Why did Obama fold on confronting Israel?
1. On July 8, Haaretz's Ari Shavit explained how Netanyahu got the upper hand of Obama:
After 18 wasted months during which Obama was the president who exerted pressure, he has become the president who embraces. Obama is embracing the State of Israel and the prime minister of Israel. What happened?
Three things have happened. On one level, Netanyahu waged a struggle. And the statesman who is depicted as susceptible to pressure did not succumb to the American pressure of this past spring. He fought back. The price for what Netanyahu did was felt by Obama in Chicago. The Israeli leader applied hidden pressure to the American leader, which made it perfectly clear to him: No more.
2. Tonight, Haaretz gets a look at Jeffrey Goldberg's forthcoming piece on Israel attacking Iran with or without a green light from the U.S.:
Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser, stressed that "This president has shown again and again that when he believes it is necessary to use force to protect American national security interests, he has done so" - but the Israeli government might need stronger assurances.
Israel is trying to convey the message not only through the official channels - Israeli military intelligence chief Major General Amos Yadlin visited Chicago recently to meet with the billionaire Lester Crown, one of Obama’s [early, crucial, munificent] supporters, and asked to him to convey Israel's concerns to the American President, Goldberg reports.
The connection here was made by Ali Abunimah.
P.S. In January 2008, at an important moment in the Obama run for the Democratic nomination, Lester Crown sent an email to a large number of Jewish voters emphasizing Obama's "stalwart" dedication to Israel and wrote:
"I have been honored to know Barack Obama for years, and I am proud to say that he is unyielding in defending Israel's security," Crown wrote."His conviction holds fast whether the threat comes from Gaza or Tehran.
"He has been a leader in calling for toughening sanctions against Iran as part of a comprehensive diplomatic effort to prevent the development and deployment of Iranian nuclear weapons.
If this turns into WWIII and we have bombs and destruction on this soil, then Lester Crown is a traitor and I hope he’s tried and hanged, like the perps of WWII.
Not only would Lester Brown be considered a traitor but so would President Barack Obama for putting the alleged interests of Israel before those of the U.S. of A., as well as for all the lies about Iran’s nuclear capabilities that he told the public. And not to forget the bigwigs in MSM who would have conveyor-belted Mr. President’s message to us.
Only those who have their heads firmly buried in the sand cannot see where this is going. If you look at my site, this is not bragging folks it is just the facts, check the dates – you will find calls on things way before they occurred. Is this prophecy? Hardly, it is knowing the nature of the beast, something that has not out-rightly been denied here (the nature of the beast), it just has been ignored or some refuse to see the facts. There are some that see far in advance what is taking place, and I want you to remember this post –
HAVE A NICE THIRD WORLD WAR FOLKS (JOHN PILGER)
Is everybody in, is everybody in? I remember, long ago, when “human rights watch” was not code for the paranoid mouthings of the former elementary school teacher, Julius Streicher.
VR, nice site, checked it out yesterday. . .lots of good writing and analysis. Thanks!
VR, maybe a bit less color for the texts against that black background, a bit easier on these old eyes, if I might make a suggestion
There is the paranoid spin that the Hamas/Fatah split is solely or even primarily due to US and Israeli meddling.
But, if you read the posts critical of Fatah, and rarely those critical of Hamas, the only relevant observation is that they are in deep internal (not externally controlled) conflict.
And, if there is no Palestinian unity government, then there is no gradual or swift reconciliation between Israel and Palestine.
And, if there is no gradual or swift reconciliation, then the “dream” of a single state remains possible.
I sincerely wish that Ali Abunimeh would choose whether he is Palestinian or democratic (intentionally parallel to the contention that Israel cannot be Jewish and democratic).
Maybe not meddling, but Israeli/U.S. policies are not facilitating a Palestinian unity government.
Egypt certainly has problems trying to play that role due to their complicity with the Gaza lockdown. Can’t call in/buy a favor from them.
The U.S. refuses to talk to Hamas, so the U.S. WON’T facilitate a unity government. Israel refuses to negotiate with Syria so they lose out on a potential Hamas/Fatah mediator because Israel wants to retain the Golan.
In my opinion, it’s all those little things that add up to a screwed big picture.
“Paranoid spin?”
link to vanityfair.com
I swear, Witty, you’d claim the sky was orange if that made room for your relatives to steal more land in the Middle East.
It’s Witty’s way of avoiding the truth. There was a chance of a unity government working for the Palestinians, but the US destroyed that chance because it wants to dictate who the Palestinians can have for leaders. Witty is fine with this because he can’t see what’s wrong with dictating to Arabs–he’d oppose the US trying to incite a civil war among Israelis because that would be doing harm to real people.
Of course once a civil war starts with outside intervention playing a huge role the bitterness takes on a life of its own. The people who cooperated with the US were traitors to Palestinian democracy, but that’s fine with a colonial racist mentality–it just means there will be long lasting hatred between Fatah and Hamas. Then Witty, who obviously supports what the US did but won’t acknowledge it, can sigh and put all the blame on the people who won the election. Colonialists have always acted this way.
>> Then Witty, who obviously supports what the US did but won’t acknowledge it, can sigh and put all the blame on the people who won the election.
But his use of big words, lots of commas, CAPITAL LETTERS, rhetorical and/or unrelated questions, strange buzzphrases and the occasional inept analogy is intended to convey the sense that his pronouncements are measured, sound and profound. I have a feeling it’s not working very well…
For that matter, why aren’t you talking about Lester Crown and his apparent betrayal of US interests for those of Israel? Little too close to home, Witty?
Paranoid spin? No meddling?
link to vanityfair.com
Mr Witty
You should read more about the machinations orchestrated by Abrams in Bush administration to sabotage and then lay the grounds for the coup in Palestine from which Hams svered its relation with Fatah.
You should also read how US forced Saudi Arab not to persue the reconciliation process between Hamas and Fatah.
In 1977, two colleges in Pennsylvania, wanted to establish a Middle East Studies taking private donations as seed money. Silverman of A Jewish Committee saw red in the opening of ideas and facts on ME to students. She started a canard ( that the money is coming from one who is under FBI monitor , a false assertion )through local Jewish students,local jewish dominated news papers and by passing flyers in cafeteria. Soon ADL and Am Jewish Community Relation Council joined.Very soon james Scheuer, a Jewish congressman joined and he brought a few more voices and forced the university to cancel the programme.Later Silverman bragged about her succeess in eradicating Arab influence in the campus.
Today the same tactics against Iran/Lebanon/Hamas are orchestrated on a bigger scale across US/Canada/EU.
There have been similar events at other universities. I know of a history department in which the local Jewish community got the university to eliminate an endowed chair position in ME studies (!) rather than let the department hire an arab-american scholar to whom the dept had offered the job. The university now has a chair in “Judaic history”.
As soon as I read about pressure from Chicago, this “special report” came to mind:
SPECIAL REPORT from WAYNE MADSEN
Note the reference to “international blackmail potential” in Tom Flocco’s intro paragraph.
In related news, the NYT tacitly admits Obama gave in to pressure from Netanyahu and then says Abbas should hold talks with Netanyahu even though Obama cut the ground from underneath him, because Obama is getting disgusted with Abbas.
You can’t make this stuff up.
link
Please click on the link. It really is on the level of the guy who murdered his parents and asked for mercy on the grounds he is an orphan. There’s this, for instance–
“When Mr. Netanyahu forced Mr. Obama to back down and the Israeli leader implemented a more limited and temporary building halt, Mr. Abbas was left clinging to the maximalist position. ”
Maximalist position. Wow.
Followed by this–
“There are compelling reasons for Mr. Abbas to act, too.
First, Mr. Obama correctly sees a peace deal as a factor in wider regional stability. He invested lots of political capital in a justified but poorly executed attempt to push the Palestinian position by playing hardball with Israel on settlements.
It caused tensions with Mr. Netanyahu and with American Jews. He is pressing hard for direct talks and aides say he is losing patience with Mr. Abbas. It would be foolish for the Palestinian leader to alienate an American president who is committed to playing a more balanced role in negotiations.”
Hey, that’s some commitment to balance Obama is showing. He gives in to Netanyahu and now he’s losing patience with Abbas.
Maybe Witty does part-time work as a NYT editorial writer.
Thanks for the link. It seems like Obama losing patience with Abbas is like misplaced blame or anger in my opinion. Bibi stands his ground using his connections of influence and dramatically weakens Obama. Who do you lash out at? Someone weaker than you – Abbas.
Tough to be an even broker when one of the negotiating parties is actually stronger than you are.
These people can’t even support their own quisling! Even the Arab states are undercutting Abbas on this.
There is only one certainty. The intensity of pressure for these meetings can mean only that the outcome will be disaster for the Palestinians.
This is “Indian treaty” time. You find some chief gullible enough, venal enough, or drunk enough to sign away the rights of his tribe to their lands, and the next thing they know, they’re fenced on a barren reservation. Abbas is the quisling chief but he’s suddenly balking at playing his role as a traitor.
I guess it’s tough to find a good puppet these days…
There is a cliche often used in SE Asia, perfectly applicable to Obama nd to US public. That is about a man who vents his anger at his children and wife after being beaten by street thugs to show how strong he is.
I’m going to be really amused when the NYT is blindsided by Obama losing his election for a second term.
Gee, you’d think with Hillary sharing the ticket, there’d be ‘something for everyone.’
Blame the troglodytic white males, the root of all evil.
For those doubting that war with Iran will happen? This same mechanism can (and will be) used to get us locked up on the war that destroys the future of the United States.
From Ari Shavit’s article: ‘Netanyahu is extracting from Obama … by implication: recognition of Dimona.’
Here is the blind spot in US policy, glaringly apparent to the entire Islamic world. What basis other than blind ethnocentrism can justify Israel having unacknowledged, uninspected nuclear weapons, while Iran (under constant threat of Israeli attack) is precluded from pursuing them?
By any objective (i.e. non-zionist) analysis, the US national interest in keeping middle eastern oil flowing smoothly to the OECD nations is threatened more by Israel (with its ‘longer than yo’ arm’ rap sheet of military clashes) than any other nation.
We’ve come a long way from 1956, when Eisenhower peremptorily told Israel to back off during the Suez crisis. Now, with US foreign policy hopelessly coöpted by Jewish billionaires, Israel is in the driver’s seat to destabilize the entire region in pursuing its demented zionist dream of ‘a land without [Arab] people for a people without land.’
The foolish hubris of preëmptively awarding a Nobel Prize to an obscure, mercenary ward healer from Chicago practically guarantees that C-of-C O’Bomber will be the author of a massacre. Hell, he already is — all hail the King of the Drones! [I'm talkin' about them robot airplanes, mind you, not the monomaniacal Israel lobby. ;-) ]
Donald you miss the point. Abbas is the one who refuses to negotiate, not Netanyahu.
Why? cause having a conflict is a goldmine for the Palestinians.
Abbas receives more aid from the U.N countries then anyone else including Sudan and the Congo where millions of people have been killed.
Abbas wants a conflict cause he knows he will never have to take responsibility if he doesn’t have a state.
This is why he refused to talk to Olmert for 6 months after Olmerts offer.
Abbas also knows the power of the oil lobby. BP got the PA 103 mass murderer freed from Scotland.
Its very similar to the Arab lobby pressuring England to give out a white paper barring all Jewish immigration in 39.
Taking advantage of conflict works both ways. When the beggers enter my synagogue on high holidays looking for us to buy Israeli bonds, they bring up the conflict. Israel receiving 3 billion a year in aid plus arms is a pretty nice benefit from conflict. Israel even gets to have universal health care due to the opportunity costs of the aid – due to conflict.
As far as lobbies, AIPAC does a pretty good job keeping the conflict goldmine going for Israel.
Seems like a win-win situation at our expense.
You talk about “the Arabs” the same way Germans used to talk about “the Jews.”
Irony abounds.
MarkF, Barak and Olmert tried to end the conflict.
That is the fact.
Bullshit.
We read coteret.com around here.
Ken,
Olmert presented a plan using strong-arm tactics that in my opinion, were pretty unfair, and we can debate whose fault it was over the collapse in 2000.
The toughest thing to do when you are emotionally tied to one side is to look at the other and ask yourself, would I take this deal if I were in his/her shoes? Israel also decided to ignore the Arab peace initiative back in 2002, and they had their reasons citing Auschwitz borders, etc. But as you argue that Abbas didn’t respond or counter-offer, Israel didn’t in 2002.
We’ll see what happens in the next few months. It looks like the Arab League is pushing Abbas to talk with Bibi.
You can’t exactly end a conflict with bombs and automatic gunfire.