Posted on 02/25/2003 4:53:49 PM PST by Phil V.
One of the jokes doing the rounds in Washington and Jerusalem: Why did it take so long for President George W. Bush to make his policy statement on the Israel Palestine conflict (some eight weeks ago)?
The answer?
There was no one in the White House who could translate Bush's statement from Hebrew.
Such is the perception of Israel US relations today. The two countries are seen as acting totally in tandem. Bush has given Prime Minister Ariel Sharon carte blanche to fight terror with all the means at his disposal. For its part, Israel has remained the most steadfast (some would say only) supporter of the Bush determination to go to war with Iraq.
Twenty four hours is a long time in politics. Twenty four months is an age.
When Bush came to power in January 2001, there was a great deal of uncertainty in Israel concerning his attitude towards Israel. At the time it was felt that no US Administration could come anywhere near the friendship exhibited by the outgoing president Bill Clinton, certainly not a Republican administration which has traditionally been much cooler towards Israel than Democratic administrations.
The fact that Bush had major oil interests, that his father's administration with James Baker as secretary of state had been extremely cool towards Israel, and that the new President had declared his intention of shifting the agenda away from international to domestic politics did not augur well for Israel-US relations at the time.
And our memories are short.During the first seven months of his Administration, Bush significantly downgraded US involvement in the Middle East.
Israel was further disappointed when, following the events of 9/11, the Bush Administration initially refused to include Palestinian organizations such as Islamic Jihad and Hamas on their global list of terror organizations. But the continuation, and intensification, of Palestinian terror inside Israel, coupled with frequent visits by Sharon to the White House, did the trick in turning the tide of opinion in Israel's favor.
THIS WAS helped in no small way by the continuing onslaught of a right wing media campaign throughout the US and Israel during the past 24 months, a form of McCarthyism which has branded any alternative voice as being non-patriotic, anti-American (anti-Zionist) and divisive in a time of national crisis which both countries have in common right now.
And then there is the unholy alliance of the right wing Christian Evangelist movement, to which Bush owes much of his domestic support. If the Christian evangelists come out in support of Israel, this is okay for Israeli politicians and leaders, despite the fact that their fundamentalist ideology sees in the existence of the Jewish State the proof they require for the coming of their own Christian Messiah.
Those in Israel who have jumped on the evangelist bandwagon would be the first to shout "theocracy" and "coercion" if some of the same nonconservative and traditionalist policies were put forward by the religious parties in Israel.
Israel has become so blind to its unquestioning belief in the current US Administration that if a senior American official states that the only resolution to the conflict is a return to negotiations and a two state solution (which they constantly do remind us), then it is no more than a "difference of opinion between friends." Were a European leader to say precisely the same thing, it would be because he is "anti-Semitic," "pro-Arab," and cannot be trusted.
But Israel is fooling itself if it believes that the Bush Administration is the best friend it has ever had. The close relationship is no more than a marriage of convenience brought about by the events of 9/11, and the perception that they have a common fight against terror and the impending war against Iraq.
Once the terror has been reduced to manageable proportions, and as the US seeks a path back to re-engagement with the Islamic world in a post-Iraq era, Israel will find that the US is no longer its best friend.
Israel, and the Palestinians, will face new pressures to make the extra compromises and reach a political solution. At the most, the change in policy may be put off until after the next presidential election, when Bush will try to sway the Jewish support away from the Democratic party (all the more difficult if Joe Lieberman becomes the Democratic nominee), but the tide of unquestioning friendship will eventually turn once again.
Israel will then find that the US, Western Europe, NATO and the UN have a much more unified policy concerning the eventual resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict, than they currently hold over the war with Iraq.
A second Bush administration will be prepared to pay the quid pro quo to the Islamic world as a means of currying favor. Clinton sued for peace because of his personal, authentic love relationship with Israel and the Jewish people. Bush supports Israel because it is a marriage of convenience which can much more easily end in divorce and mutual bitterness.
When the day arrives, we here in Israel will wish for a return to the days of Clinton, to the days when Israel and the US were truly best friends, as contrasted with the artificial and false perceptions which exist today.
The writer is professor of political geography at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, and editor of the International Journal of Geopolitics.
"....despite the fact that their fundamentalist ideology sees in the existence of the Jewish State the proof they require for the coming of their own Christian Messiah."
A clear indication that most Jews have forgotten their God and His promises....including the hundreds involving Messiah.
Anyone who thinks that Clinton did ANYTHING for 'genuine' reasons is a dolt.
Nope. The tie between Christians and Jews is forever. They are the Biblical ancestors of the Christians and Christians will forever hope for their salvation by Jesus Christ. We have a president that has an understanding of this and who can no longer take a passive approach to the relationship. There are many Freepers that would like to believe otherwise but the spiritual connections added to the democratic connections will ensure the solidity of this relationship for the foreseeable future.
Truly an idiot, it's nice to know that America hasn't yet cornered the market on moron's in academia.
Is this why Clinton sent Israel the gift of James Carville, to defeat Netanyahu so Ehud "the Appeaser" Barak could give away as much land as possible?
This writer is certifiable.
But I do support BB!
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