The belief that the US and Israel share common values seems to be unraveling in the wake of Avigdor Lieberman's success in the recent Israeli elections. Two days after former US ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer admitted it would be difficult for the US to support an Israeli government that included an openly racist party, the Forward reported:
Administration officials have so far avoided commenting on
Lieberman’s electoral success and on his prospects of becoming a senior
member in Israel’s next government. In a February 12 speech, Deputy
Secretary of State James Steinberg dismissed the issue as
“hypothetical.”But former State Department official
Jon Alterman believes that the impact of the Lieberman phenomena will
be seen in the long run. “There is a fundamental assumption that
Israelis are basically like Americans in their belief in democracy and
in the rule of law,” said Alterman, who heads the Middle East program
at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “When this
assumption is undermined, it can hurt the sense of communality that
binds the two nations.”
In related news, Lieberman has publicly supported Benjamin Netanyahu for Prime Minister, clearing the way for a far-right ruling coalition in Israel. Soon, the situation the Obama administration seems wary to take on may no longer be "hypothetical." (Adam Horowitz)
