim that US and Israeli strategic interests are indivisible. It was repeated again this year, by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, among others, even as the allies struggled to patch up a nasty rift arising from the Netanyahu government's announcement of new settlement construction during Vice President Biden's recent visit to Israel.
But what if the claim isn't true? This year it was challenged from unusual quarters, when Gen. David Petraeus, Centcom commander, told the Senate that the Israel-Palestine conflict--and widespread anger in the Middle East over Washington's favoritism for Israel--is hampering regional partnerships and fueling recruitment by Islamist extremists. And while Biden delivered the usual boilerplate about standing "shoulder to shoulder" with Israel in his public remarks there, in private he was harsh; according to the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, he told Netanyahu, "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."
Over at the Asia Times Tony Karon has more.
" Uncomfortable at the spectacle of the Barack Obama administration in an open confrontation with the Israeli government, Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman - who represents the interests of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party on Capitol Hill as faithfully as he does those of the health insurance industry - called for a halt. "Let's cut the family fighting, the family feud," he said. "It's unnecessary; it's destructive of our shared national interest. It's time to lower voices, to get over the family feud between the US and Israel. It just doesn't serve anybody's interests but our enemies."
The idea that the US and Israel are "family" with identical national interests is a convenient fiction that Lieberman and his fellow Israel partisans have worked relentlessly to promote - and enforce - in Washington over the past two decades. If the bonds are indeed familial, however, last week's showdown between Washington and the Netanyahu government may be counted as one of those feuds in which truths are uttered in the heat of the moment that call into question the fundamental terms of the relationship. Such truths are never easily swept under the rug once the dispute is settled. The immediate rupture precludes a simple return to the status quo ante; instead, a renegotiation of the terms of the relationship somehow ends up on the agenda."
So is it possible that Israel is afraid that the days of the tail wagging the dog are over? In the past Israel and its US supporters have equated criticism of Israel with antisemitism with some success. But that proved dangerous and not very effective when a celebrated General was involved.
"Abe Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation League, who has made a profession of trying to negate the difference between anti-Semitism and criticism of (or hostility to) Israel, gamely ventured that "Gen Petraeus has simply erred in linking the challenges faced by the US and coalition forces in the region to a solution of the Israeli-Arab conflict, and blaming extremist activities on the absence of peace and the perceived US favoritism for Israel." His conclusion: "This linkage is dangerous and counterproductive."
You can, in fact, hear the pain in Foxman's admission that "it is that much more of a concern to hear this coming from such a great American patriot and hero". That Petraeus chose to make his concerns public at the height of a public showdown between Israel and the US, and to do so on Capitol Hill, where legislators seemed uncertain how to respond, signaled the seriousness of the uniformed military in pressing the issue. "
It is in the best interest of the US to finally show Israel some tough love - that means there must be consequences. Israel sees the status quo in their best interest but there is no way that is in the best interest of the US.
"Israel has no real intention of quitting the territories or allowing the Palestinian people to exercise their rights," wrote Israeli political commentator Gideon Levy in Ha'aretz last week. "Israel does not truly intend to pursue peace, because life here seems to be good even without it. The continuation of the occupation doesn't just endanger Israel's future, it also poses the greatest risk to world peace, serving as a pretext for Israel's most dangerous enemies. No change will come to pass in the complacent, belligerent and condescending Israel of today."
The Obama administration can't be under any illusions on this score. And they are being forced to confront it by another kind of pressure. The bills are coming due for Bush's "war on terror" adventurism. Those responsible for maintaining the US imperium in the Muslim world are now raising warning flags that the price to be paid for continuing to indulge Israel in evading its obligation to offer a fair settlement to the Palestinians could be high - and, worse than that, unnecessary. "
This is another "special relationship" that must be renegotiated. That 3 billion dollars a year comes with a price tag.
"I'm in Israel now for Passover Week and the mood here is terrible. It's a weird combination of arrogance and self-righteous defensiveness combined with a feeling that another Masada is right around the corner. I anticipated a backlash of support for Netanyahu but among the people I have been with there is a genuine fear that if Israel loses the US backing, it truly will be alone in the world. The fear is not military but of economic and political isolation which will have negative economic effects as well as raise the issue of an imposed peace agreement. Israelis suspect, I believe rightfully so, that an imposed solution would be worse for them than anything that would emerge from genuine negotiations."
Do they have reason to worry? We have this:
"US 'may not veto UN resolution on Jerusalem'
The US is considering abstaining from a possible UN Security Council resolution against Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem, sources suggest to the BBC.
The possibility surfaced at talks in Paris last week between a senior US official and Qatar's foreign minister.
The official said the US would "seriously consider abstaining" if the issue of Israeli settlements was put to the vote, a diplomat told the BBC.
US officials in Washington have not confirmed the report.
There are no concrete plans at present to table such a resolution at the UN.
But it is likely that the US is considering how to maintain pressure, and a UN resolution would be one way, says BBC state department correspondent Kim Ghattas.
The US usually blocks Security Council resolutions criticising Israel.
But relations between the allies have been severely strained by the announcement of plans to build 1,600 homes in an East Jerusalem settlement during a recent visit to Israel by US Vice-President Joe Biden. "
Friends don't let friends drive drunk but that's exactly what the US has done for over 40 years. Daniel Larison:
"Does it then make sense for Washington to endorse every Israeli military action and encourage the perception that Israel may act however it wishes outside its borders because the United States will provide support and political cover? After all, it is such actions and the support Washington provides for them that contribute greatly to negative attitudes toward Israel and the United States. If the world is aflame with anti-Israel sentiment as Wehner claims it is, surely the greatest facilitators of the increasing hatred are the people here and in Israel who justify every excess, excuse every illegality, and overreact against most criticisms with accusations that the critics wish to betray Israel or that they wish for Israel’s destruction. “The yes-man is your enemy, but your friend will argue with you.” If hatred for Israel is as great as Wehner claims, neither Israel’s Western critics nor members of the administration are the ones responsible. It is the yes-men who have much more to answer for. "
Many more are taking another look at the US-Israel relationship. This from Salon:
" One of the many platitudes ritually invoked at the annual AIPAC conference is the claim that US and Israeli strategic interests are indivisible. It was repeated again this year, by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, among others, even as the allies struggled to patch up a nasty rift arising from the Netanyahu government's announcement of new settlement construction during Vice President Biden's recent visit to Israel.
But what if the claim isn't true? This year it was challenged from unusual quarters, when Gen. David Petraeus, Centcom commander, told the Senate that the Israel-Palestine conflict--and widespread anger in the Middle East over Washington's favoritism for Israel--is hampering regional partnerships and fueling recruitment by Islamist extremists. And while Biden delivered the usual boilerplate about standing "shoulder to shoulder" with Israel in his public remarks there, in private he was harsh; according to the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, he told Netanyahu, "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."
Over at the Asia Times Tony Karon has more.
" Uncomfortable at the spectacle of the Barack Obama administration in an open confrontation with the Israeli government, Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman - who represents the interests of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party on Capitol Hill as faithfully as he does those of the health insurance industry - called for a halt. "Let's cut the family fighting, the family feud," he said. "It's unnecessary; it's destructive of our shared national interest. It's time to lower voices, to get over the family feud between the US and Israel. It just doesn't serve anybody's interests but our enemies."
The idea that the US and Israel are "family" with identical national interests is a convenient fiction that Lieberman and his fellow Israel partisans have worked relentlessly to promote - and enforce - in Washington over the past two decades. If the bonds are indeed familial, however, last week's showdown between Washington and the Netanyahu government may be counted as one of those feuds in which truths are uttered in the heat of the moment that call into question the fundamental terms of the relationship. Such truths are never easily swept under the rug once the dispute is settled. The immediate rupture precludes a simple return to the status quo ante; instead, a renegotiation of the terms of the relationship somehow ends up on the agenda."
So is it possible that Israel is afraid that the days of the tail wagging the dog are over? In the past Israel and its US supporters have equated criticism of Israel with antisemitism with some success. But that proved dangerous and not very effective when a celebrated General was involved.
"Abe Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation League, who has made a profession of trying to negate the difference between anti-Semitism and criticism of (or hostility to) Israel, gamely ventured that "Gen Petraeus has simply erred in linking the challenges faced by the US and coalition forces in the region to a solution of the Israeli-Arab conflict, and blaming extremist activities on the absence of peace and the perceived US favoritism for Israel." His conclusion: "This linkage is dangerous and counterproductive."
You can, in fact, hear the pain in Foxman's admission that "it is that much more of a concern to hear this coming from such a great American patriot and hero". That Petraeus chose to make his concerns public at the height of a public showdown between Israel and the US, and to do so on Capitol Hill, where legislators seemed uncertain how to respond, signaled the seriousness of the uniformed military in pressing the issue. "
It is in the best interest of the US to finally show Israel some tough love - that means there must be consequences. Israel sees the status quo in their best interest but there is no way that is in the best interest of the US.
"Israel has no real intention of quitting the territories or allowing the Palestinian people to exercise their rights," wrote Israeli political commentator Gideon Levy in Ha'aretz last week. "Israel does not truly intend to pursue peace, because life here seems to be good even without it. The continuation of the occupation doesn't just endanger Israel's future, it also poses the greatest risk to world peace, serving as a pretext for Israel's most dangerous enemies. No change will come to pass in the complacent, belligerent and condescending Israel of today."
The Obama administration can't be under any illusions on this score. And they are being forced to confront it by another kind of pressure. The bills are coming due for Bush's "war on terror" adventurism. Those responsible for maintaining the US imperium in the Muslim world are now raising warning flags that the price to be paid for continuing to indulge Israel in evading its obligation to offer a fair settlement to the Palestinians could be high - and, worse than that, unnecessary. "
This is another "special relationship" that must be renegotiated. That 3 billion dollars a year comes with a price tag.