No one expects America to put Israel in the next axis of evil category, but what is going on is the most dramatic diplomatic fallout since Kissinger demanded Israel pull out of the Sinai peninsula and give it back to Egypt. Not only did Biden "condemn" Israeli action, but the Israeli ambassador was called in and reprimanded with a letter of disapproval which has never happened before, and then Hillary Clinton got on the phone and basically laid it thick on the Israeli prime minister, and then Obama's top advisers went on the Sunday talk shows and escalated drama by rebuking Israel in very harsh terms.
And today we learned Hillary Clinton not only lectured Netanyahu in that 45 minute conversation, but she gave him demands he has to comply with. I got 4 of those demands from a Jewish paper and one of them includes the fact Israel must renege on its approval to build in East Jerusalem even though Netanyahu publicly he would not. But Hillary told him to comply with every single one of these demands which also includes releasing many Palestinian prisoners from prison.
All of this was done without Obama getting involved personally and today the Israeli lobby in the U.S....the groups we thought were so big and bad are screaming from the sidelines. Walle way is ceebeeyeen. If they had real power, they would have influenced privately not protest the "escalated rhetoric" from public view with so much public suspicion surrounding them. I have never laughed harder than at their little condemnation.Haaretz has learned that Clinton's list includes at least four steps the United States expects Netanyahu to carry out to restore confidence in bilateral relations and permit the resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians.
1. Investigate the process that led to the announcement of the Ramat Shlomo construction plans in the middle of Biden's visit. The Americans seek an official response from Israel on whether this was a bureaucratic mistake or a deliberate act carried out for political reasons. Already on Saturday night, Netanyahu announced the convening of a committee to look into the issue.
2. Reverse the decision by the Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee to approve construction of 1,600 new housing units in Ramat Shlomo.
3. Make a substantial gesture toward the Palestinians enabling the renewal of peace talks. The Americans suggested that hundreds of Palestinian prisoners be released, that the Israel Defense Forces withdraw from additional areas of the West Bank and transfer them to Palestinian control, that the siege of the Gaza Strip be eased and further roadblocks in the West Bank be removed.
4. Issue an official declaration that the talks with the Palestinians, even indirect talks, will deal with all the conflict's core issues - borders, refugees, Jerusalem, security arrangements, water and settlements.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1156467.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/1 ... 98947.html
Kii xumaa Abraham Foxman meelaha kale ka akhriya
