Update:
According to Fox News the Senate has opened an investigation to probe whether “the Obama administration has been meddling in the Israeli election on behalf of groups hostile to Netanyahu.”
An unnamed source revealed to Fox New the bipartisan investigation is looking into a State Department grant to the OneVoice Movement, a Washington based NGO that currently subsidizes V15 (Victory 2015).
A subsidiary of OneVoice is the Israeli-based V15, which is claimed by Fox News to be guided by administration officials. V15 is advocating a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and is thus committed to removing Netanyahu.
No direct link between Obama and such a campaign has been established, and the State Department announced that funding for the group stopped in November, before the elections were called. However, OneVoice did link up with V15 in January. Jeremy Bird, Obama’s previous campaign director, arrived in Israel to help direct V15, which was trying to reach a million households in an effort to remove Netanyahu. OneVoice is prohibited from directly targeting Netanyahu, but its Israeli partner V15 can carry out the campaign.
The Permanent Subcommittee of Investigations, under the purview of U.S. Senate Committee of Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, has jurisdiction over all branches of government operations and is the senate’s chief investigative body.
The probe comes one day after Netanyahu made the accusation on his Facebook page “Left wing and media elements here and abroad have banded together to bring Tzipi and Bouji to power illegitimately”
Original post:
Talk about wishful thinking, talk about projection — we’re having so much fun watching this V15 video from March 2 in which PM Benjamin Netanyahu has to pack up his bomb cartoon and leave the official residence with his wife Sara we decided to feature it twice today. A friend thinks the screenshot below (from 0:45 in the video as the actors are on the precipice of taking one step out the door) is an impersonator but I think it’s some fancy photoshopping.
V15 is an Israeli campaign to end Netanyahu’s reign. It has a former Obama campaign exec as a lead consultant. Netanyahu has complained about an international campaign to force him out.
A closer look at [Jeremy] Bird’s consulting firm as well as its working relationship with the Israeli groups finds he is just one of scores of former senior Obama election campaign staffers now working on the anti-Netanyahu effort.
Bird was Obama’s national field director in 2012, and told the NYT thru a spokesperson:
“We’re witnessing something special happening in Israel right now: There’s a groundswell of organic energy as more than 10,000 supporters are coming together to have a voice in their country,” Mr. Bird said through the spokeswoman…
[T]he accusation that Mr. Bird’s involvement is inappropriate….given Mr. Netanyahu’s move to work with the House speaker…“It is eye-rolling for Netanyahu to complain about former Obama aides working against him when he cooked up a speech to Congress with Boehner and didn’t tell the White House,” said Tommy Vietor, a former National Security Council aide to Mr. Obama. “He has removed his ability to complain about playing politics by openly meddling in U.S. politics…”
How apposite. Particularly resonant with me when I am working in a by-election that has a chance of curtailing the excesses of our Neo-con Netanyahu-fan P.M.
http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2011/02/01/gordon-campbell-on-john-key%E2%80%99s-feeble-response-to-egypt/
Excellent Annie, it is heartening to see this, and thank you for bringing it to our attention.
Things are looking bad for Beebs the war monger, right now. ALL the lies have been exposed, the arrogance, the inciting of wars, the control over our nation, and he must realize by now his idiotic speech only BACKFIRED on him. He has caused a lot of problems for Congress by acting so divisive, and if he thought for one minute his plan to disrespect and weaken the Presidency of the US, he was sadly mistaken. In the end it will be poetic justice if he loses.
As for Boehner and the GOP, it seems they are mentally unfit to be leaders, and have shown poor judgement, and it is now obvious, they would connive with a foreign leader, to go against their own President.
Thanks, Annie.
And another door opens. I went looking for some video of Isaac Herzog, and found this from the Sabin conference last fall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qyhnHkLdl8
All I can say is, what a breath of fresh air. It’s a little bit out of date, given Netanyahu’s recent visit, but in a thoroughly enjoyable way (especially Nancy Pelosi’s assurance to the crowd that the US government would never take sides in the Israeli election).
No no no! Not just for the Palestinians but for America too Bibi must win! He must be allowed to continue to insult the world. It’s the most anyone has done to shine a light on the plight of the Palestinians and the chokehold Israelis have on American Jews who I. Turn have a chokehold on congress. No one else can overplay that hand so well. Please don’t take joy in a loss for Bibi. We need Bibi! He’s the best chance for peace through crushing global sanctions ( at the grass roots anyway) I mean how much more abuse can obama take before he gets a spine
Re: “No one else can overplay that hand so well. Please don’t take joy in a loss for Bibi. We need Bibi! He’s the best chance for peace through crushing global sanctions ( at the grass roots anyway) I mean how much more abuse can obama take before he gets a spine – ”
Yes, you may well be right. As an American, I find it depressing to see the liberal zionist Democrats working so hard to preserve the status quo that the U.S. has enabled for so long. Kerry is not working to help the Palestinians. As for Obama, don’t hold your breath.