The Israeli decision to build Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territory of East Jerusalem referred to as E1, according to Atlantic columnist Jeffrey Goldberg, prompted Obama to sharply criticize Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in private.
According to the New York Times, the bulk of the new housing units Israel has plans for are set to be built “in a controversial area of East Jerusalem known as E1, where Jewish settlements have long been seen as the death knell for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
The settlement would connect Jerusalem and the illegal Jewish settlement of Maale Adumim, and “therefore make it impossible to connect the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem to Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem.”
“When informed about the Israeli decision, Obama, who has a famously contentious relationship with the prime minister, didn’t even bother getting angry,” Goldberg writes. “He told several people that this sort of behavior on Netanyahu’s part is what he has come to expect, and he suggested that he has become inured to what he sees as self-defeating policies of his Israeli counterpart.”
According to Goldberg, in the weeks after the UN vote on Palestine’s status, Obama said “privately and repeatedly” that, “Israel doesn’t know what its own best interests are.”
“With each new settlement announcement, in Obama’s view, Netanyahu is moving his country down a path toward near-total isolation,” Goldberg adds.
It may be true that Israel’s hardline policies towards the Palestinians are not in its own best interests, but the so-called “path toward near-total isolation” will always be “near” and not “total” so long as Washington continues to blindly back every Israeli action, no matter how illegal or egregious.
Even if Goldberg’s account of Obama’s reaction is true, the administration has done nothing to actually pressure Israel in a better direction. Much the opposite: by publicly stating the US doesn’t support the new Israeli settlement, but continuing to send aid, weapons and diplomatic support for everything Israel does, the US ensures the continuation of such policies.
people think settlements are popular in israel…. they are not. there is a lobby for them, but the majority despise the subsidies and the security "issues" that come with a swiss cheese west bank (wasting money "protecting" them, but more often, protecting settler outposts and settler rampages and messing with the occupied palestinians). forget the immorality/illegality of the settlements, which some israelis do care about, but most do not.
as lobbies in israel, and popular opinion, do not EXPLAIN the settlements, much less their continual expansion…. there is one prime explanation for them-
they are laying the groundwork with people and bases and "security", for a REPEAT of 1948, where israel, under the cover of war likely (and/or a promoted violent intifada), will attempt another massive expulsion of palestinians.
if and when they do this, israel will put the final nail in its coffin. most mobile israelis will leave the fascist and (more) horrid state. the world will finally isolate israel like south africa, and the effed up neo-colonial ethnic nationalist state will collapse under its own over-reach (revisionist expansionist zionism). sadly, many will die and suffer before this point.
[as an FYI, there is no viable threat to settlers except the rare lone/fringe attack. there are *many* 24/7 shared roads, where palestinians could attack and kill settlers. they do not, as they have given up armed struggle in the west bank, and fatah works with israel/mossad/shin bet. i have lived in israel, and the west bank.]
When and if Israel collapses, what I fear is the crazy people in charge (Lieberman et al) and the Samson option.
Why would that be a bad thing?After all, Samson made an example for History that is still talked about 6000 years later. Maybe this is a good reason to remove US forces from Israel's neighborhood so we don't become collateral damage from Samson II.
i agree jaime… the "mad dog" image israel has made, is possibly more than just an image. we/the world may call their bluff in a number of years, but the scary thing is, they may not be bluffing. with 200++ nukes, and german nuclear armed subs (and i can pretty safely assume, a WMD placed already in many major cities for safe keeping; their use, if used, more likely blamed on the 'other')?
pushing for justice in palestine has an armageddon ring to it. but ef it, i'll push anyways! 😉
FYI great alan hart interview just yesterday on kevin barrett's radio show. see 2nd hour (ignore and skip the lame commercials)- http://www.americanfreedomradio.com/archive/Truth…
"people think settlements are popular in israel…. they are not. there is a lobby for them, but the majority despise the subsidies and the security "issues""
Really? So then… you think Netanyhu will lose the election next week because his policies are not popular? I'm not holding my breath.
Now that you spouted the Likud apoligist line how about some facts.
Israel is in the midst of a relative boom and the immorality of their settler policy has about as much effect as the morality of our foreign policy (drones, starving out civilians in Iraq and Iran via sanctions, then bombing etc) has on our general population. Netanyahu, a man who proved what a crooked politician he was a generation ago when he would have made Nixon blush will win in a relative landslide now that he has the Avigdor Liberman fanatics on his side. They were miffed if you remember because he gave up Hebron to the Palestinians in order to get a deal with the more moderate parties. Those days are past. No longer any need now that Netanyahu has congress sowed up.
I don't know what I am afraid of the most: the Israeli leaders or the people that support the former's criminal policies.
yes i am so much the likud line, buddy…. more like i prefer one state and the right of return, and will openly note that likud is fascism *light*, and bibi and barak were architects (with US allies) on 9/11 ITSELF (a false flag). although as israel is not getting in line at all with any sense of morality, let alone international law, i support withdrawal of ALL US aid to israel, and political cover…. and in turn a unilateral boycott.
i am just pointing out the absurdity of certain policies, in the light of certain actual polls and sentiments among a sig portion of israelis. 20% of israelis are also palestinian, btw.
the same analysis applies to the USA, wrt a gov not in line with many sentiments of the populace, and the gov and corporate power centers skewing the public towards views they hold which are antithetical to their most basic interests. btw, if you fail to see the human element in any society, and the degree to which all nations and peoples are propagandized, you can eff off.
i'm an ally, maybe more than you know, from your misreading of my comment.
the US and israel were the main architects of 9/11. there were other players and power structures in play, but it was basically the US and israel……
nuf said? get it? http://911dust.com/context/false-flags/
And it is time that America and Obama learned that the 'best interests of America" should be to STOP slavishly supporting Isreal on their way to creating a HELL in the Middle East.
President Obama knows what he is talking about.
well given that he lives in DC, he should have plenty of experience of windbags, egomaniacs and paltroons on the take, by now
and being one himself
The hell that Israel have created in Middle East is due to the support the racist apartheid regime of Israel been receiving for last 60 years.., if U.S or EU would have understand that they would have been better off now so as the world…, so is not the question of Israel knowing what is best for Israel.., Israel will never obey the rules or the principals of any kind…, it is also the fact with EU and U.S governments to stop their blindly support for Israel and stop repeating the same mistakes they been making for last 100 years.
Libs like Obama always profess to know what is best for everyone else. Typical nanny state liberals, whether on a local, national, or international level. Obama needs to cut this crap out and talk solely about what is best for the USA. If he wants to say "Israel should do x, y and z because that is what is in US Interests and we expect them to carry out US Interests as we are supporting them with $3B/yr", then fine. He is entitled to say that. He is not entitled to tell them what they should do for their own good. Let the Israelis figure out what is best for them. And if they are wrong, that's their problem..