in other words, Israel is the boss of Obama, at least when it comes to Mideast issues.
On Tue, Mar 16, 2010 at 10:29 AM, Louis Proyect <[email protected]> wrote: > http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/rupert-cornwell-theres-no-sign-that-obama-will-punish-his-ally-1921815.html > > Rupert Cornwell: There's no sign that Obama will punish his ally > > The fracas over Israel's announcement of 1,600 new homes in disputed East > Jerusalem is undoubtedly serious. But it also recalls the old children's > ditty of how "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never > hurt me". > > The words have flown fast and furious in Washington since Israel, by > accident or design, delivered this blow to the "peace process" with the > Palestinians that the US is working so hard to revive - at the very moment > vice-President Joe Biden was visiting the country. But there is no sign that > the Obama administration, however genuine its anger, is about to take > specific action to punish its ally. For that reason if no other, the talk of > the worst crisis in relations between Washington and Jerusalem since Henry > Kissinger demanded a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from Sinai in 1975 > seems exaggerated. > > In 1991, a comparable row over settlements expansion led the White House of > George HW Bush to withhold housing loans guarantees to Israel. Two months > ago, George Mitchell, the US envoy, hinted that similar action could be > taken now. But nothing, at least so far, has happened. > > With his initial demand that the Israelis impose a total freeze on > settlements, Barack Obama forgot the maxim of the great Labour foreign > secretary Ernest Bevin that "the first thing to decide before you walk into > any negotiation is what to do if the other chap says no". Israel said "no," > and the Obama administration backed down. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu > may well be calculating that he can call the administration's bluff again - > for the simple reason that no US President dare ignore domestic political > realities, least of all in an election year. > > AIPAC, the powerful pro-Israel lobbying organisation, has said that the US > statements were a matter of "serious concern," and that Washington should > "take immediate steps to defuse the tension," - in other words that Mr Obama > should back down again. > > In what could be read as a warning as well as a statement of the obvious, it > noted that the Jewish state enjoyed "vast bipartisan support in Congress and > among the American people". Indeed, some even claim that the elder Bush's > no-nonsense treatment of Israel contributed to his defeat by Bill Clinton in > 1992. -- Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante. _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
