Wow, I think this is actually going to do it: Americans are finally going to talk openly about Israel policy and the Israel lobby. Because Rick Perry has an op-ed in JPost, slamming Obama on Israel. And the Hill has made an issue of it, too. Perry:
Unfortunate errors by the Obama administration have encouraged the Palestinians to take steps backward away from peace. It was a mistake to inject an Israeli construction freeze, including in Jerusalem, as an unprecedented precondition for talks. Indeed, the Palestinian leadership had been negotiating with Israel for years, notwithstanding settlement activity.
Craziness. Do Americans get to see what occupied Jerusalem looks like now? Do they get to see the armed settlers? “60 Minutes,” this is your story. Do the Israel lobby. Talk to Walt and Mearsheimer, both charming men (both of whom believe in a Jewish state!). Perry is governor of Texas. Why’s he talking like this:
The historic friendship between the United States and Israel stretches from the founding of the Jewish state in 1948 to the present day. Our nations have developed vital economic and security relationships in an alliance based on shared democratic principles, deep cultural ties and common strategic interests. Historian T.R. Fehrenbach once observed that my home state of Texas and Israel share the experience of “civilized men and women thrown into new and harsh conditions, beset by enemies.”
