Obama and Israel are not on the same page
By Morton Klein · August 16, 2011
PHILADELPHIA (JTA) — It’s high time to face an unpleasant fact: President Obama and Israel are not on the same page.
This has been true ever since Obama took office in January 2009, but it was most recently apparent this May when the president ambushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with an adversarial speech the day before Netanyahu’s U.S. visit by advocating that Israel return to the pre-1967 armistice lines (with mutually agreed swaps).
Obama’s speech meant that Israel cannot keep the Jewish neighborhoods of eastern Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, the Western Wall or the major settlement blocs without Palestinian Authority approval. No previous U.S. president ever took this position.
Neither has any previous president ever suggested, as Obama has, that the issues of “territory and security” should be agreed upon first, and only then should the issues of Arab refugees and Jerusalem’s status be decided. Thus in...
At least 7 dead, 33 hurt in terror attacks near Eilat
Just after I wrote Sinai was going to be a bigger problem than Gaza.
Special police forces, IDF soldiers kill 7 terrorists involved in attacks; series of bombs go off near IDF patrol along border with Egypt, gunmen fire on bus, private car; IDF soldiers among casualties.
At least six people were reported dead and at least 25 injured in a three-stage terrorist attack along Israel’s border with Egypt on Thursday, which began when terrorists opened fire at an Egged bus traveling on Road 12 near Eilat.
Several minutes later, a number of bombs went off next to an IDF patrol traveling along the border with Egypt. There were also reports of mortar fire from Egypt into Israel. The terrorists apparently then moved on to another spot and fired an anti-tank missile at another vehicle, injuring a number of passengers.
Magen David Adom said that terrorists attacked a bus and a private vehicle 20 kilometers north of the site of the first incident. Paramedics said...
If Israel Fails to Extend Sovereignty to Yesha…
Professor Hillel Weiss, inn
If Israel does not extend sovereignty
The initiative led by groups on Israel’s political Right to promote the application of the sovereignty of the State of Israel to Judea and Samaria is welcome as long as they do not intend just to “make right-wing noises” and to be content with extending Israel’s sovereignty to the larger Jewish communities there and to some of the access roads – this, so as not to clash with the position adopted by the Prime Minister, according to which Jews outside those communities will either have to flee to the large blocs or live under Arab rule.
Every indication given by the Israeli government shows that it is still ready and even anxious for multi-lateral negotiations whose certain outcome will be the eventual dissolution of the State of Israel.
Netanyahu is going easy on the boycott sponsors...
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Ted Belman
Jerusalem, Israel
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