US-Israel Relations In Deep Freeze after Obama-Bibi Meeting
President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu met for two hours last night. Here is the post meeting statement from the White House.
"The President and Prime Minister Netanyahu discussed a number of issues in the U.S.-Israel bilateral relationship. The President reaffirmed our strong commitment to Israel's security, and discussed security cooperation on a range of issues. The President and Prime Minister also discussed Iran and how to move forward on Middle East peace."
Cold. No photo. No reporters in the room. The President did not escort the Prime Minister to his car (or to the Metro) and the White House issued a statement that said nothing. It was written before the meeting as it made no reference to anything that occurred during the meeting.
Clearly, Mahmoud Abbas outsmarted everybody by threatening to resign. He forced the United States to look into the abyss -- and then push Bibi right to its edge. This was the least friendly meeting between an American president and an Israeli prime minister in memory. The message: don't play with us, Bibi.
Will the administration stick to its guns? Who knows? Its tendency is to follow pressure on Israel with apologetics (like going along with Israel's teeth gnashing over Goldstone and forcing the Palestinians to go along with it too). If it backs down again, its effectiveness in the Israeli-Palestinian arena is done. They need to stick.. For America's sake, and for Israel's and the Palestinians.'
Get ready for a big AIPAC/Congressional push back. Obama should let them sweat too. He has the power (on foreign policy, Congress is near irrelevant unless a President is intimidated by it).
It was interesting that they canceled the press events scheduled for today.
November 10, 2009 8:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe because the Palestinians are finally tired (Thank God!) of collaborating with their own subjugation. See http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=238722
November 10, 2009 12:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ouch!
November 10, 2009 6:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
"The message: don't play with us, Bibi"
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/975574.html
"The Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv on Wednesday reported that Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu told an audience at Bar Ilan university that the September 11, 2001 terror attacks had been beneficial for Israel."
"We are benefiting from one thing, and that is the attack on the Twin Towers and Pentagon, and the American struggle in Iraq," Ma'ariv quoted the former prime minister as saying. He reportedly added that these events "swung American public opinion in our favor."
http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2008/08/18/movers-and-shakers/
November 10, 2009 8:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's true. Iraq was cooked up by loonie-tunes Israel-Firsters like Douglas Feith who shouldn't even have had a security clearance according to Colin Powell, since he is transparently a foreign agent. Reportedly, it was so wacky that some actual Israelis had to ask where they even got the damnfool idea, though.
November 10, 2009 6:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gaza is now reaching a flash-point as a direct result of Israel's policies of containment, restriction, closure of crossing points and of all access points to Gaza by air, sea and road.
These short-sighted policies that deny most human and civil rights are, astonishingly, endorsed and paid for by a Democratic administration!
There is no other conclusion to be reached other than that AIPAC has ultimate control of both the White House and Congress.
In which case, Professors Mearsheimer and Walt were correct in their conclusions.
November 10, 2009 8:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
details are emerging from the obama-netanyahu meeting. anonymous sources are leaking part of the conversation which at times was very blunt. here is a fragment:
obama: can i have my balls back?
netanyahu: no, your presidential balls are an existential threat to the state of israel.
November 10, 2009 10:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
LOL!
As I noted earlier, Obama and Netanyahu have finally proven just how wrong the Palestinians were to trust American "leadership" on the Peace Process.
November 10, 2009 12:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
I posted this on another thread, but it is appropriate here:
Obama: Benjamin how are you?
Benjamin: Good Barrack and thanks for backing off the settlement thing.
Obama: Hmm about that. Yes we have backed off, but we've decide to back off the whole thing.
B: Excuse me, you no longer care about Middle East peace?
O: Oh no I care deeply about it, but it is clear you do not and I'm not convinced the Palestinians are all that into it either. So rather than inserting ourselves where we are not wanted we are stopping.
B Stopping?
O: Yes stopping, stopping our interference and stopping our aid to both sides. You want to kill each other off you are going to have to do it on your own dimes and without our help.
B: AIPAC is going to come after you for this.
O: Yea, well it's time they realized, as well, they were not elected to run this country and it's foreign policy. Dinner?
B: I've seemed to have lost my appetite.
( I can dream can't I? )
November 10, 2009 12:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
MJ, are you reporting or projecting? The reporting I've read, only three, seems mixed regarding the temperature in the room. Some say it was hot, some say tepid, some just right. Reminds me of the three bears.
Seems to me the current stance is Hillarys fluffing of Israel as opposed to "fair and balanced"™ Obama stated some time ago.
November 10, 2009 12:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Palestinian Authority’s Future Is in Question
Apparently the rather elderly and impotent Abbas may soon resign with the rest of the upper ranks of the Palestinian Authority following him. This leaves the US and Israel with no one to talk to, at least no one except Hamas.
November 10, 2009 3:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Israeli government has claimed not have had anyone to talk to since long before and including Yasser Arafat.
Israel does not want anyone to talk to, nor any partner for peace. When one does appear - he is very quickly discredited or undermined.
Israel wants all the land - and the status quo, supported, paid and defended by the US tax payer, suits it just fine.
I guess, if I were Israel, I would also be very satisfied indeed. I can drink all night in Dizengoff and Ibn Gavirol st. bars. and take expensive holidays to the hotspots of the world - all on, (or partially on), an American expense account. Great! Hope it lasts for ever. :)
Only it won't. For the world and America are finally waking up. AIPAC is yesterday. Its influence is waning as a strong light shines in, at last, to illuminate those dark places.
November 10, 2009 3:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
The great shell game is coming to an end. In order for the Occupation to work:
1. Enough Palestinians had to be bribed with fancy sounding titles (but no real authority) to give the illusion of self-governance. The goal was to give the trappings of a state without the state.
2. The process had to produce sufficient economic gains for the Palestinians to distact them from the wholesale land theft in the WB.
3. The US and Israel had to offer enough tangible benefits to the Palestinians for the Palestinians to (a) acknowledge the USA as a "good faith" broker; and (b) Israel as a "partner for peace."
Thankfully, the Three Stooges routine known as the Bibi/Barack/Clinton Show have completely undercut all three illusions.
So what does Abbas do? He says enough. Let's stop pretending.
In the words of Chrissy Moltisanti:
"It's bad enough that he took a sh*t on my head. But he expects me to thank him for the hat."
The shell-game known
November 10, 2009 4:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
It is fine for the Israelis to have all the land. But the US taxpayer should not send a dime. The world should put up a wall around Palestine and leave the Israelis and Palesinians locked inside like two scorpions in a bottle.
November 10, 2009 11:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Get serious. M.J., do you ever get tired of being completely and utterly wrong?
Abbas has threatened to resign many times before in order to extract more concessions, but has never resigned. His threatening to not run in the "election" in January is also meaningless since there most likely will not be an election anyways, given that Hamas will not let anyone in Gaza participate. Maybe it is time to let the PA collapse, if that is what they really want, and start from scratch. Admit that the Oslo process - the idea of bringing in the world's most notorious terrorist and allowing him to arm and train terrorist groups - was a mistake and a failure. One can not create a state just by wishing it into being.
Basically, Obama's foreign policy, especially in the ME has been a complete and utter disaster. He wanted to weaken Bibi and strengthen Abbas with the settlement freeze demand, and instead he has done the reverse (just as Elliot Abrams, who you make fun of, said it would do). Moreover, Obama has lost support among both Israelis and Palestinians. And the end result is that the "peace process", and negotiations, and resolution of this conflict is further away than it has ever been. Its amazing that in 9 months this administration could do this much damage.
When the Palestinians are ready for a state, i.e. setting up the institutions of a state and actually running them successfully, then they will get a state. Perhaps they should look to the example of the Yeshuv in Mandatory Palestine. But until they figure it out, the best that can be done is to help the Palestinian economy become productive again, to encourage investment, and to allow them to develop (exactly what is being done in he WB right now).
Obama has set back the "peace process" by ten years. Perhaps he will have a go at another area of the world and see if he can do better there.
November 10, 2009 4:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Admit that the Oslo process - the idea of bringing in the world's most notorious terrorist and allowing him to arm and train terrorist groups - was a mistake and a failure."
They didn't have to bring Sharon and Netanyahu in. They were already there.
November 10, 2009 5:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Couldn't actually come up with an intelligent response...again?
November 10, 2009 6:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
But you're a constructive player in this, is that right?
November 10, 2009 6:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
I've been away travelling for a while, and am not up to recent events..
Is Nudnik the replacement for AnnA?
November 10, 2009 6:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bibi says, We got 250 nukes and you got 4% approval in my country.
You think we are grabbing too much land? Mr. President, Overreach THIS!
Obama's unpopularity in Israel as a result of him asking them to do reasonable things is much a product of our playing along for decades with the ridiculous ideas of how very special they are, how any little concession is a threat to their all-trumpeted "right to even EXIST!", how they are always the victim and need ever more understanding, how any criticism shows "imbalance," etc.
When you raise two or three generations with these delusions, it's hard to later say, "We're serious. You need to change your basic thinking abut getting along with your neighbors."
They figure, "They always say that! And no one's ever been serious before, for heaven's sake!"
Where's George Mitchell BTW?
November 10, 2009 6:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Silent platitudes signifying nothing.
November 10, 2009 7:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
From reports of Netanyahu after the meeting, this meeting with Obama was important for Israel's security. It is not hard to read into this. Israeli press was reporting that Netanyahu wanted to make sure Obama would veto Salam Fayyad's proposal for a Palestinian state unilaterally declared after two years of building up Palestinian Institutions. This proposal was, allegedly, viewed very favorably within Europe. I think it is safe to say Obama gave in to Netanyahu again on this as he has everything else. Obama doesn't have the will or the skill for Middle East Peace. I suspect Dennis Ross, who managed and failed in peace before, will see an even larger role. It will take a third intifada, violence, and chaos in the Middle East before the U.S. "pretends" to be seeking peace again. Then, (as usual) we just manage the situation, until a Fourth Intifada. The cycle continues! If only Obama could give back his Nobel Peace prize though?
November 10, 2009 7:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
It is a mystery how anyone can blame President Obama for any aspect of this situation.
Can you get the people who post in here to agree on anything ? That has to be done first, in order to get a united position to present in negotiations.
The supporters of Our Dearest Ally are all fired up and all of wildly differing opinions.
Get the supporters singing from the same page before dragging Obama into this.
And, guess what : that is not going to happen.
November 10, 2009 8:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Let's see. How many months does it take to make a baby?
Ten months of kvetching here and in the MSM that Obama's choice of Geithner and Summers resulted in policies that couldn't end the Recession, were followed by......the Recession ending.
Six months of kvetching here and in the MSM that Obama's leadership style couldn't get a Health Care Bill out of Congress were followed by..... a Health Care Bill.
My guess is that while Obama needs 218 house votes for final passage of the Health Care bill AIPAC,like the US bishops , will be in hog heaven. And then? God sees the truth but waits .*
*Chekov.
November 10, 2009 8:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Both the end of recession and the health-care bill are far from complete, so congratulating Obama may be premature.
The Middle East policy is not a debacle -- yet. Nevertheless, some bolder moves are needed than "tut-tut" behind closed doors.
November 10, 2009 9:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Fair comment
November 11, 2009 5:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
But Obama can't undertake bold moves on anything ,least of all the Middle East , until the health care bill is passed.
As Lieberman fully understands.
We should too. Although I don't see much sign of it here.
November 11, 2009 5:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
Since AIPAC has bipartisan support, Obama can trade his current stance for something to its liking.
November 11, 2009 10:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
Rosenberg again goes into ecstatic rapture over the wish of a rupture with Israel. Dream on. Boo!
November 11, 2009 12:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
The late hour of the meeting, which was scheduled at the very last minute while Netanyahu was already on a plane to Washington, and the fact that the prime minister was transported in a simple van, and not the official government vehicle that usually takes world leaders to meetings with the president, also indicated that something was amiss......According to Israeli sources, the cancellations ....(of the briefings).. stemmed from U.S. displeasure with headlines in the Israeli media suggesting that Netanyahu bended Obama's will. [ link ]
the US has now resorted to a limp-wrist, passive-aggressive* strategy in dealing with netanyahu. instead of a bitch slap we get the cold shoulder treatment.
*passive, sometimes obstructionist resistance to following through with expectations in interpersonal or occupational situation
November 11, 2009 8:18 AM | Reply | Permalink