Posted on 06/05/2009 8:45:53 AM PDT by Reagan Man
“I have to admire the residents of Iroquois territory for assuming that they have a right to determine where Jews lives in Jerusalem.”
Thus did Israeli government press director Daniel Seamen caustically dismiss President Obama’s opposition to Israel’s right to “natural growth” of its settlements in Arab East Jerusalem and on the West Bank.
Though Obama’s address in Cairo broke no new ground, it confirmed to the world that a new day has arrived and a sea change has taken place. The Israel-centric Middle East policy of George W. Bush is dead. And with the policy change has come rhetorical change.
With Bush, it was “axis of evil,” “you are with us or you are with the terrorists,” “regime change,” a “green light” for war on Hezbollah in Lebanon and on Hamas in Gaza, and “this war is a struggle between good and evil.”
With Obama in Cairo, it was all about “a new beginning” and “mutual respect” between the United States and an Islamic world of 1.2 billion.
Where Bush sought to isolate Syria as a state sponsor of terror, Obama has sent diplomats and is sending the U.S. military to Damascus to work together to halt al-Qaida infiltration into Iraq. Return of the Golan Heights may be back on the table.
Where Bush said Iraq’s drive for weapons of mass destruction threatened America and the world, Obama calls Iraq “a war of choice,” and re-commits to bring all U.S. combat troops home before 2012 and to seek no permanent bases there.
Where Israeli hawks push for pre-emptive U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Obama says Iran “should have the right to access peaceful nuclear power if it complies with its responsibilities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.”
As there is no hard evidence Iran has gone beyond the NPT, this points to a resolution of the nuclear issue, if Tehran can provide solid assurances it has no clandestine weapons program.
Where Bush refused to meet with Yasser Arafat or recognize Hamas’ election victory, and outsourced Mideast policy to Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert, Obama has confronted Bibi Netanyahu and handed Israel an ultimatum: Halt all settlement growth, now, and come back to me with your plan for a Palestinian state.
A collision that could shatter the coalitions of both Bibi and Barack now appears inevitable and imminent. Either the president or prime minister is going to have to back down.
Netanyahu was elected on solemn pledges never to negotiate with Hamas, permit a Palestinian state (”a second Hamastan”) or let Jerusalem be divided. He is committed to the “natural growth” of Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria.
Obama has said publicly that there is to be no growth of any kind on the West Bank and all illegal outposts must come down.
There are reports that while Defense Minister Barak was in the office of National Security Adviser Gen. Jim Jones, Obama popped in for 15 minutes to tell Israel’s most decorated soldier he wants to see an Israeli plan for peace and a Palestinian state by July.
That state would necessarily have a Jerusalem enclave as its capital, as no Palestinian or Arab leader could agree to a peace that did not include part of Jerusalem, the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock without putting himself in mortal peril.
Behind this clash lies a shift of perspective in Washington.
Obama is directly challenging the thesis of Israel and its lobby, AIPAC, that U.S. and Israeli interests are one and the same, that we are partners. Barack is saying that settlements are an impediment and an independent Palestinian state indispensable to peace. And even if Israel believes its interests are being subordinated and security imperiled, the United States disagrees — and the United States will prevail.
In Israel, the betting is that Barack will break Bibi because Israel cannot defy its last great friend, the lone superpower, upon whom it depends for security, weaponry and diplomatic shelter from U.N. Security Council sanctions. As Rick Wagoner of GM can tell Bibi, you take the king’s shilling, you play the king’s tune.
Indeed, Obama can make a case that he better represents the Jewish community in the United States than the Israel lobby, as he won 78 percent of the Jewish vote.
Netanyhau was outpolled by Tzipi Livni of Kadima, who is waiting in the wings.
Bibi is in a terrible box. If he defies Obama and orders new housing in the settlements, he could face rebellion at home for alienating Israeli’s indispensable ally.
If he goes along with halting settlement growth and moves to accommodate a Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem, how does he explain the capitulation to Likud — and to Avigdor Lieberman?
Next weekend, Iran heads to the polls, and President Ahmadinejad faces strong opposition. If the moderate Mir-Hossein Moussavi wins, the possibility of a U.S-Iranian detente rises dramatically.
For Israel and the United States, the days of wine and roses are over.
How depressing man ...
The same way he explained how Hitler ordered wiping Poland off the map, although he thinks Poland should have just given up Danzig and Polish Corridor, and all would have been just hunky-dory.
Because PJB’s an a-hole.
That’s an insult to a-holes.
I’d like to see him make another run for President, just to have the pleasure of voting for someone else, and making a big deal about it beforehand here on FR.
:’D Yeah, I should apologize to them. ;’)
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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Lot of Egyptians, lot's of other Arabs, but before the invention of palestinians if you didn't just call them Arabs, they were Southern Syrians, "locked" out of Syria in the early 1920s when the Mandate was formally split between Britain and France. The French didn't want them back. Todays Syria doesn't want them either. Nor does Egypt, Lebanon or Jordan.
You mean like his well publicized exercise in Holocaust denial when he contended you couldn't kill Jews with diesel fumes? An ugly canard from Jewhaters on what would be called the right, already debunked when Abu Pat wrote it up in the national media.
Maybe you can answer a question Pat supporters never seem willing to do. What happened to the Christians, diesel fumes being used first on Polish political prisoners. Are they dead or alive? If they're dead, what's this biological immunity Jews have, and where are they?
'Comrade Wolf' and the mullahsIn the 27 years since the Iranian Revolution, the United States has launched air strikes on Libya, invaded Grenada, put Marines in Lebanon and run air strikes in the Bekaa Valley and Chouf Mountains in retaliation for the Beirut bombing.
We invaded Panama, launched Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait and put troops into Somalia. Under Clinton, we occupied Haiti, fired cruise missiles into Sudan, intervened in Bosnia, conducted bombing strikes on Iraq and launched a 78-day bombing campaign against Serbia, a nation that never attacked us. Then, we put troops into Kosovo.
After the Soviet Union stood down in Eastern Europe, we moved NATO into Poland and the Baltic states and established U.S. bases in former provinces of Russia's in Central Asia.
Under Bush II, we invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, though it appears Saddam neither had weapons of mass destruction nor played a role in 9-11.
Yet, in this same quarter century when the U.S. military has been so busy it is said to be overstretched and exhausted, Iran has invaded not one neighbor and fought but one war: an 8-year war with Iraq where she was the victim of aggression. And in that war of aggression against Iran, we supported the aggressor.
Hence, when Iran says that even as we have grievances against her, she has grievances against us, does Iran not have at least a small point? And when Russian President Putin calls Bush's America "Comrade Wolf," does he not have at least a small patch of ground on which to stand?
He's also long favored aid to Hamas, odd for an opponent of foreign aid, isn't it.
Pat Buchanan: Bush, Obama and the Gaza Blitz (Still believes in "Moderate" Muslims)
Buchanan defends foreign aid – for Hamas
Pat is Wrong About Gaza (Buchanan shows his anti-Semitic colors once again)
I really like Pat but animus towards Jews/Israel blinds him to the Islamic threat. Muslims are swamping Europe and Pat is more concerned what Israeli Jews do`
Is Pat so stupid he doesn’t realize that any Palestinian state will be a rocket launching platform? More likely he wants to see Israel destroyed via “peace agreements”. Fine but Europe full of his fellow Catholics is next.
God help us!
I’ve read several of Buchannon’s books about the Death of the West...and so forth...
He is right on the nailhead on many issues.
However, when it comes to Israel, Pat has a history of always always alwasy coming to the conclusion that Israel is at fault...and that just flies in the face of common sense.
He is about as illogical on Israel as Hamas and Hezzbolah is on their accusing Israel of war crimes after Israel responds in defense of their indescriminate attacks on civillians. It’s clear to me that Buchannon has alot to offer to conservatism but needs to be ignored when it comes to Israel.
Can you elaborate?
It looks like Pat is a big Obama supporter now, as long as Mufti-Obama is blasting Israel, attacking Bibi (who is a real conservative), making appeasement movies for Iran's terrorist butchers, and condemns America in speeches to the entire Islamic world. That's being a real American conservative, Pat!
Human Events should not allow this anti-Jewish trash to be printed.
I was not familiar with that comment by Pat but did a quick Google. Pat did not say Jews could not be killed by diesal fumes but he was skeptical of the figure of 870k Jews at Treblinka were killed in that fashion as claimed as it was a fairly inneffcient was of killing people and would have taken too long??
I would have to see Pat's original comments and article related to this to give you an accurate answer.
Pat has never been on any side of the Bible, except the outside.
He lacks even minimal understanding of Bible prophecy. He doesn't even understand that all prophecy is about Israel (the real Israel, that are descended from Jacob).
Tzipo probably has the bloody thing already pre-signed!
I think it's genuine. He's too consistent for it not to be.
I like Pat but I don't get his hated of Israel.
It’s a tradition.
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