TED BELMAN
Obama can only succeed in getting a deal if Israel bends to his dictates. Everything is predicated on that. The more Netanyahu shows that he means what he says i.e. wont divide Jerusalem, the more one realizes that negotiations won’t go any where.There is no surprise here for Obama. What I suspect is happening here is that this crises has been manufactured by Obama to allow for the buildup for all kinds of pressure on Israel.
Note how the US keeps stressing our security and never mentions our rights. From their point of view, we don’t have rights.
More ominous is the suggestion that our moves threaten bilateral relations.
Bottom line is that so long as Israel won’t agree to the SAUDI plan, negotiations won’t go anywhere. Everyone knows this. As I said before, the movement to impose a solution is getting steam.
DEBKA
The crisis in US-Israeli relations took a sharp turn for the worse Friday night, March 12, with a phone call from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warning Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu that the relationship was at risk.debkafile reports: He was given to understand that Israel must make sweeping concessions to prove its interest in renewed talks with the Palestinians, including in Jerusalem, and accept the Obama administration’s line on Iran.
Clinton Slams Israel’s Settlement Plans: ‘Deeply Negative Signal’
Huffington Post
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday delivered a stinging rebuke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his government’s announcement this week of new Jewish housing in east Jerusalem, calling it “a deeply negative signal” for the Mideast peace process and ties with the U.S.The State Department said Clinton spoke to Netanyahu by phone for 43 minutes to vent U.S. frustration with Tuesday’s announcement that cast a pall over a visit to Israel by Vice President Joe Biden and endangered indirect peace talks with the Palestinians that the Obama administration had announced just a day earlier.
The length and unusually blunt tone of Clinton’s call underscored the administration’s concern about prospects for the negotiations it has been trying to organize for more than a year and its anger over Israel’s refusal to heed U.S. appeals not to make provocative gestures.
“The announcement of the settlements on the very day that the vice president was there was insulting,” Clinton said in an interview with CNN Friday. “It was just really a very unfortunate and difficult moment for everyone, the U.S., our vice president who had gone to reassert America’s strong support for Israeli security, and I regret deeply that that occurred and made that view known.”
Clinton called “to make clear that the United States considered the announcement to be a deeply negative signal about Israel’s approach to the bilateral relationship and counter to the spirit of the vice president’s trip,” State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters.
“The secretary said she could not understand how this happened, particularly in light of the United States’ strong commitment to Israel’s security and she made clear that the Israeli government needed to demonstrate not just through words but through specific actions that they are committed to this relationship and to the peace process,” he said.
The harsh criticism of America’s closest Mideast ally and questions about its commitment to the U.S.-Israeli relationship followed equally blunt condemnation of the housing announcement from the White House and Biden himself.
It also comes ahead of a trip to the region by U.S. Mideast peace envoy George Mitchell and a meeting in Moscow next week of the Quartet of Mideast peacemakers that Clinton will attend.
Hours after the call to Netanyahu, the Quartet – the U.S., European Union, United Nations and Russia – denounced the Israeli announcement in a statement from the world body’s headquarters in New York where Clinton was addressing a commission on the status of women and meeting with U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon.
Story continues below
“The Quartet has agreed to closely monitor developments in Jerusalem and to keep under consideration additional steps that may be required to address the situation on the ground,” the statement said.
It did not elaborate on what steps it would consider but said the Quartet members “would take full stock of the situation” when they meet in the Russian capital next Friday.
The Quartet has long urged both Israel and the Palestinians not to take any steps that could hinder peace talks. Crowley stressed that the United States objected to both the content and timing of the announcement and said Clinton had “reinforced that this action had undermined trust and confidence in the peace process and in America’s interests.”
Netanyahu has apologized for the timing, though not the substance, of the announcement to approve 1,600 new homes for Jews in east Jerusalem. The international community does not recognize Israel’s annexation of east Jerusalem – captured in the 1967 Mideast war – and the Palestinians see that part of the city as their own future capital.
Earlier Friday, an Israeli cabinet minister said the government is moving to amend the country’s planning procedures on sensitive political decisions because of the embarrassing diplomatic flap. Netanyahu has said he was not aware the announcement was going to be made during Biden’s visit.
The Israeli announcement enraged the Palestinians and Arab states, jeopardizing the proximity talks Mitchell is to mediate. An Arab League advisory committee has already withdrawn its endorsement of the discussions.
In a bid to salvage those negotiations, Mitchell and the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, Jeffrey Feltman, called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Arab League chief Amr Moussa and the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates over the past two days, Crowley said.
Israpundit.com
Hi, Ted
You said that you suspect BO is manufacturing this crisis in order to put great pressure on Israel. The question I would counter with, is, “Pressure to do WHAT”, and pressure on WHOM?
Barry-O would be a true space cadet, if he thought that any amount of pressure on anyone could bring about a credible “peace” initiative. As it stands, Israel has been the most cooperative player, Hamas is working to outright sabotage everything, Islami Jihad is waiting in the wings in case Hamas fails, and Abbas tore up his ticket to Washington without waiting for a receipt. So the “peace” process seems to have nothing to do with BO’s movements. Maybe there’s a hint in the following Reuters article:
If I’m reading this correctly, the pressure isn’t on NETANYAHU to do anything, but rather on Obama’s secret for-hire MKs to try to stage a political coup. Israel is a powerful country in every respect, other than in the corruption of its politicians. I expect the opening shots to come from wannabe Bibi replacements in Likud.
We’ll see how that all turns out. BO needs to be seen as “doing” something in the Middle East. Iran will go nuclear without a doubt, and become a knife in our side instead of a thorn; there isn’t a snowball’s chance in hill of any sort of “peace”, and Americans would applaud from coast to coast if Bibi would just send a sortie to knock out a reactor. Maybe BO wants to goad Israel into doing just that; or maybe he could cause turmoil in the Knesset that would made diverting headlines. It’s like the actor who said, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity”.
Meanwhile, Obama’s banker buddies are robbing America clean. Has anyone noticed?
Comment by BlandOatmeal — March 13, 2010 @ 10:38 am
DEBKA and I both see the same thing. Why can’t you.
Comment by Ted Belman — March 13, 2010 @ 11:06 am
Maybe, Ted, because I’m neither you nor DEBKA.
Now, why can’t you see things as I do? Do you honestly think that the “peace process” will go anywhere, no matter WHAT Israel does? Before Biden’s visit, Arafat was already getting ready to bolt the “proximity” talks. You know this is all baloney, I know this is all baloney, DEBKA knows this is all baloney and Obama knows this is all baloney. All the “peace process” has generated for the past sixty-two years is continuing self-imposed misery for Palestinian Arabs, a genuine pain for front-line Israelis and headlines and headlines and headlines.
At the end of the day, Israel still has to do what is needful for its survival, no matter what the US, the Quartet, Clinton, Biden nor anyone else says. This is as sure as the laws of physics, with relativity and quantum mechanics figured in. If BO wants to pressure Israel, it’s for PR purposes, period.
Comment by BlandOatmeal — March 13, 2010 @ 11:41 am
The Clintons are on their way to the lake of fire, so who cares if they don’t want Netanyahu to build settlements on land that belongs to Torah Law!
Mr. Slum Monkey Trillionaire Obama has appointed a fat, skunk headed gerbil named Janet Napalitano, the ugliest, stupidest dyke on the face of the earth to head National Security and has conducted nothing but monkey business since he has been president.
Mrs. Clinton is the laughing stock of the world leaders as world leaders prepare to slaughter Israel and its inhabitants.
When you study http://www.judicialwatch.org and combine it with http://www.jihadwatch.org, the INSANITY of the Clintonian regime is nothing more than PROXIES working for foreign governments who HATE Israel and the United States.
Joe Biden, the ultimate brown noser who has Obama’s stain on his forehead to celebrate Catholic ashes, is LYING to the Israeli people and their FAILED policies can only lead Isrrael to its demise.
I applaud the Israeli government for opposing Slom Monkey Trillionaire and his harem of prostitutes.
God bless the STATE OF ISRAEL…………may Iran be destroyed before they destroy Iraq and Israel!
Comment by Michael Sunstar — March 13, 2010 @ 11:45 am
I have just three words for the Palestinian Hamas State and their sponsors: THE CLINTONIAN/OBAMA REGIME:
GO TO HELL!
Comment by Michael Sunstar — March 13, 2010 @ 12:42 pm
Why am I so angry?
I think about an Israeli baby named: SHAKED AVRAHIM who was blown to smithereens by an Islamic Homicide bomber - its teeth and body splattered all over the pavement because of the OBAMA IN WONDERLAND world of the FANTASY ISLAMD of the Clintonian regime.
I am angry at the U.S. responses in allowing Iran to arm itself as it has, since the days of Carter betrayal of the Shat to the nuclear aspirations today.
Forget about guns and proxy wars - once Iran is NUKE READY - it’s goodbye Iraq and Israel - unprecedented disaster - I don’t want to see anymore Israeli babies and families destroyed by Terrorists ever again……….
If I were President there would be no more Hamas, Hizbollah or Iranian Ayatoilet regime!
I would tell Biden and Obama to kiss my Israeli butt - we’re going to build and kick some butt WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION! So there!
Death to Israel’s enemies!
Comment by Michael Sunstar — March 13, 2010 @ 1:04 pm
Possibilities, should Israel do what is right…
1. The US will slap sanctions on Israel faster than you can say Ahmedinejad.
2. The Arabs will thus be emboldened.
3. Attacks on Israel will happen on several fronts.
4. As a result of Israel’s ignoring US commands, it will be unfettered and will use whatever options it wants on its enemies.
5. The Arab armies, cities, etc. - all of them - will be utterly destroyed.
6. The “rest of the world” will spend some time trying to figure out what to do next.
Just a guess…
Comment by keelie — March 13, 2010 @ 1:34 pm
Uncle Nahum, Ayn, Laura, Shy Guy, Randy Texas, you know what? I like this Michael Sunstar.
Comment by rongrand — March 13, 2010 @ 2:29 pm
Keelie I love Optimists, maybe because I find it so hard to be one myself.
I do take some solace in knowing that Michael Sunstar will someday, sometime, will find his Lake of fire and enjoy himself for
eternity. LOL
Comment by yamit82 — March 13, 2010 @ 2:47 pm