Don't make Hillary mad
It is becoming increasingly obvious that the Obama administration is tilting heavily toward the Palestinian side when it comes to the Mideast conflict. Exhibit A is the overreaction to the announcement that Israel is building more housing for Israelis in East Jerusalem and that the announcement coincided with Joe Biden's useless trip to Jerusalem. Both Biden and Hillary Clinton have made very strong statements against Israel. Those statements represent much more than the political bickering that they are used to. They represent a diplomatic problem.
Now it has been reported that Israeli Ambassador to the US, Michael Oren, has advised his consuls general in the US that Israeli-US relations are now the worst in 35 years. In addition, the Israeli news source Haaretz is reporting that Hillary Clinton's State Department is levying the following demands on Israel:
1. Investigate the process that led to the announcement of the Ramat Shlomo construction plans in the middle of Biden's visit. The Americans seek an official response from Israel on whether this was a bureaucratic mistake or a deliberate act carried out for political reasons. Already on Saturday night, Netanyahu announced the convening of a committee to look into the issue.
2. Reverse the decision by the Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee to approve construction of 1,600 new housing units in Ramat Shlomo.
3. Make a substantial gesture toward the Palestinians enabling the renewal of peace talks. The Americans suggested that hundreds of Palestinian prisoners be released, that the Israel Defense Forces withdraw from additional areas of the West Bank and transfer them to Palestinian control, that the siege of the Gaza Strip be eased and further roadblocks in the West Bank be removed.
4. Issue an official declaration that the talks with the Palestinians, even indirect talks, will deal with all the conflict's core issues - borders, refugees, Jerusalem, security arrangements, water and settlements.
You would have thought the Israelis were building those apartments in Fairfax County! And of course, more demands for territorial concessions and release of prisoners. Of course, when Israel releases prisoners, all they get back are dead bodies of their own.
I could go off on another rant about how Hillary Clinton hurts relations with countries and her arrogance-which is not a great quality for a diplomat, but in the end, she is reflecting the attitudes of Obama and his minions in the White House. It appears here that Israel is once again saddled with an administration in Washington that will make Israel concede as much as possible so they can bring about "that final peace agreement", which, in the end, will be nothing of the sort.
For the last 40 years almost all the knowledge the US had on first Soviet then Russian military weapons and tactics came from Israel. Not excluding intelligence sharing.
ReplyDeleteThis information during the Cold War was crucial in the way the US planned for conflict with the USSR.
Now Obama feels that if he throws Israel under the bus, he will get peace. In fact what he is doing is driving Jews and their money from the Democratic Party in droves.