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Is Obama Aiming to Bring Down Bibi?
Obama's hard line on settlement expansion may have more to do with hurting Netanyahu than with the "peace process."
After Netanyahu’s meeting with Obama last month, Israeli commentator Aluf Benn noted that “many people in Washington seemed to be more interested in the life expectancy of the current Israeli government than in Netanyahu’s positions.”
Last week in London, dovish Likud minister Dan Meridor reportedly complained to a U.S. delegation that “Washington’s demands of a complete construction freeze would lead to the dissolution of the Netanyahu government.” The Israeli side was said to be “stunned by the uncompromising U.S. stance.”
Israeli commentator Ben Caspit claims the following, from Netanyahu:
“What do they want from me? That my government will fall?”
The Obama administration’s heavy pressure on the settlement issue may well intend precisely that.
This week, Defense Minister Ehud Barak will be in Washington for talks with — among others — Vice President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and National Security Adviser James Jones. Barak, from the left-of-center Labor Party, is the most dovish major minister in the government. Netanyahu badly wanted Barak and his party within his coalition, partly due to the belief that Labor’s dovish image would shore up Netanyahu’s legitimacy. Barak is said to agree that the U.S. demand for a total settlement freeze, even on “natural growth,” is unreasonable, and is expected to present that position in Washington.
Netanyahu may be finding out the hard way, though, that if Obama and his crew are dead-set against his government, even including perceived moderates in his coalition won’t help. Apart from the diplomatic rumors, there are reasons to believe the U.S. wants to see Bibi go:
1. Netanyahu is a despised man in Washington. In a well-known snippet from his book The Missing Peace, veteran peace-processer and current Persian Gulf envoy Dennis Ross called Netanyahu, in his previous prime-ministerial stint, “nearly insufferable.” In February, after Netanyahu’s Likud and the right wing did well in the Israeli election, the Washington Post reported that “many key players [in the U.S. administration] have long and difficult memories of dealing with … Netanyahu … when he was prime minister during the Clinton administration.” Another peace-processer from that era, Aaron David Miller, said “This is like hanging a ‘closed for the season’ sign on any peacemaking for the next year or so.”
Whatever personal qualities of Netanyahu some of the Americans find objectionable, they don’t like his insistence on traditional Israeli security concerns regarding the West Bank, which they see as precluding the much-desired further empowerment of the Palestinians. They much prefer pliant figures like former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who proclaim their readiness to return Israel to the perilous dimensions of what have been called the Auschwitz borders.
2. It is hard to believe the U.S. sees an Israeli-Palestinian settlement as imminent. The administration knows Hamas now controls Gaza, and surely has access to intelligence reports on the weakness, divisions, and falling popularity of Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah on the West Bank. As for the current state of intra-Palestinian unity, all one had to do was read, for instance, about this week’s killing by Fatah forces of two Hamas operatives on the West Bank.
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P. David Hornik is a freelance writer and translator living in Tel Aviv. He blogs at http://pdavidhornik.typepad.com/
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59 Comments
1. canuck:How ironic will it be if Netanyahu actually becomes a Republican rallying point and a laser pointer to demonstrate the absolute lack of gonads by President “Pantywaist” (as the British press now call him) and his socialist allies? Certainly these issues will become fodder for Rush/Hannity/Beck et al. The one thing Dems hate is being called wimps, even though they continue to apologize and bow to the rest of the world.
Jun 2, 2009 - 3:35 am 2. Libertyship46:I’m sure the Obama administration wishes that Netanyahu and the Israelis would just “go away.” As our fearless leader likes to say, Israel is an inconvenient “distraction” to his domestic social-welfare agenda. Obama doesn’t have “time” to deal with the Israelis and he just wants them to cut a deal with the Palestinians, regardless of the cost to their security. The sad fact is that the Israelis keep giving in to the Palestinians and get nothing back in return. The Israelis unilaterally pulled out of Gaza and just got attacked with a bunch of missiles in return. Also, Gaza is (and always will be) an economic basket case simply because of Palestinian greed, corruption, and selfishness. Their constant squabbling between Hamas and Fatah just shows that they can’t even agree on what type of government they want to have, one that wants to work with Israel on a political solution to their problems (Fatah) or one that just wants Israel destroyed (Hamas). Both groups are riddled with corrupt thugs who drain this pathetic excuse for a potential country of whatever scarce funds they have and the Israelis are expected to simply give more land to these creatures. No, if I were Netanyahu I would simply tell Obama to have a nice day and ignore him. US foreign aid will still keep on going to Israel because no one in Congress would dare cut them off, especially if they want to get re-elected in a state with a heavy Jewish population. And if Obama really, really, thinks that Iran will actually stop its nuclear program if the Israelis make nice with the Palestinians, then he’s even dumber than I thought. Iran is determined to go nuclear and, unless someone attacks their nuclear facilities, they are going to have nuclear weapons soon. It will not be a good day for Israel once that day comes, and Netanyahu knows it. We should be trying to help the Israelis, not alienating them.
Jun 2, 2009 - 4:24 am 3. Paul -Indiana:Obambi is just playing to the galleries. The Muslim galleries.
Jun 2, 2009 - 5:24 am 4. RandyChandler:Netanyahu isn’t likely to be bum-rushed by Obama’s Chicago-style dirty tricks. Unlike Obama, Israelis must know that you can’t make peace with those sworn to destroy you.
Obama is an existential threat to Israel and Netanyahu knows it. Indeed, Israel has a hard road ahead, but unlike Obama, they know the terrain well and will navigate it with hard-earned vigilance. Isarel cannot afford to allow itself to be used as an expendable pawn in Obama’s megalomaniacal global scheme.
Jun 2, 2009 - 5:29 am 5. Fragmentarian:Canuck – As a fellow Canuckistani, I gotta tell ya that where I come from, this guy would have to toughen up some to be considered a wimp.
Jun 2, 2009 - 5:56 am 6. scooter:Gee, what was it Obama said recently about how the US has no right to impose its will on other countries, and apologizing for our past transgressions in this regard?
Maybe I dreamt that…
Jun 2, 2009 - 6:00 am 7. chad3337:It’s inconceivable to me that the Administration wants to squeeze the Israeli’s while giving Hamas and the Palestinians a free pass. It’s just ludicrous to support an aggressor that condones and harbors terrorists while punishing the victim. This approach is infuriating, and hopefully constituents will let their elected officials know how they feel about this travesty.
Jun 2, 2009 - 6:10 am 8. Adina Kutnicki,Israel:Few dare to posit the obvious, that it is insufferable that US power brokers are continually able to meddle in Israeli domestic/foreign politics.(they have their sticky fingers in every pie, even down to the municipal building offices in Jerusalem, how dare they !!)
They have been doing it for years, yet not ONE major Israeli figure reads them the riot act.Therefore, when people ask if Israel is a satellite of the US the answer should be obvious.
Such blatant disrespect should ruffle the feathers of those who profess to be Israeli liberals.What exactly is liberal about said interference?
In any case, it is patently clear that the end game of Obama’s administration is to weaken Bibi to such a degree that the gov’t falls.The question remains-how hard will Bibi push back, and at what point will he act only as our leader, and not as an appendage to Washington? If push comes to shove, will he have the stamina/statesman-like courage to give Obama the proverbial finger?
This should be a doable scenario because Obama respects those who ignore his dictates, as evidenced by the leader of the free world embarking on his latest tour of groveling before the hostile Muslim masses.
Retch….
Jun 2, 2009 - 6:10 am 9. Thomas:You shall remember: without the hands of the Bolshevik “chosen ones” like Axelrod, the 2 Emanuel, Soros, Pritzker – the list is too stupendous to be mentioned in its fullest – this new Pharaoh wouldn’t exist.
You Leftist Jews you must obey to your Pharaoh’s latest edict: abort your children for they will have no room for them in the future ruins of Israel.
God has mysterious ways to punish or reward peoples and nations; – there is no escape from that.
Jun 2, 2009 - 6:54 am 10. TQ:It is absurd that anyone even pays any attention still to this Islamic grievance theater. It’s tiresome and pointless. There are so many other “occupied” people in the world (usually occupied by Islamists) who are really suffering genocide (Sudan anyone?), but for 60 odd years the primary focus of the UN and the international community has been picking at this one insignificant scab. There doesn’t need to be a Palestinian state. The Palestinians have Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon all directly adjacent to Israel. There is no reason that they cannot go live there (except the aforementioned states won’t allow it). It isn’t even like we’re talking about displacing anyone thousands of miles. The difference between a Palestinian taking up residence in Judea or Samaria as opposed to Jordan is basically the equivalent between living in NYC or New Jersey. Take the billion dollars Barry promised them, offer to pay for moving expenses for whoever wants to move to be among their own people, and be done with it. The end. The “two-state” solution is absurd in that it requires non-contiguous sovereignty for one state or the other. That isn’t a tenable situation. And it is absurd in that there is no reason for another Arab state. Egypt attacked Israel, Israel took Gaza. Arabs in Gaza are Egyptian citizens regardless of whether or not Egypt wants to accept that. Jordan attacked Israel, Jordan lost the West Bank. Arabs in the West Bank are Jordanians. It makes no sense to build a country from the ground up (which is what we’re expecting) when Egypt and Jordan are already functional countries. The only reason this issue has festered for so long is because the US continues to pay attention to the childish tantrums thrown by Islamic countries. It’s like parenting 101–you keep giving into attention seeking behavior and you’re going to wind up with a spoiled brat. Of course I don’t expect this administration, the epitome of bad parenting itself, to understand this. But I do expect Bibi to have a pair of brass balls this time around and refuse anything the US tells them to do. I mean what is the worst that can happen? Israel becomes a rogue state? Well we’re apparently really good at ignoring those these days, so probably the best thing for Israel would be for Bibi to give Barry the finger and become an enemy of the US (at least this administration, the fences can be mended when we come back to our senses).
I expect though that all Bibi needs to do is be strong for a few more months, and by this administration is going to be fully unable to deal with both world and domestic events. I mean Kim Jung Il has just announced his 26 year old son will be his successor. I think any reasonable adult would agree that putting a spoiled brat of a 26 year old kid in charge of a nuclear arsenal is more or less asking for disaster. Between what is bound to become a major war on the Korean peninsula, Ahmadinejad being a total nutter, and the further erosion of the US economy, little Barry is going to be in way, way, way over his head (as if he isn’t already), and dealing with whining Palestinians isn’t going to play well with American citizens who are unemployed, rapidly impoverished, and within striking distance of North Korean nukes. And I suspect if he keeps focusing on this issue while Rome burns, he will be run out of town (one can only hope).
Jun 2, 2009 - 6:59 am 11. tanstaafl:Sometimes, I think Israel should just ignore the f!*k out of Washington DC and what it purports to “want” with each changing US administration.
Jun 2, 2009 - 7:05 am 12. "progressive"watch:Yes,Obama wants Natanyahu to fail.
Obama wants Israel to fail.
Jun 2, 2009 - 7:18 am 13. Phoebe:Obama continues down a dangerous and destructive path, not only personally but politically. His continued alliance with the Islamic world is troubling and pernicious.
The man truly hates America, our freedoms, our democracy and our Constitution. He continually dishonors America and our military and is trying to impose a dictatorship on our country.
It is time to send him packing. He is a liar, a fruad, a racist, and a corrupt street thug.
He is killing America.
Jun 2, 2009 - 7:19 am 14. Ozzie:#8. “Few dare to posit the obvious, that it is insufferable that US power brokers are continually able to meddle in Israeli domestic/foreign politics.”
No disrespect intented, but Israel was the very first bail out, in a manner of speaking. Do you see the US banks and companies who take government money suddenly fall under US government control and authority? Don’t think the 3billion + US dollars Israel gets from US taxpayers comes at no expense. When you cash the check, you get a US politician in your government closet checking on his “investment.” Under reasonable administrations (Bush, Bush, Clinton sort of) Israeli goals coincided with the US, so it looked more harmonious. Now that our new radical government doesn’t care if Israel lives or dies(or may actually be hostile), it looks a lot worse. It’s genesis was accepting the money though, not Obama. He is just exploiting the vulnerability.
I agree it is insufferable. Israel needs to adopt a ‘without the US’ national strategy quickly. The US is going off-road for a few years.
Jun 2, 2009 - 7:26 am 15. Professor Guvinoff:On one side we have Obama, who desperately clings to the credo of the hyperleft in order to defend whatever appearance of legitimacy he still has. On the other side, Nethanyahu, who carries the hope of Israel’s survival, to the point of receiving support from Israel’s left!
This is a biblical situation, a kind of 21st century replay of David and Goliath.
Obama comes to grief through the tenacious opposition of real men, like Dick Cheney and Benjamin Nethanyau. My money is on those who defend life and reason over the cohort of big mouthes defending the reputation of their messiah over all evidence of misguided fervor.
Jun 2, 2009 - 7:29 am 16. David W. Lincoln:Well, Bibi knows the wisdom of not putting too many eggs in one basket. Whether the GOP or the democrats occupy the White House, they give a very good impression of listening, but the track record shows it is easier for the White House to give the impression of listening, as compared to actually
listening.
It is high time for Israel to encourage countries which view the Borjomi Declaration with favour, that they co-ordinate their foreign policies, so that the dissidents who are oppressed by the “Sons of Allah” are the dominant voices in the Middle East, instead of the “Sons of Allah”.
Jun 2, 2009 - 8:17 am 17. dmgold:Obama is trying to bring down Netanyahu and replace him with Livni. Livni however could never coerce her collegues to agree to what Obama is demanding (giving up Jerusalem and the settlement blocks)so if Livni cant deliver what is Obama trying to do? I think Obama is going further than interfering with Israels political process I and many other Israelis feel he is trying to forment internal civil unrest between Israelis in an attempt to undermine and destroy Israel from within. An Israel racked by internal strife and conflict would be a push over for those 5 Arab armies this time around.
Obama is looking to finally solve the worlds Jewish problem.
Jun 2, 2009 - 8:19 am 18. Paul -Indiana:Re Obama’s intent. Google ‘taqiyya’.
Jun 2, 2009 - 8:37 am 19. fred:There is only one kind of war that Obonga is willing to fight and is damn good at it: political war against his internal and foreign enemies. When you combine the Alinsky-Communist style with the dirty Chicago brass knuckles you get something right from hell.
I would give Netanyahu and our Republicans the same advice: hold the line against the bullies. Withstand them and fight back.
Everyone knows what happens when you fight back against the schoolyard bully.
Jun 2, 2009 - 9:16 am 20. Adina Kutnicki,Israel:To Ozzie # 14 – I actually agree with you regarding the purse strings issue. I have been stating this position for years.
The monies that Israel receives in military aid has done NOTHING to ensure Israel’s safety.Quite the opposite. It has many insidious strings attached, most of which entail that they are forced-yes forced-to pour back said monies into US defense contractors pockets. The fact that this creates good jobs for US employees is beside the point. The fact that this takes jobs away from Israeli defense contractors IS the point.
Not only that, but they are told what they can develop and what they can’t. As far as the non-military aid, it is a total waste. Why? Because not only is it less than 2% of its quite strong GDP, (for a very tiny country) but it has so many national security ramifications that it makes one dizzy.
And herein is where you hit it right on the head. That without such monies there would be fewer ‘bought and paid for’ Israeli pols. This explains precisely why so many in Israeli power circles are afraid to move left or right.Literally. It is an open secret that in Israel you can vote left, center or right, but you end up with leftist, appeasement policies. This is tied in directly with what Washington mandates (via quiet pressure) due to the aid given.They require a pliant client.
So, now that the most hostile administration ala The One is in place, tragically at the most dangerous juncture in Israel’s history, it is high time that Israel’s politicians man up and put their grubby hands back into their pockets and refuse ALL aid and take back their leadership. There are NO free lunches in life.None.
The ironic truth of the matter is that Israeli society is so innovative, has the most patents in the western world, and can run circles around most countries in hi-tech, science, engineering, agriculture and medicine that it needs no handouts.
Case closed.
Jun 2, 2009 - 9:44 am 21. Roark:Tyrant-in-Chief Obama is anti-Israel. He is a worse disgrace than Jimmy Carter. Impeach this fool, and vote out very Democrat and RINO before they literally shred the US Constitution into oblivion. The sad fact is; Obama got elected because the majority of Americans are leftist in ideaology. The USA needs a renaissance of idea’s in order to survive this deluge of collectivism.
Jun 2, 2009 - 10:12 am 22. Flipside:Obama hopes Bibi fails? Isn’t that a twist? Isn’t that what Rush was being ridiculed for saying? By Obama’s logic, the US should not build in or grow the population of Texas because it belongs to Mexico.
Jun 2, 2009 - 10:25 am 23. BobNweave:So Adina and others — how close do you think Israel is to distancing from the US and making allies say with India (another frontline to jihad) and perhaps China?
Jun 2, 2009 - 10:31 am 24. David Thomson:“Obama wants Israel to fail.”
Barack Obama does not consciously want Israel to fail. It does, however, on a gut level want to see it severely damaged. Obama existentially is committed to the notion that the predominantly white Israelis are crapping on the darker skinned Palestinians. They are imperialist aggressors and the Pals are victims. It really is that simple.
Jun 2, 2009 - 10:34 am 25. Paul -Indiana:#22. ?????????????????? There’s a big disconnect in there.
Jun 2, 2009 - 10:41 am 26. Meryl:I haven’t heard any press releases from the Totus Potus about how tragic and horrifying it is that a Muslim killed an American recruiter on America’s streets yesterday. Did I miss it?
Hopefully, the TP’s announcement today that he thinks it’s only right that Iran have nuclear weapons will make Muslims happier with their lot. I’m sure that’s his plan. Isn’t it?
Jun 2, 2009 - 10:47 am 27. Adina Kutnicki,Israel:Bob # 23 – Israel is on its way to forging a VERY strong alliance with India, perhaps leaving Washington in the dust.At least the Indian leadership knows the threats they face are not theirs alone, that Israel is on the same anti-jihad page.
As for China, they do business with them, but few trust them farther than they can throw them. At best very wary relations, which is a good thing.
Jun 2, 2009 - 11:14 am 28. wrg:Anyone want to bet on how long before things heat up? http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/02/AR2009060200947_pf.html
Jun 2, 2009 - 11:30 am 29. Ozzie:I read an article a few weeks ago that discussed what the US’s true allies should do once abandoned or betrayed by the current administration. The author suggested a loose alliance could be formed including the new front line of democracies under regional threat: Poland, India, Israel, the Ukraine and others. They look very different but share many of the same problems and outlooks. Poland will do anything including fight to stay free of Russia, Israel has it’s very existance in question, India is under the terrorist hammer and the Ukraine is under internal assault from Russia as well as externally threatened. Israel could hold a leadership role organizing the democracies that are left.
Where are the liberal US Jews that threw their weight behind Obama now though? They are partially responsible for putting Israel in this position, and all I hear are crickets. That population needs to dialogue about how it placed it’s own survival on the bloody alter of leftist political faith. Are they finally admitting liberalism is lethal when practiced in the bear pit?
Jun 2, 2009 - 11:31 am 30. Naftali:Obama is the State Department’s “night dream” (don’t want to get censored) President. Netanyahu is the State Department’s alarm clock that rings five minutes too soon.
Jun 2, 2009 - 12:05 pm 31. Naftali:# 29 Ozzie–
If you want to say that the conventional world view held by most American Jews is out of touch, fine. But even if we all voted for McCain, guess who still would have won.
Jun 2, 2009 - 12:07 pm 32. Naftali:The question to be asked shouldn’t be asked of the Jews, but rather, where were all the Republicans who didn’t vote? Now that dynamic might have changed the results of the election.
Jun 2, 2009 - 12:09 pm 33. Snake eater:Time for Bibi and Israel to flush the toilet. Iran and Obama.
Jun 2, 2009 - 12:12 pm 34. zanne:18. Paul -Indiana:
Re Obama’s intent. Google ‘taqiyya’.
He has been doing that from the start as a “community organizer”
Jun 2, 2009 - 12:19 pm 35. ReB:Seems to me that the Muslims have an awful lot of their stuff together. Seems to me that the West is blind. Like a lonely sheep wandering among the wolf-pack.
Jun 2, 2009 - 12:27 pm 36. Ozzie:Remember WWII. The west made some horrendous mistakes, but there was no “wimp” problem. I cannot find any reasonable explination for the blindness that now besets us.
Carl Sagan said repeatedly that the material universe is all there is. Within that limit I am totally confused. Why are we so blind?
I can understand a difference of opinion about which approach is best. (Say …vegitarian vs. carniverous) but to say “lets just stop eating” is unthinkable. Unless the goal is death. (Maybe!!!)
I see Israel as wanting to play fair. Yes, they don’t get it right all the time, but much more often than not. Much more often. Both in the military, and also in civilian activities. Five million Isralies have more patents than any other nation except USA. And they have quite a number of Nobel Prizes to their national credit.
How many millions of Muslims are there? They have a handful of patents, and a lot less Nobel Prizes.
Militarily, Israel has done OK! On the day the nation was officially formed, they were attacked by 5 neighboring countries, who had gathered their armies together in preparation.
I think that there is something beyond the material universe and that Something is not helping the muslims.
Obama, however, is on the side of the muslims. Give them more time to get the bomb, then they can do the job right.
In that same amount of time, Obama can cripple the USA.
Both Israel and USA need to DO something. The results of doing the wrong thing won’t be any worse than doing nothing.
31. Naftali
Your right, of course. No arguing the numbers on that point.
Every prominent US Jew lining up behind then-candidate Obama was confusing for many Americans however. The information on Obama at the time led one to believe he would be antisemitic : his church, his friends, his decisions, et al. I think they helped cloud the reality of people who don’t research things. People who would normally factor in support of Israel and Jews to their voting decisions saw the people who were supposed to know, stack up in support of him. It indicates a shallowness of the US electorate, but eh, can’t dispute that either.
Jun 2, 2009 - 12:33 pm 37. Sebastian Shaw:President Obama will continue to piss on Israel for his tenure. Does her want Israel to fail? He wants Israel to give up its nuclear weapons. He wants to dictate to Israel & not be questioned. President Obama is so full of himself its not funny anymore; the man is arrogance personified.
Jun 2, 2009 - 12:49 pm 38. Naftali:# 36 Ozzie–
I will completely grant you that as a group we think in the most counter intuitive patterns of just about any group in the world, so much so that we seem completely irrational. But, like, what’s new? And as I’ve said before on other posts on other threads, it works for us. I think someone one asked the famous philosopher Pascal to prove that Gd exists. He responded by saying something like, “The Jews have survived.”
Jun 2, 2009 - 12:56 pm 39. Self-hating Boomer:Exactly. It’s isn’t that the Jewish vote would have leveraged the election, it’s that it’s hard to argue with the Howard Bakers of the world (F___ the Jews; they don’t vote for us, anyway) when 80+% will vote for a platypus as long as it’s a donkey. It’s also a sure-fire way to be taken for granted when, to paraphrase Baker, the donks are thinking “F___ the Jews; they’ll vote for us no matter what we do to them”.
As an aside, because American Jews are concentrated in a few states (NY, FL, and CA in particular), they actually can provide a lot of electoral leverage; particularly in FL.
So yes, it does matter.
Jun 2, 2009 - 2:47 pm 40. Self-hating Boomer:And to Adina, Ozzie, Naftali, and all – completely agree that it’s essential to Israel’s national security that she ween herself from the US bribe…err…aid. If the left parties don’t allow this to happen, the entire nation will have been sacrificed to their greed.
Jun 2, 2009 - 2:51 pm 41. Adina Kutnicki,Israel:The only one who comes close to explaining the delusional tendencies of my fellow Jews-hence their mostly far left voting patterns-is the eminent Dr Kenneth Levin. His trenchant book, ‘The Oslo Syndrome:Delusions of a People Under Siege’ is a must read for all Jews who aspire to survive & those who wish them well.
Far be it from me to be impressed by a Princeton historian AND a Harvard trained psychiatrist, but this guy is the real deal.
Again, to all those who care about Israel’s survival- by extension the survival of the Jewish people- share/read this book!
Jun 2, 2009 - 3:32 pm 42. fred:A lot of people seem to be unaware of the fact that over a billion dollars a year in “aid” from the U.S. government that goes to Israel is owed because of a treaty obligation. When Jimmah Dhimmi Carter was negotiating that treaty with Egypt, when the Israelis found out about the bribe that Jimmah was tossing in, they insisted they get an equal amount of money.
So, if Obonga cuts off that money to Israel, he is breaking the terms of a treaty. That will send quite a message to the rest of the world: we are unreliable as allies and we are unreliable when it comes to signed agreements.
We are now siding with outlaws and totalitarians swine. But, hey, we have The Big Totalitarian Swine in the WH.
Jun 2, 2009 - 4:05 pm 43. Thomas:@41. Adina Kutnicki,Israel:
Your sentence “The only one who comes close to explaining the delusional tendencies of my fellow Jews-hence their mostly far left voting patterns-is the eminent Dr Kenneth Levin.” —
is off the mark Madame, your fellow brethren are practicing the same pattern since 1917. from Russia to Spain and beyond.
Jun 2, 2009 - 4:38 pm 44. MiamaMan:Read Solzhenitsyn’s monumental works, titled “Two Hundred Years Together”- where you can read about the Gideon Levi-s, Soros, Axelrods and the Kaganovich of the world.
(There is no English translation; – only Russian, German and French publications exist.)
27. Adina Kutnicki,Israel:
[Bob # 23 - Israel is on its way to forging a VERY strong alliance with India, perhaps leaving Washington in the dust.At least the Indian leadership knows the threats they face are not theirs alone, that Israel is on the same anti-jihad page.]
Israel and India are natural allies. I hope the relationship continues to improve. Israel sold India the improved AWACS planes, to the chagrin of Pakistan. Then there is the cooperation on the satellite issue. The Partition of India is the epicenter of the current Jihad problem. As Osama Bin Laden once said: Pakistan is the pillar of Islam. The Kashmir Jihad and ethnic cleansing in that area against Hindu Pundits has been festering for over half a century. The Taliban is a Pakistan child. No other country than India has suffered more through her history from Islamic Terrorism through the Muslim Invasions of her land. Millions of Hindus were slaughtered, thousands of temples destroyed.
On a similar topic, Israel must attack Iran ASAP. If IRAN answers harshly (Dimona for example) then Nuke them right away. This is the only language the hateful Ayatollahs understand. Short of that, things do not look very good.
An attack of this sort may contribute to make Obama’s administration a 4-year affair, to the advantage of America and the whole world, as it would force to the forefront his now hidden, or barely-hidden, anti-Israel bias and his stupidity regarding appeasement and the “Islam is a peaceful religion” BS.
Wait for the speech in Cairo this coming Thursday to be the ultimate rendition and apology. The damage he is doing will be hard to repair.
Unfortunately, I fair Bibi is not up to the task. He is apparently falling into the Obama’s trap. I though Livni was more likely, after all, of attacking Iran before it is too late.
Jun 2, 2009 - 4:42 pm 45. uburoisc:The biggest danger to Israel is the same danger to the United States: leftist, self-hating, delusional Jews whose idiotic and wrongheaded ideas about the world are going to get everyone else killed as well. Peace is a lie, this will be settled on the battlefield.
Jun 2, 2009 - 4:55 pm 46. gordo 12:Sad, the people who looked past the color and media hype knew Obama was at the very least on the side of Muslims and had disdain for Israel.
And yet a large majority of Jewish voters pulled the “yes” lever for this guy.
It is not an I told you so moment, it is time to unite and act like Americans, help our allies and do what is right.
Jun 2, 2009 - 4:58 pm 47. Edward Norden:Self-hating boomer: it’s James Baker you’re thinking of, not Howard.
A general comment on U.S. aid and Israeli dependence: most of it never gets to Israel but goes to Lockheed Martin, which builds the absolutely vital warplanes Israel could but isn’t allowed to build for itself. Readers would be advised to learn about the short life and quick death of the Israeli designed and produced Lavie fighter-bomber in the ’80s. Thus, the country doesn’t depend on the U.S. for money, but rather for weapons…and of course, until now anyway, for political and diplomatic backing in a most unfriendly UN and world.
Jun 2, 2009 - 5:29 pm 48. Markus:Settlement activity in Judea and Samaria is indefensible, given the large number of Arabs on the same land. You all know this, yet you dance away from this truth, thinking that “g-d” will somehow sort this all out.
There is no reason why people who support a Jewish majority state should support these settlers, and these settlements, who in fact are forcing Israel to hold on to territories in which taken as a whole JEWS WILL SOON BE IN THE MINORITY.
Wake up, people. Look at Rhodesia. Or South Africa. A minority cannot rule over a majority in this day and age.
Jun 2, 2009 - 5:55 pm 49. naftali:#39 Self-Hating Boomer–
James Baker, not Howard. Howard Baker, to my recollection was a pretty decent guy.
#41 Adina–
Nah, Dr. Levin makes it way too complicated. We vote like our parents and grandparents. That’s about it. If in Russia our parents and grandparents kept their heads in the sand, we do too. And Jews have a Jewish Question too. For non-Jews the Jewish Question is ‘what do we do about the Jews?’ For Jews, it’s ‘what do we do about everyone else?’. Which leads to ‘Who am I?” It’s all so wonderfully ironic.
Jun 2, 2009 - 6:01 pm 50. Ozzie:It’s rare in blog commenting, but sometimes, rarely sometimes, I learn something important. Like today. I pray for Israel. I always thought the US would be your big brother, chasing bullies and waving a bat, but it seems WE in the states are going down the vortex, and Israel stands against Iran alone. Yes US jews behave in ways I cannot understand, but “”.38 Naftali”" reminds us “The Jews have survived.” I pray it is always so.
Jun 2, 2009 - 7:17 pm 51. Thomas:@48. Markus:
You are mistaken and that shows either lack of cultural sophistication or just plain Leftist, inane talking point.
The whites in Africa had no historical nor cultural roots over there, so you can find no renaissance churches built by the Brits in Rhodesia.
The Jews however have historical ties and presence in Israel and the billions of artifacts unearthed prove it so by corollary, your comparison is false.
Of course your kind of rabid leftist will deny that Jesus was a Jew — he was an Arab, wasn’t he? The Hebrew scripts were stolen from the Arabs and the Bible was written in Arabic characters and the Jews stole it….
Am I correct Comrade?
Have you ever protested the oppression of other minorities, like Tibet, Sri Lanka’s Tamils, the Moroccan Berbers etc. or ONLY the pesky Jews piss you off? Do you support beheading, eyeball gouging, limb removals, stoning to death too?
Jun 2, 2009 - 9:54 pm 52. Laura:How about sending the Jews back to Buchenwald concentration camps where your God, the Pharaoh of the World will read from the Telepromter?
Israelis need to stand united behind Netanyahu and Bibi must take action as quickly as possible against Iran. I propose turning the tables on obama and working to bring down his administration. Not only has this stalinist thug acted to thwart American democracy but he is now seeking to undermine the choice of another sovereign democratic nation.
Jun 2, 2009 - 10:17 pm 53. Laura:Yes while Obama panders to the muslim world saying to them that America should not dictate to other countries, Israel is the one country in which Obama has no problem dictating to. Of course doing so is much safer than standing up to a billion muslims.
Jun 2, 2009 - 10:31 pm 54. PatriotUSA:#13 Phoebe said:
Obama continues down a dangerous and destructive path, not only personally but politically. His continued alliance with the Islamic world is troubling and pernicious.
The man truly hates America, our freedoms, our democracy and our Constitution. He continually dishonors America and our military and is trying to impose a dictatorship on our country.
It is time to send him packing. He is a liar, a fruad, a racist, and a corrupt street thug.
He is killing America.
Absolutely correct on every point! It is in Israel’s best interest that this gov’t survive and tell the mullah obamaham to take a hike, take off his shoes, visit the nearest mosque, play in the footbath and stick his butt up in the air five times a day. That is how he acts.
The mullah in the WHITE HOUSE is the biggest dhimmifool and Islamosympathizer we have ever seen in the office of POTUS.
I seriously hope Isreal does attack Iran, and Syria while they are at it. No one else has the courage or moxi to do this and screw what the world thinks. A not too long time ago, Israel would waste their enemies FIRST, then deal with the flak later. A return to this policy is what is badly needed. The mullah’s latest trip to to Egypt will be just another apology and appeasement tour.
#48 Markus:
Jun 2, 2009 - 11:37 pm 55. The Skipper:Why should Israel give back any land it won in wars it DID NOT start, nor ever asked for. You ask for Israel to commit suicide just like the liar in chief who squats in the White house, at this time. The Jews have no place else to go, the arabs do. It is called Jordan. Arab countries refuse to take these so called palestinians back because that will defeat their purpose; keeping them where they are to be a constant source of conflict and war. It is always up to the Jews of Israel to give up this, open uo that and the result is ALWAYS more dead Jews. You come off as an arab apologist. The Jews are already the minority. Look what Israel is surrounded by! Giving up anything else will resolve nothing, nor will it bring the region closer to peace. Israel is the canary in the coal mine when it comes to fighting islamofacist terrorism. You are the one who need to wake up!
How in the world did our country elect a person that hates our country to President? This guy is out to destroy us. Ever read “Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire”? We are being destroyed from within our own borders by our own people because Mr. Obama thinks his ACORN buddies and followers are “owed” something. The Israelis aren’t going to take any BS from anyone and that’s for sure!
Jun 3, 2009 - 4:32 am 56. Raymond in DC:Ozzie writes, “Don’t think the 3billion + US dollars Israel gets from US taxpayers comes at no expense. When you cash the check, you get a US politician in your government closet checking on his “investment.”
True enough, but I’ll add a few qualifiers. Egypt, Jordan and the PA collectively get more annually than does Israel. Yet the US does no more than respectively suggest that they do so and so; Israel is seen as a more vulnerable, and thus more pliable client.
What’s not known by most is that Netanyahu during his first term as PM set the aid from the US to be reduced over time. It was under Olmert that aid started going back up. But even if the aid – in total less than 2% of Israel’s GNP – were turned back with a “thanks, but no thanks”, there’s no guarantee aid to Israel’s neighbors would be similarly eliminated. What does Egypt do with most of its aid? Buy weaponry.
Jun 3, 2009 - 12:12 pm 57. Themistocles:There are a lot of Muslims around where I live, and I know about a dozen personally on a first name basis. I’ve known several for over thirty years.
I’ve noticed a close similarity between Obama supporters and my Muslim neighbors: neither group is happy about anything. They are uniformly unhappy people.
Why are they all so unhappy? I don’t know. Both groups have their guy in the White House now, so they should be ecstatic. But they’re still filled with impotent hatred and rage. Maybe now even more than before Obama’s election.
Really, I almost feel sorry for the buggers.
Jun 3, 2009 - 6:13 pm 58. Marcus:It’s time for Israel to give up the occupied territories and any thought they have of dragging the world into WWIII, it ain’t gonna happen. It may be time to cut off all American funding of Israel, including weapons. If they want our money, they better toe the line. This is the only way to get a handle on the “Terrorism problem”, Ask any Military Officer who went to “War School”, Israel wrote the book on terrorism. These are intelligent people in the Whitehouse. THEY KNOW THEIR HISTORY. We will no longer accept “forged documents about yellowcake uranium”, we will no longer accept laptops with planted “nuclear warhead blueprints” on them from Iran by way of Israel. We know that there are members of the jewish lobby who are extremists and a danger to America’s national security. This party is over, Israel will give up the occupied territories and limit the construction of illegal homes “with our money”. Their economy is dependant upon the U.S. otherwise other countries would be lined up to take advantage of Israel’s wonderful manufacturing base and foodstuffs from their farms. The reality is Israel can barely feed its own people, they are on the verge of being a failed welfare state. If it wasn’t for our money their economy would have collasped a long time ago. Peace and Prosperity now or tough times ahead, it’s up to the people of Israel.
Jun 4, 2009 - 8:54 pm 59. DoubleTapper:Obama’s plans to Islamitize the USA and meddle withthe only democracy in the middle east are no surprise to us.
And no threat!
I’ll try an keep posting updates here.
Jun 4, 2009 - 10:03 pmDoubleTapper
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