"He deranges the leaders of the people, and makes them wander in a trackless waste. They grope without light in the darkness; He makes them wander as if drunk." (Job 12:24-25)
Source: Emet News Service
As ENS reported last week, on November 13, 2010, as soon as the Sabbath was over in Jerusalem, The Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a special session of the inner Israel government security cabinet to request ratification for a new three month construction freeze in Judea and Samaria, at the request of United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who had met with Netanyahu in Washington two days prior to that.
The IBA reported that Netanyahu informed is cabinet that Clinton had given concrete promises in exchange for the building freeze, which included that the US would not ask for any housing freeze in Jerusalem; the US would not refrain from requesting for a new housing freeze in Judea and Samaria after another 3 months; and that the US would exercise veto power on Israel's behalf in the UN Security Council.
Yet, a check of the US State Department Web site on November 13 mentioned nothing of the aforementioned commitments. After a late night call by David Bedein, Bureau Chief, Israel Resource News Agency to the US State Department spokesperson's office to either verfify or deny these commitments, the US State Department duty officer finally returned Bedein's call at 4 AM, Israel time, and stated that the US State Department has no knowledge of the aforementioned commitments from the US Secretary of State to the Israeli Prime Minister. When a further check was made on Monday morning, November 15, during normal working hours, Bedein's agency was referred to the US consul in Jerusalem, who told the Israel Resource News Agency, on the record, that he had only heard about these promises from the Israeli media, with no confirmation of these promises from the US State Department.
Even as last late as this last Friday an Israeli official said the US had not yet provided the guarantees that Israel wanted, with Washington reluctant to commit to paper all the promises Netanyahu says he was offered verbally last week. The latest snag now it seems concerns a pledge that Israel says Clinton made to provide the country an additional 20 F-35 stealth warplanes, worth $3 billion, but free of charge. Politicians said Washington was backtracking and now wanted some sort of payment for the coveted fighter aircraft. "It looks like the free stealth fighters have slipped," said Benny Begin, a minister from Netanyahu's Likud party who is opposed to the proposed US deal, warning that Washington was setting a trap to extract major concessions later down the line. "One may wonder if you cannot agree to understandings from one week to the next, what could happen over three months," he told the Army Radio on Friday. The US state department is making no comment about the situation, which if unresolved would be hugely embarrassing for both parties, while Netanyahu has said "intensive" discussions continued to get the necessary "understandings."
US President Barack Obama invested substantial political capital in persuading the Arabs to resume direct talks with Israel in early September, after months of mediation. But, true to their warnings, the Arabs halted negotiations when Netanyahu refused to extend a 10-month partial settlement moratorium when it expired at the end of September. Washington hoped its diplomatic and defense enticements would persuade Israel to renew the freeze for 90 days, opening the way for three months of intense negotiations that would focus on the future border of an Arab terrorist state in the midst of Israel. However, Netanyahu's coalition allies demanded a written pledge from the United States to make clear the building freeze did not include land in the eastern section of Jerusalem and to spell out there would be no US pressure for any subsequent moratoria. Evidently, the US was not prepared for that kind of demand.
Political sources say seven of the Israeli inner government security cabinet ministers are ready to support the plan, while six were firmly opposed, leaving two ministers from the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party holding the balance of power. Newspapers say they are likely to abstain, but they are facing growing pressure from the pro-settler lobby to vote against and prevent any halt to settlement building. [Point to ponder: Why would ultra-Orthodox cabinet ministers not fight to protect the Land given to them in an eternal covenent, instead of taking no stand at all?—ed]
Even as last late as this last Friday an Israeli official said the US had not yet provided the guarantees that Israel wanted, with Washington reluctant to commit to paper all the promises Netanyahu says he was offered verbally last week. The latest snag now it seems concerns a pledge that Israel says Clinton made to provide the country an additional 20 F-35 stealth warplanes, worth $3 billion, but free of charge. Politicians said Washington was backtracking and now wanted some sort of payment for the coveted fighter aircraft. "It looks like the free stealth fighters have slipped," said Benny Begin, a minister from Netanyahu's Likud party who is opposed to the proposed US deal, warning that Washington was setting a trap to extract major concessions later down the line. "One may wonder if you cannot agree to understandings from one week to the next, what could happen over three months," he told the Army Radio on Friday. The US state department is making no comment about the situation, which if unresolved would be hugely embarrassing for both parties, while Netanyahu has said "intensive" discussions continued to get the necessary "understandings."
US President Barack Obama invested substantial political capital in persuading the Arabs to resume direct talks with Israel in early September, after months of mediation. But, true to their warnings, the Arabs halted negotiations when Netanyahu refused to extend a 10-month partial settlement moratorium when it expired at the end of September. Washington hoped its diplomatic and defense enticements would persuade Israel to renew the freeze for 90 days, opening the way for three months of intense negotiations that would focus on the future border of an Arab terrorist state in the midst of Israel. However, Netanyahu's coalition allies demanded a written pledge from the United States to make clear the building freeze did not include land in the eastern section of Jerusalem and to spell out there would be no US pressure for any subsequent moratoria. Evidently, the US was not prepared for that kind of demand.
Political sources say seven of the Israeli inner government security cabinet ministers are ready to support the plan, while six were firmly opposed, leaving two ministers from the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party holding the balance of power. Newspapers say they are likely to abstain, but they are facing growing pressure from the pro-settler lobby to vote against and prevent any halt to settlement building. [Point to ponder: Why would ultra-Orthodox cabinet ministers not fight to protect the Land given to them in an eternal covenent, instead of taking no stand at all?—ed]
[Israel Resource News Agency, Reuters]
