National Security Adviser Susan Rice today insisted that the Obama Administration expects the incoming Israeli government to both endorse a two-state solution and to be sincere about it.
This is in spite of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu running on a policy explicitly opposed to a two-state solution, and likely coalition partner Neftali Bennett saying he wouldn’t join any government that isn’t opposed to Palestinian statehood.
US officials have reportedly warned they will “reevalutate” their policy toward Israel, likely a reference to their unconditional backing at the UN, if Israel doesn’t demonstrate a “genuine commitment” to the peace process.
This has long been a difficult balancing act for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who for years has had to placate even more hawkish coalition partners with moves hostile toward the Palestinians, while trying to keep up the pretense of support for peace enough to keep the US satisfied.
Historically this has meant making no progress on peace, blaming the Palestinians, and expanding the settlements, though the White House seems to be increasingly unsatisfied with that policy.
"…expects the incoming Israeli government to both endorse a two-state solution and to be sincere about it."
Seriously?!?!! WTF is she smoking? Netanyahoo could not have been more direct in his disdain for the 2-state solution and the Palestinian people and, as noted, his potential "partners" are even more vitriolic than he is.
I believe the National Security Adviser to the President should be at all times talking facts, not wishes and hope so's. If the NSA can't or won't deal in facts then they are worthless though some of them were worthless even telling the truth.
What is it with Obama – he has surrounded himself with unqualified women. Was this to make sure he leaves a positive historical mark for hiring women – and black women? I guess you have to stack the deck when there is nothing else you can point to as positive in your legacy.
Be that as it may, they're much more qualified than the white men in Bush's administration.
@Liberal: Bush's are gone…Obama's are here now. Let's deal with the evil that can still harm us instead of those who are not, eh?
The whole Israel issue is being cleaverly used by the Republican far right to split the Jewish vote in the US and syphon off enough Jewish voters who have traditinally leaned Demoratic…to tip the election to the GOP who are even bigger war mongers than the Democrats, and the Democrats are pretty bad. It should be obvious what the strategy is here!
When that happens, watch WWIII break out. There are all too many potential flash points that they can provoke a major confrontation/escalation which is exactly what they want, from Ukraine, Israel/Palestine, Yemen, Iran, Syria….all of the above…
These people, ….on our side…are twisted, sick and extremely dangerous. Meanwhile, all the warmongers have, through investments in defence contractors, all positioned themselves to profit from increases in defence spending. Follow the money!! It's all about money and power.
The twist is that once WWIII is started, there won't be anywhere to spend their money or wield their power because the sane people left will be hunting them down for retribution, with extreme prejudice…and they won't be able to hide in the million dollar penthouses on the upper east side or their ranches in Texas. There are more of us than there are of them…hopefully they understand the math.
" the White House seems to be increasingly unsatisfied with that policy"
That misses the key point. The American Jewish community seems to be increasingly unsatisfied with that policy. Not the old line AIPAC types, but the actual community of American Jews sees this as a disaster in the making, and as just wrong.
The White House simply would not pay the political price of confronting the American Jewish community. The White House will only go along with the vast majority of opinion. If that confronts the old line leadership, the White House might do that, but not more.
The key here is that it is seen in America for what it is, by many American Jews who before did not see that, and in particular by their children and young adults.