Speaking in place of President Obama at the United Jewish Communities annual conference, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel urged Israel and the Palestinians to resume peace talks without preconditions.
Rejecting calls by the Palestinians to link a halt of Israeli settlement expansion to peace talks, Emanuel insisted that the settlements shouldn’t be allowed to be made a distraction from the goal of lasting peace.
The Obama Administration was also calling for a halt to settlement construction in spring, though it eventually abandoned this in the face of Israeli outrage. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton insists the US would still like the freeze, but in her most recent visit praised Israel for making an offer far short of the freeze.
Whatever the case, Emanuel sought to assure Israel’s supporters that America will remain Israel’s “one true friend” and that America’s engagement with the Muslim world will never come at the expense of its support for Israel.
i watched the whole thing and if there was one recurring theme among all the speakers it was simple.
we want a jewish theocracy.
and JESUS CHRIST!!!! THOSE PALS WANT THE RIGHT TO VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We urge the Palestinians to stop expecting us to stop screwing them over behind the scenes. In fact we'd like them to simply a) move to another country or b) kill themselves so we won't have to. It's much easier on us in the international press, and we'll save on bullets and bombs. Why are you guys making us spend all this money. It's anti-Semitism!!!! Oh and please ignore the fact that my father was a terrorist and still makes anit-Arab comments (i.e. anti-Semitic comments).
If Israel can continue to colonize and judaize the west bank with settlements, land confiscations, seperate Israeli roads, and a seperation road, how serious is Israel about creating peace? More importantly, how can the Obama administration be perceived as a neutral broker when it allows Israel to flaunt international law? Anyways, there is nothing left of the west bank to give back to the Palestinians to create a viable state! Palestinians should demand a one state solution like the black South Africans. One man One vote. At least, they will take the higher moral ground and that will resonate around the world. It should be interesting how America will handle the Israeli war crimes resolution in the United Nations?
It is definitely time to dump Rahm Emanuel and get someone in that gives the President better council.
This American "support" of ANYTHING the Israeli GOVERNMENT does as being acceptable is absurd.
The idea that ANY government can do anything they want without retribution is without merit.
Just as in South Africa Apartheid was wrong and immoral. What the Israeli Government is doing to the Palestinian people is immoral and wrong.
As the world stands by, in particular the U.S., and allows (no supports) the Apartheid of the Israeli government to continue, history will look back on our failure to act just as it has upon the acts committed during South Africa Apartheid and Nazi Holocaust when we failed to act.
The US is backing Israel without even knowing what Israel considers is its borders! Emaneuel served in the Israeli army in 1991 — not the US army! He is an Israeli citizen. Each time the US supports Israel in taking more land, whether from Syria, Lebanon or Palestians, the US is encouraging those who resist Israel's conquests to strike the US.
Makes me sick that such an obvious foreign agent has the ear of the president while the demands of unemployed, sick, and discouraged Americans are ignored! How did this happen? How can we get our country back?
In this never ending tale of woe I am cynical of everything and anything, especially the statements of those who promote the policies of Israel. Conventional wisdom would place Mr. Emanuel in this group.
But, I believe that the current aggressive policies of Israel will lead to ruin. Therefor, I am ever hopeful that the Israelis and their friends will realize where their assault on Islam writ large will end and wish to moderate it's unsustainable attack, illegal acquisition and apartheid structure. Will Rahm be the one to cajole and force an end to the confrontative policies of the state built on stolen land?? Probably not, but one can hope untill all the cards are on the table. Who is Obama..?? Who is Rahm..? soon will see these things all too clearly…
Emanuel 's statements of "one true friend" and "will never come at the expense of its support for Israel". assure NO peace in the Middle East. We need to inform Israel that we are opening a full Congressional Investigation into the June 8th 1967 Israeli ATTACK on the USS LIBERTY were Israel Knowingly KILLED 34 and wounded 174 U.S. Servicemen, that Israel machine gunned life rafts placed in the water for wounded. THESE are WAR CRIMES and we are finally going to hold Israel accountable. That would bring peace to the middle east and the world but I must be dreaming, Rahm would never allow such even handedness to occur.
Distraction?
Settlement is the fundamental problem! The theft of their land is both the Palestinians most fundamental grievance and the Israelis number one motive for constantly sabotaging the peace process and provoking terrorist retaliation.
Obama made a Faustian deal when he surrounded himself with wealthy Chicago dual loyalist.
What is there to negotiate? All Israel needs to do is to withdraw from occupied land and dismantle housing units build on the Palestinian land.
"America's engagement with the muslim world will never come at the expense of its support for Israel"…
OF COURSE NOT!!! WHY would America do something stupid like put its own interests first. Thats' what lobbies are for!! Heaven forbid, America should improve relations with 25% of all humanity while foregoing 5-6 million land thieves in a tiny country. Muslims can never expect a fair deal with America and they know it.