Bibi's Speech-Nothing Worth Waiting For
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had a choice: President Obama or Benny Begin. He chose Benny Begin, the right wing member of Bibi's Likud Party. Rather than joining the international consensus and leading Israel to peace, the Israeli PM chose to stay trapped in his old ideology, treading water. The timid acknowledgement that he gave to a two-state solution is useless. It is a non-starter and he knows it. The question is, what next?
The Obama Administration needs to figure out a way to keep American Jewish public opinion on its side, which it has, and to bring the ISraeli public along-over the head of the Prime Minister. The much anticipated speech deserved none of the hype. There was old ideology on display in a room that looked claustrophic, with a tiny, invitation only crowd.
Bibi has decided to fight on the settlements issue; that is clear. Natural growth, as any observer of the settlements will tell you, is a canard. First off, there is in fact no universal rule that towns must expand so to extended families of several generations can live together, nor that families that have lots and lots of children must be allowed to endlessly build on to their homes. Imagine if that were the case in towns across the US. Neighborhood zoning laws would become obsolete. And of course that is not the case in Arab neighborhoods and towns inside of ISrael's border, where extended families and large families have little or any room to grow and are given no attention by the authorities in Israel.
Natural growth is an explicit acknowledgement of Israel's unwillingness to negotiate on the settlement issue except on Israel's terms. This is unacceptable. Over 70% of the ISraeli public don't go to the settlements, don't see the settlements, don't pay attention to the settlements. There is a plan on the table, at least one plan, if not several, around the parameters of the Clinton (former President Clinton) plan that calls for a consolidation of settlement blocs and drawing a border between two states. That is the only conversation that ISrael should be having right now; instead, the Prime Minister has chosen to walk farther away from the negotiating table with his speech today.
The Obama Administration needs to figure out a way to keep American Jewish public opinion on its side,...
American Jewish public opinion is already on Obama's side and bibi's bullshit won't affect it.
Obama's problem is centered on keeping the "opinion elites" and Congressional Democrats on his side.
June 14, 2009 4:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
The fact that Wexler, Ackerman, and Weiner are already backpeddling, only shows that everyone likes the idea of peace, they just don't want to pay the freight to get there.
Bibi's claim that the Palestinian state must be defined in Israel's interests demonstrates that he has no concept of Palestinian self-determination. He would have loved living under the Raj.
June 14, 2009 4:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
What next? He's looking for Obama to offer him another carrot.
June 14, 2009 4:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama should just start talking to Tzipi. She'll be PM soon enough.
June 14, 2009 4:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
The headline in the SF Chron...
Nice temporizing move
June 14, 2009 5:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Natural growth"
The Palestinians do it better
June 14, 2009 5:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
When Arabs temporize, we call them dishonest.
When Zionists temporize, we praise them for skillful wordsmithing.
Bibi's use of the word "state" bears no relationship to a state at all. Indeed, it's actually dishonest.
June 14, 2009 6:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am not praising him by any means
Just stating the fact that he got the headline he wanted.
The Israelis never negotiate in good faith....hardly ever
June 14, 2009 6:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Israelis say "you can have a Palestinian state so long as it is not a state."
Palestinians say "you can have a Jewish state so long as it is not Jewish."
Then everybody had a good laugh and they sorted out their problems and lived happily ever after.
June 16, 2009 1:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
This sounds to me like one more little step in a long unchoreographed ballet. Neither Netanyahu nor Abbas show any indication yet of what they might actually being willing agree to, or even if they have any hopes or plans for negotiating. They appear to be playing to their respective constituencies, with emphasis on the extreme ends of those groupings.
Obama and settlements issue are the keys now, I think.
Obama has been addressing a global audience, especially on his recent overseas tour. He has put a fairly high priority on the Mideast. There is not going to be any quick breakthroughs on the Iran front thanks to the recent election, rigged or not; Obama therefore has to go directly for a Israeli-Palestinian rapproachment.
He will have little chance there, however, unless he can show progress on the outpost settlements. No one can defend these sops to the Israeli lunatic fringe. Their sole raison d'etre is to make all but a bantuland archipelago version of a Palestinian state possible, and without a VIABLE Palestinian state, a lasting deal is all but impossible.
Such a deal may prove unattainable even WITH a Palestinian state, but nobody with a miligram of objectivity can claim with a straight face that the Israelis are entitled to a state without conditions, as they have effectively enjoyed for 60 years, while the Palestinians are not.
June 14, 2009 6:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
This sounds to me like one more little step in a long unchoreographed ballet. Neither Netanyahu nor Abbas show any indication yet of what they might actually being willing agree to, or even if they have any hopes or plans for negotiating. They appear to be playing to their respective constituencies, with emphasis on the extreme ends of those groupings.
Obama and settlements issue are the keys now, I think.
Obama has been addressing a global audience, especially on his recent overseas tour. He has put a fairly high priority on the Mideast. There is not going to be any quick breakthroughs on the Iran front thanks to the recent election, rigged or not; Obama therefore has to go directly for a Israeli-Palestinian rapproachment.
He will have little chance there, however, unless he can show progress on the outpost settlements. No one can defend these sops to the Israeli lunatic fringe. Their sole raison d'etre is to make all but a bantuland archipelago version of a Palestinian state possible, and without a VIABLE Palestinian state, a lasting deal is all but impossible.
Such a deal may prove unattainable even WITH a Palestinian state, but nobody with a miligram of objectivity can claim with a straight face that the Israelis are entitled to a state without conditions, as they have effectively enjoyed for 60 years, while the Palestinians are not.
June 14, 2009 6:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't think this is the time for the carrot - its the time for the stick - ok Bibi, no problem - natural growth, no worries - do whatever you want - oh by the way: No more money - no more bullets - no more tanks - no more airplanes - no more nade - nothing - zip. I know we'd never do it but it seems real simple: if you want my money you do it my way or no problem do whatever you want but I'm not going to pay for it.
June 15, 2009 7:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
You are ON to something there! What have the Israeli's ever done for the US? I just can't find an answer to that...what do we get in return for the $$ sent to buy bullets, tanks, airplanes...maybe it's time for some tough love.
June 15, 2009 9:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
To LindyLou,
Your question indicates that you might not have much knowledge about some of the benefits we recieve from our relationship with Israel. How far do you want to go back? The first information of Khrushev's "secret speech" to the Kremlin repudiating Stalin in the 1950's; The victory of American arms over Soviet weaponry in the 1960's and 70's; The intelligence successes that led an Iraqi pilot flying his MIG 21 to Israel in the 60's and a Syrian flying a MIG 25 there in the late 80's; The jobs "created or saved" by Israeli purchases of US weapons systems; If you don't want to talk about military and aramament issues, we could talk about medical and other technologies.
This is only a partial list. There are many things we know, and probably many we don't. Just some food for thought.
June 15, 2009 11:44 PM | Reply | Permalink