As erupting violence in Jerusalem suggests a third intifada may soon take hold, the CENTCOM commander Gen David Petraeus, testifying before the US Senate Armed Services Committee today, gave a grave warning about the wider impact of a conflict that has been the epicenter of Middle East hostilities ever since the creation of Israel.
In issuing his warning, Petraeus — arguably the most influential even if not the highest ranking member of the US military — was reiterating a statement he made almost a year ago. The only difference between what he said in April 2009 and what he said today, was that he now acknowledges al Qaeda is being strengthened by the conflict.
Gen’l Petraeus’s testimony to Congress this morning:
eThese factors can serve as root causes of instability or as obstacles to security.
Insufficient progress toward a comprehensive Middle East peace. The enduring hostilities between Israel and some of its neighbors present distinct challenges to our ability to advance our interests in the AOR [Area of Responsibility of Cntcom] Israeli-Palestinian tensions often flare into violence and large-scale armed confrontations. The conflict foments anti-American sentiment, due to a perception of U.S. favoritism for Israel. Arab anger over the Palestinian question limits the strength and depth of U.S. partnerships with governments and peoples in the AOR and weakens the legitimacy of moderate regimes in the Arab world. Meanwhile, al-Qaeda and other militant groups exploit that anger to mobilize support. The conflict also gives Iran influence in the Arab world through its clients, Lebanese Hizballah and Hamas.
If such a statement was being made outside the American political arena, it could be regarded as a rather bland expression of what has long been utterly obvious. Yet from the lips of a celebrated general, regarded by many as a potential future president, these words come as a bombshell.
Neoconservatives and the Israel lobby have worked hard and long to obscure the deeply corrosive regional impact of a conflict that successive Israeli leaders have either been unwilling or seemingly incapable of resolving. Others, who earlier said what Petraeus now says, have either been dismissed as poorly informed or worse, branded as anti-Israeli or by insinuation, anti-Semitic.
No such charge will stick to Petraeus. Indeed, if the Israel lobby was so foolhardy as to try and go after an American general who sometimes gets treated like a latterday Eisenhower, the lobby will be at dire risk of being visited by its own greatest fear: being branded as anti-American.
This is a cross-post from Woodward’s site, War in Context.
Petraeus has been interviewed all morning, intermittently, on CSPAN. At the point in the
Q & A where Petraeus started delving into the I-P situation, starting to detail how that conflict affects everything his command is trying to accomoplish, CSPAN cut off to give
us an hour or so of absolutely banal coverage of other things going on today in congress–
then, later, CSPAN came back to the committee grilling Petraeus, after he ended his
opinion detailing how the I-P conflict affects his command’s objectives even though it is not part of his command’s jurisdiction.
Here’s more from Petraeus’s prepared written transcript today in addition to what Phil has displayed:
” A credible U.S.
effort on Arab-Israeli issues that provides regional governments and populations a way to
achieve a comprehensive settlement of the disputes would undercut Iran’s policy of
militant “resistance,” which the Iranian regime and insurgent groups have been free to
exploit.”
____________
“The Levant and Egypt sub-region is the traditional political, social, and intellectual
heart of the Arab world and is vital to security and stability in the CENTCOM AOR.
Because of its history as a primary battleground between rival ideologies, the dynamics
of this sub-region, particularly with regard to Israel, influence the internal and external
politics of states outside the region as well. In addition, U.S. policy and actions in the
Levant affect the strength of our relationships with partners in the AOR. As such,
progress toward resolving the political disputes in the Levant, particularly the Arab-
Israeli conflict, is a major concern for CENTCOM.”
______________
“In recent years, however, the Egyptian government has had to deal
with serious economic challenges and an internal militant Islamist threat; as such, U.S.
foreign aid has been a critical reinforcement to the Egyptian government. At the same
time, concern over the possibility of the spillover of instability in Gaza has led Egypt to
play a pivotal role in international efforts to address the situation there, to improve border
security, and to interdict illicit arms shipments to Palestinian militants.”
So what needed?
A credible U.S.
effort on Arab-Israeli issue.
Progress toward resolving the political disputes in the Levant, particularly the Arab-
Israeli conflict, is a major concern for CENTCOM.
Stabilization of Gaza.
Why?
The I-P conflict foments anti-American sentiment, due to a perception of U.S. favoritism for Israel.
Duh.
Even the self-declared non-Jewish Zionist Beiden has now conceded in public that What Israel does to Palestinians places our troops are in jeopardy, and is not in the best economic and strategic interests of the US or reaching peace in the Middle East.
Here’s McCain asking Petraeus loaded questions, beginning “Isn’t it true that… (fill in standard hasbara talking points, begining with asking Petraeus to affirm, e.g. that
“Israel views the settlements at issue as “within Israel when the peace process settlement
is done.” And, “Isn’t the real issue the existence of Israel?” Bla, bla Israel to be wiped off the map, etc. Petraeus barely gets to respond the I-P conflict is not in CENTCOM jurisdiction when this line of questioning by McCain is cut off by CSPAN to go cover
the morning’s gavel opening of the US House. About a half hour later CSPAN returns
to cover the on-going Q & A of Petraeus, which is then on another subject. The CSPAN
coverage audio only gives you the inital McCain Q & A on the I-P relevance to CENTCOM’s mission–it does not include the whole Q & A, just as the CSPAN TV
showing did not:
Anyway, you will get a kick out just what the McCain hasbara toad sounds like–and a dose of what our top military leaders must have to contend with whenever Israel
becomes the subject of US interests, our most vital interests:
link to wwww.c-spanvideo.org
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Why, it’s just amazing all the things Petreaus figured out once Bush was out of office, and that dusky Obama got in there.
BTW, almost anyone I have talked to here in Warshington think Petreaus wants to bring US troops to Israel to defend Israel from the Palestinians!
Of course, the American invasions (and years long occupations) of Iraq and Afghanistan are just making the Arabs in the “Levant” feel wonderful.
Petreaus is full of crap.
And yeah, oh boy, let’s give it to CENTCOM, considering how well they have done elsewhere, and considering how completely impervious our military is to Israeli influence. And if there is one thing our CENTCOM Generals know about, it’s keeping things peaceful, and with Israeli help, how could anything go wrong?
If we are looking to Petreaus for a cause for optimism on the I-P issue we are pretty damned desperate. He won’t be any help.
O BTW, is Petreaus implying that the involvement of CENTCOM will be seen as anything but an escalation of American help to Israel?
“The Levant and Egypt sub-region is the traditional political, social, and intellectual
heart of the Arab world…/…Israeli conflict, is a major concern for CENTCOM.”
Want a translation? Here it is: ‘Give me just half a chance, and I can start a major war there!”
ROTFL! We have finally found the Palestinian Gandhi, and it’s David Petreaus! Who knew?
Dear Phil,
I might be cynical, and maybe because it was of Obama’s refusal to speak out on Gaza, or perhaps his expansion of the afghan war…or his reneging on bringing the troops home…or his abandonment of universal healthcare…or…the list keeps growing…but doesn’t this recent ‘spat’ sound just a little contrived to you?…if anything it reminds me of James Baker in the first Gulf war, coming down alledgedly ‘hard’ on Israel over the settlements…or GB II and ‘the need to have a palestinian state in 4 years’. That was in 2004. In both cases, progress on IP was used to justify another war, somewhere else. I think everyone should be careful about delinking what is going on now with this administrations increasing belligerance on Iran.
link to heraldscotland.com
Yep, that was a disturbing article. But it’s in line with Petraeus’ ‘thugocracy’ quote from CNN and it smells like the run up to Iraq.
At best, Petraeus is a Powell-like pitchman –the reasonable warmonger. In the nightmare scenario, he’s going to Return from the Front to Save the Republic.
I wish I knew what to make of this, actually. On the one hands, when you strip the obligatory DC fnords out of his speech, Petraeus seems as though he’s speaking from a genuine understanding of the region.
On the other? Well, I trusted Obama. Trust didn’t come easily even before him. Just because Petraeus gives good speeches doesn’t mean his actions will be anywhere in line with that.
I’m not really sure what Petraeus has done that make him anything special. The Iraq surge worked? Yeah, that’s what happens when you stop pummeling the out party
and start bribing them with oodles of cash. Not very original. Can’t really use
Shrub Jr’s prior strategy (just keep kicking the s*** out of them). Wonder if
he ever read General Smedley’s book when he was making those good military academic grades. I like slowereastside’s model, Powell. Maybe Petraeus will get
a chance to stand up in congress too and tell the American people a pack of lies to justify his master’s bad decisions.
This Petreaus testimony is probably the biggest political story of the year. Our local cynics do not seem to see it significance but this is a major development. But you are not only ones to miss its importance. Huff Post headlines his testimony with ” It is time for gays to serve openly in the military” and the NYT has yet to mention the story at all.
It’s not that cynics (like me, and to be fair I can only speak for myself) do not see it as significant, it’s just that we’re not sure we should find it encouraging.
Although I have to admit, I stumbled upon that headline at HuffPo while I was trying to find a link to an article I recalled from there, for another post, and it gave me some food for thought.
I completely agree with you, Syvanen. This IS the biggest political story this year. Although, I should say that there was a Petraeus headline before the gay one that addressed the ME. Just can’t remember what it was. HuffPo is not liking this story. Hillary Rosen is the political editor of HP and she seems to be burying these stories faster than her team can keep up. The 21″ man has been on HuffPo longer than Hillary pique with Netanyahu.
Are we surprised? I’m not. I avoid Huffington Post because of that very visible, definite shift toward its Zionist investor base. It’s not like you can’t get actual news from first hand sources, not to mention progressive commentary that isn’t filtered. Their comments section on any article with “Palestine” or “Israel” is still a playground for a select group of the “chosen,” I see.
That’s my take too, MRW.
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the israeli lobby is afraid of being perceived as anti-american?
… and here I thought, all this time, that they were proudly conveying that stance
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