Noam Sheizaf has an important piece up at +972 showing what Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu really thinks of President Obama. Netanyahu recently met with Likud supporters, and mocked Washington’s demands:
Responding to a question from the audience, Netanyahu said: “I was threatened in Washington: ‘not one brick’ [of settlement construction] … after five years, we built a little more than one brick…”
Asked “about peace talks with the Palestinians,” Netanyahu reportedly replied, “about the – what?” to which the audience responded by breaking out into laughter.
Sheizaf headlines his story “Peace talks? What peace talks?” and says the Netanyahu quotes were posted by a Likud supporter in Hebrew. He supplied this translation:
When I entered the Prime Minister’s Office for my second term, I was summoned to Washington. “Not one brick,” they told me (referring to settlement construction in Judea, Samaria and East Jerusalem). I was threatened specifically: “Not one brick.” The pressure from the international community and the Americans was enormous. I don’t think anyone in Israel was under such pressure. And still, after five years on the job, we built a little more than “one brick.” But the important thing is to do it in a smart way, in a quiet way, without inflammatory statements.
Sheizaf adds: “Netanyahu then went on to speak about how important U.S. support is, and how well his speeches were received by the U.S. congress.”
The attitude reminds us of that moment when Netanyahu explained that the US is something that can be “easily moved.”
A loathsome, dishonest, arrogant settler. Yeuch. When will the US citizenry wake up to the way they are slimed?
The only way for Netanyahu to suffer consequences for this contempt of the US is for reporting such as this to get wider play. Journalists and editors who conceal this contempt are complicit in the manipulation of the American people by and for the benefit of the Israeli right wing, a state of affairs that is deserving of infamy, yet is chuckled about by the Likudniks, with impunity.
Not to worry, Dick and Jane remain totally ignorant, going about their consumer jobs, if they have one. Everybody in my extended family remain totally ignorant. Nothing to worry about.
Trying to understand the point of this post. Are you attempting to show how one dimensional was the White House’s 2009 understanding of realities in the Middle East? Trying to illustrate how Pres. Obama from the outset misunderstood the amount of leverage he had over other foreign leaders (take note, Pres. Putin)? Or illustrating how shallow is this administration’s understanding of how Israel’s internal politics shape it’s approach to foreign-policy?
The Palestinians have the power to change Israel’s internal politics, but they have chosen not to do that. Israeli voters also have the ability to change the shape of Israel’s internal politics, but they appear to be quite comfortable with the way things are.
Given the absence of any meaningful external or internal pressure, it would be nonsensical for the prime minister of Israel to take orders from this or any other President.
Well, when speaks/thinks this way and his audience finds it hilarious they are not only demeaning our government, but also every single American.
Cut ALL $$$, end the forever veto, put them in the biggest time-out of any state on this earth. Criminal beyond compare– and we must be the stupidest nation on earth to let it get this far.
And yes, to the hasbara crowd. I AM singling out Israel/Zionists, because it deserves it! We’ve given and given to you– for what? To what end? Why?