The great Gideon Levy, in Haaretz, expresses the same impatience with Obama’s incrementalism that we are beginning to hear in the American Jewish peace camp:
He came into office amid much hoopla. The Cairo speech ignited half the globe. Making settlements the top priority gave rise to the hope that, finally, a statesman is sitting in the White House who understands that the root of all evil is the occupation, and that the root of the occupation’s evil is the settlements. From Cairo, it seemed possible to take off. The sky was the limit.
Then the administration fell into the trap set by Israel and is showing no signs of recovery. A settlement freeze, something that should have been understood by a prime minister who speaks with such bluster about two states – a peripheral matter that Israel committed to in the road map – has suddenly turned into a central issue. Special envoy George Mitchell is wasting his time and prestige with petty haggling. A half-year freeze or a full year? What about the 2,500 apartment units already under construction? And what about natural growth? And kindergartens?
Perhaps they will reach a compromise and agree on nine months, not including natural growth though allowing completion of apartments already under construction. A grand accomplishment.
Jerusalem has imposed its will on Washington. Once again we are at the starting point – dealing with trifles from which it is impossible to make the big leap over the great divide.
“Then the administration fell into the trap set by Israel and is showing no signs of recovery. ”
I beg your pardon, no one fell into a trap – it is business as usual
Netanyahu saw weakness and struck. Successfully. The weakling backed off.
Its a GO game that Israel will lose.
Its a fear, not a reality, that the US has yeilded on settlements.
Even the degree of public scrutiny on the settlements now, is a different beast than has existed for a long time.
For Netanyahu, its an internal political decision. He cannot be seen as passive to the US. He has to present Israeli foreign policy as independant.
But, the test is on the table. The veracity of Israel’s statements that they intend peace is laid down. This is that much of a naked tipping issue.
The issue will not go away.
The logic employed by Israel now is that Israel must expand the settlements in East Jerusalem to integrate the Maale Adumin settlements, so they are not isolated.
But, it is the logic of a nation at war constantly having to defend its flank. Every position has an exposed flank, so additional territory is then required.
That is a different argument than the intentional annexation argument, but the defense of flank argument is used routinely by those that quietly harbor the intention to annex.
Similar to the notion that criticism of Israel is undertaken by those that simply criticize Israeli policies, and those that “secretly” desire to demean or marginalize Jews.
Two hidden agendas.
Again Richard,
You are far to obvious. The Israelis are playing a waiting game and stonewalling until election time comes around and Obama is powerless again. US Presidents only really have 2 years of their term to achieve what they have to achieve and pretty soon, the mid-terms will be upon us.
As for Annexation vs war argument, it’s a chicken and the egg thing. Israel uses the argumnent that it is at war to annex land, which in turn has to be defended etc etc.
Here is a news flash Richard, I am tired of Israel and its actions demeaning Jews everywhere in public – never mind a criticism of Israel that might have private motivations (that is like the arguments for preemptive war, it is always what the might, could or possibly do as we off defenseless citizens, old and indigent people and children!). I am sick and tired of people telling me that this is the heritage and calling it for what it is makes you some sort of self-hating person or whatever. I hope you understand this, but if you do not that is fine also – you can wake up when we kick every ass out of influential organizations and cut others of this sentiment off from the halls of power.
Second, if you do not mind, I would appreciate you not insulting my intelligence with these fatuous arguments (defending the flank nonsense). This is not a damn game of checkers or football, this is reality and peoples lives we are talking about – even if you do not value Palestinian lives as much as Israelis (where your arguments ALWAYS go in the end).
Its silly for you guys to confuse an assessment with an advocacy. You do that so damn often.
“I’m tired of Israel” is really the important line in your post. I hear it. I’m tired of the expansion as well, but I don’t assume that it will disappear by magic or by force, ONLY by persuasion (including incidental minor coercion, say insisting that settlement expansion cease).
“Defending the flank” is a criticism of Israeli strategy, or didn’t you get that? That is that that logic that requires expansion. Some are overt in declaring a desire for annexation. Many, as you say, take advantage of the argument of defense, to really enact an annexation.
An alternative logic that results in reconciliation is THE logic that will succeed in realizing peace along the lines of the Geneva Accords.
Also, Israel has elections more frequently than the US. Especially with a government formed by a thin majority that can change.
The idea that Netanyahu can wait Obama out may be his logic, but it will fail.
Your suggestion that Netanyahu being Prime Minster has any relevance to Israel’s hostility towards Obama’s attempts to resolve this conflict is based on a failure of logic.
The length between Isreli elections is not the point. The fact is that Obama is the first leader since Clinton that has even addressed the Isrealis/Palkestine conflict, whereas no Israeli leader since Batak has made any offort to turnt he peace plan into a reality.
The Israelis won’t be voting for Labor any time soon, so the leadership of Israel will remain right wing for a good deal longer than Obama’s terms.
So long as the spectre of actual or possible terror is in Israeli’s faces, only a minority will vote for real reconciliation.
I am confident that Israelis’ attitudes are conditional, so that if the conditions suggest that a peace is more secure than a war, the expansionists (whether religious, neo-religious, or nationalist) will fail.
So, to my mind, that is the work, to convey in fact (to be in fact), that peace results in peace. Its work that real leaders in US, Jordan, Palestine are successfully conducting (eliminating the rational obstacles to reconciliation).
Advocates of boycott, AREN’T doing that work. They are hindering that work.
For every argument against reconciliation successfully dashed, the left and angry left-right (western and Palestinian), convey a new threat that justifies Israeli paranoia.
To call a boycott “accountability” is adolescent (sorry to use that term). A boycott is a tactic, a choice of what force to use for one’s ends. It is an attempt to accomplish some goal.
So, in looking at the marriage of means and ends, if the goal is impossible to realize by a punitive means, then the means are cruel and idiotic. If a righteous goal were possible in fact, if a convincing use of some external coercion were possible to muster, then it might be useful and appropriate.
I don’t see it. I see confusion and a desire to punish more than to heal.
The spectre of actual or possible terror is engrained in Israel’s psyche, and will remain there in spite of reality, hence you can foget a vote for real reconciliation. Israeli governments have all realized that power comes from maintaining fear among the population.
Israelis’ attitudes are conditional in so far as they support peace on their terms. What Israel wants in security, but having stonewalled on every peace deal, it is clear that Israel is not prepared to pay the price for peace. Until Israel are forces to reali that there are costs involved, they have no reson to change the status quo.
Boycotts have worked in South Africa and they will work with Israel.
Your opposition to a boycott is motiovated by your advocacy of Israel, not whether it will work, so let’s dispel the patronising suggestion that “accountability” is adolescent. Israel hasbeen using an extreme versino of a boycott (be it a tactic or otherwise) against Gaza and continues to do so becasue they perceive the tactic to be successful. Israel sees it as an attempt to accomplish some goal, so it makes perfect sense that it should be used against Israel.
The ends are obvious, achievable and the punitive means fundamentally necessary to convey the message to a beligenerat society. Israel has used these e cruel and idiotic means against Gaza, and you seem quite happy to continue suporting those.
How is the goal fo forcing Israle to stop bulding settlements not righteous? It is mroe than righteous, it is fudamental to the realisation fo a 2 state settlement and thus it is absolutely appropriate.
You don;t see it becasue you are refusing to see it, and you are refusing to see it becasue you are an Isreli propagancist posing as someone who believes in an equitable settlement, whereas in reality, we know you are not the least bit interested in this outcome.
I don’t see it. I see confusion and a desire to punish more than to heal.
If Israel freezes settlements then the Palestinians will accept the Israel’s peace offers? The Palestinians rejected peace at Taba and recently with Olmert because they can’t accept a Jewish State. The 2 state solution the Palestinians want is a Palestinian State and with 5 million Arabs “returning” to Israel another Palestinian State. The settlements is a phony issue. When the Palestinians finally realize they can’t go back to 1948 and at most a few thousand Palestinians will return to Israel, there will be a peace settlement.
Sigh. I get tired of correcting this bit of hasbara, but it continues to crop up again and againand again despite the fact that it is a well-known lie. Everyone on both sides of the negotiations (Israeli and Palestinian) admit that it was Israeli Prime Minister Barak that ended the negotiations at Taba when according to both sides they were very close to an agreement. Barak himself as much as admitted that he was not interested in a settlement at Taba.
As for the “settlements not being an issue”, if you really believe that garbage, ask yourself if, were the tables turned, if you would consider it an issue if Palestinians were expropriating Jewish owned lands in Israel and engaging in massive limitations on Jewish freedom of movement ostensibly to “protect” those Palestinian settlements? Of course you would. You object to any but a few thousand Palestinians returning to the land from which they were expelled, because you fear it would take land and freedom away from Jews. But you don’t seem to think that 40 years of taking land and freedom away from Palestinians is anything but a “phony issue”. You’ve got a glaring bias and a bigoted double standard thats obvious for anyone but yourself to see.
Indeed Tree, Julian’s propaganda is indeed tired and old, but at least he knows that Taba took place. Most Isrealis propagandists insist that everything ended at Camp David.
Just for the record Julian, at Taba, both leaders declard that they were on the verge of a breakthrough and would have reached an agreement and would have been able to do so in a few more days, they said in their final press conference.
But the negotiations were cancelled prematurely by Ehud Barak, because of the impending Israeli elections, which he lost to Sharon.
Thanks to Dov Wiesglass, we know that Sharon’s policy was to “suspend the peace process in formaldehyde”.
It’s time to upgrade your talking points Julian.
“It’s time to upgrade your talking points Julian.”
I agree with your post, Shingo, but talking points aren’t necessarily meant to be true. With some people, they’re more about establishing a narrative and if you repeat the same talking points over and over and over again, along with many others for many years, they become “true”. Similarly when certain facts are consistently ignored. At another blog someone claimed Israel had no partner for peace because of the fighting between Hamas and Fatah and I actually forgot for a moment that the US encouraged Fatah members like Dahlan to act against Hamas with force–we fomented that civil war. The Palestinians themselves right after the elections that Hamas won were trying to establish a unity government and the US didn’t want that.
So talking points work–I was startled to see them work even in myself, to the extent that I forgot the US role in stirring up the Palestinian divide. Perfectly understandable, since it is almost never talked about here and because it’s become a talking point to put all the blame on Palestinians for their own divisions.
Julian,
The settlements are THE issue. They are the indicator of Israel’s intent. There is no valid necessity to expand the settlements. They are being done now to assert Israel’s independence from US foreign policy and to stick it to the PA.
Soon actually, with the linking of East Jerusalem settlements with Maale Adumin, a fact on the ground will exist that cannot be turned back. And, that will result in the commitment of Israel to annex and to war.
They are THAT consequential.
The Palestinians have ALREADY acknowledged that the right of return will get applied more as a principle, an exercise, rather than en-masse.
Donald ,
Just out of curiosity, what blog were you referring to where is was claimed that Israel had no partner for peace?
I don’t doubt for a moment that fear and paranoia are a huge factor in the actions of Israel. There is no cure for that. The settlements are only a sort of “canary in the coal mine” and therefore merely indicative of Israel’s intentions. I doubt that it’s intentions are to self destruct or at the very least make living there very burdensome but it seems to be moving in that direction . It seems likely that Israel will reach the level of importance of a state like Kuwait or Oman where it rightfully belongs.
Of course there is a cure for fear and paranoia. That is respectful analysis. Criticism that is actually criticism, rather than opportunism.
Witty, are you telling me that the Jews are going to get over guilt and paranoia? Please, spare me.
Not everyone will get over fear, but a majority will, if the conditions allow it, and if persuasive individuals present it.
Israel is a machine that has oinly known existence under fear and militarism. It knows no other way, so so suggest that this psychosis will chaneg any time soon is naive.
To me its very hard to believe that Israel’s intentions aren’t to play for keeps. Less that 5 years ago I’d still have bought into the ‘flank’ or ‘bargaining chips’ theories. No more. Sorry, Witty.
Most Israelis don’t believe in annexation or expansion of settlements for their own sake. They believe that Jews should have a right to live in the areas that they have sentimental attachment (but that could be under Palestinian sovereignty as Palestinian citizens), and/or they believe that the expansion in East Jerusalem is necessary to integrate the Maale Adumin settlement bloc (protecting the flank), which will then expose some other flank requiring additional annexation.
That argument is also presented to and by neo-conservatives.
If you want to dash their appeal, you have to know and describe their argument as unnecessary.
How do you know that most Israelis don’t believe in annexation or expansion of settlements Richard? If what you said was true, then why is Obama’s popularity in Israel so low?
Obama’s popularity is low because his involvment is perceived as interloping.
That, and the fear that he will motivated more by idealism than practicality, and will leave Israelis exposed to terror assaults.
Its answerable. His policies are truly to NOT leave Israel vulnerable, but to find an intersection of Israeli and Palestinian needs.
He would be interloping, if his country weren’t giving Israel tens of billions in aid and fighting Israel’s wars for it. Strange sense of gratitude the Zionists have.
Obama’s popularity is low because the Isreli public have become accustomed to being given a green light and never being told no.
Interloping? Are you for real? Does the US run the most poweful lobby in Tel Aviv? No, they just write the cheques. Israel needs a serious reality check.
Obama has pandered and bowed to the Israeli lobby and they were only too happy to hear Obama suggest that Jerusalem become the undivided captial of Israel. They didn;t seem to mind his interloping on that occasion.
Yes, on a number of issues, healthcare, iraq, iran, afghanistan, the economy, israel, renditions, signing statements, etc., etc., it appears that Obama is “different talk, same walk” as his predecessors.
While I am old enough at 58 to not be surprised whatsoever at the perfidy of the democratic party on most progressive issues, I find Obama’s actions/inactions doubly disheartening. At the beginning of his term, he had popular support for real change in this nation’s direction. He squandered that–or more realistically, he never actually desired it.
Obama is President, but that is still far from being Omnipotent, and he has many powerful interests against him on all the issues you mentioned. With that considered, surely we should give the man at least a bit more time before branding him a fraud.
Not a fraud, a failure.
There is plenty that a US president can do, with or without the consent of the representatives from AIPAC. All it takes is the will, which Obama totally lacks.
Suggesting he doesn’t have the will he claims is calling him a fraud, and doing so this soon is branding the man before he has had a reasonable opportunity to prove himself. Yes, he has far more tools at his disposal than he has thus far employed, but the powers that be still have their own means to cut him down before he could accomplish anything of long term consequence. As I explained previously bellow; doing anything decisive against the powers that be requires the support of the masses. That holds true for anyone, even our President.
Ok, I won’t brand Obama a fraud at this early datei, but ———-I will brand him as an individual too beholden to his financiers.
For me, there are only two ways to look at it:
1. When sworn in, Obama had the nation behind him—in terms of specifics, he has been willing to support any healthcorm reorm that guarantees profit to the industry He is not a leader.
2. Obama has never been a progressive democrat, and his public statements reflect that.
Of course Israel is set on robbing Palestinians of yet more land, they’ve already got the freeze discussion down to haggling over a time span. Put simply, Israel is only willing discuss taking some short break from colonizing Palestine, but they have no interest in stopping any time soon. Obama isn’t rightly trapped by any of this though, he could well be simply letting Israel dig their own hole before making his move.
After the US has just signed off on another $3+ billion in military aid to Israel, you can’t seriously call any of Mitchell’s discussions there ‘negotiations,’ not if Netanyahu is already holding the only real carrot in the game.
Also, it’s hard to see Obama as falling into a ‘trap’ when 50+ members of Congress just spent a portion of their August recess in Tel Aviv. I’m not a wordsmith, but I’d call that fatalism.
Correction: Israel gets $2.77 billion/year in addition to the $30 billion in military aid over 10 years.
Correction: Israel gets $2.77 billion/year in addition to the $30 billion in military aid over 10 years and in addition to loan guarantees (ie. loans Israel doesn’t bother to repay).
Obama was probably threatened. Years ago I met a retired intel guy from one of the unnameable alphabets that no one knows about and who had signed non-disclosure agreements with what he called ‘every agency known to man’ through the year 3,000 (to prevent his descendants from writing books.) He told me about being in the Oval Office when “one of the people who really run the government came in and gave marching orders to the President.” He wouldnt identify the person other than to say the man was from NYC (who knows if that was true.) He said what bothered him was how meek the President was in the presence of this man and his genuine fear of him.
I said, “Why didn’t the president tell him to go to hell or get the Secret Service in to arrest him? Doesn’t make sense.” This guy called me naïve, and said that only two presidents tried it: Kennedy and Reagan. Both got shot. Kennedy put his brother in as Attorney General to help protect him. Reagan came within a mm. of total paralysis or death and it took him two years before he could get out of bed for an entire day; he acted for the benefit of the markets. In the meantime, this other faction took over Reagan’s government anyway.
I asked many questions. He wouldn’t answer them. But he said one thing I’ve never ever ever forgotten: every President gets a visit wherein he gets this explained to him right after he gets into office, and the threat is always what’s most dear to him or his deepest secret revealed.
The circumstances of this conversation were too outrageous for this to have been a set-up, but I dont have time to describe them, nor the inclination.
Was this the same man who shows each new president since Kennedy the high resolution photograph of the man with a rifle on the grassy knoll? I’ve been hearing that one for awhile.
I don’t recall hearing the JFK photo story before, but I have long figured that as long as our President doesn’t want to be run out of office or worse, the conquest of Palestine will have to already be on it’s deathbed before he can take a strike at it.
And just to preempt any one’s imagination, I’m not suggesting any grand Protocols-like conspiracy. Zionists, Jews or otherwise, are just the visible face of this, much as Jews were the visible face of the Church’s lending industry in the Middle Ages. And no, I’m not suggesting any grand Da Vinci Code-like conspiracy either, just presenting a corollary example. The powers that be are a few who hold no regard for anything but theirselves, and in their eyes the rest of us are nothing but rivals and minions.
I am with kylbisme on this one. Obama must proceed carefully on this. So far he is doing the right thing. As much as I respect Gideon Levy, I think he is being a little impatient on this. The word has been delivered to Netanyahu and he has to figure out how to move his government in the right direction. Maybe when Lieberman gets indicted, the ultra right in his government will be distracted for enough time for something to happen.
Much of the settlement growth has happened during so-called leftish leadership in Israel. The problem is not the right. There is no real significant left in Israeli politics, in terms of concern for the human rights of all. There is simply sophisticated and polished racism and ethnic cleansing and cruder but more honest racism and ethnic cleansing. Unless Obama puts some teeth behind his words nothing will change. The US official policy has always been that the settlements, all settlements, in the OPT are illegal. Restating policy that hasn’t been enforced for 40 years does nothing, since the stated policy has been openly and successful flaunted for decades. Words won’t change that.
I agree that all Israeli governments have supported the colonialization of the West Bank. They have also all received tacit support from the US in doing so. This time something has changed. Neither right or left governments can ignore the US. What is different today is that the lobby is weakened, they pushed hard for war in Iraq and now that that has turned into an obvious debacle, their influence has been reduced. Just how reduced is the question.
At least public opinion is changing. Young university-educated people no longer see Jews as the world’s biggest victims. It’s a beginning.
Exactly, and that is the best a President can in such situations, gently nudge such change along. Only once popular opinion reaches critical mass can even attempt to do anything decisive against the powers that be without them stopping him in his tracks with whatever means it takes.
I seriously recommend that those making the argument that Obama will be stopped or offed by certain powers really ask yourselves question – do you want a government that works this way? I did not say that I disagree with you, I am asking what do you want to do about it?
It is ultimately the ignorance in our society that which allows individuals to manipulate our governments to their ends. All governments throughout history have worked this way to some extent or another, and historically we are are doing reasonable well, though obviously we could stand to do a lot better. If there were an easy fix, I assure you I would have shouted it from the rooftops long ago, but the best I can give you is that promoting understanding is the key. Well, that, and this is great advice too.
Trap may not be the right word…has everyone had chips inplanted in them to force co
operation or intimidated by threat to family etc..or hold a gun to his head?
He is just as all politicians either tow the line cause they have no real integrity / sell out for cash / or maybe in a pickle that requires that “extra touch” of influence and funding..like the new settlements or expantion of. Majority of Americans are too stupid to revolt and protest and the others tow the line while religous fanatics do what they do…either way Obama is not pulling the strings and there probably has never been which is a long time and kissinger would be a prime and cheeney, bush but whom is controlling them? whom is Dr. Strangelove and whom are his associates. That is the
46 million dollar question watson..
I can not see any connection between me and any occupier and I do believe that somehoe the laws should be enforced to jail the perps to any and all deeds regardless of them being here or there. I think a change of players in the political field is needed to bring in fresh blood with no ties to these groups that have not tried internationally to get the proper publicity on a news at the right time of day to show the world on a daily basis. The commonality of the pandemics and the people dropping of cancer whom opose them is stagering and if they hold and use the usa as a base of supply and check writing that is enough to do the terrible things which are internationally known as genocide by definition and if the players have not been exposed and brought into the public eye everyday this type of site is absolutly useless for anything other than
the encylopidia of how the occupation has done it…..now give it some life and bring it the media start a CABLE show