Israel shares the burden of US cuts
Israel’s decision to forego U.S. military aid that is set to be cut by the federal budget sequester might be seen as the latest security risk taken by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the sake of appeasing the Obama administration. In fact, Netanyahu’s gesture is aimed beyond the White House, and beyond the present debate, acknowledging that the advent of the Tea Party has changed the future direction of American policy.
Netanyahu is a canny observer of U.S. politics, and both his outgoing and incoming ambassadors to the U.S. have American roots. Newcomer Ron Dermer, who will take over from Michael Oren this fall, has extensive political contacts in U.S. conservative circles that he will have to downplay quickly, but that doubtless inform the counsel he has given Netanyahu in his recent capacity as a senior adviser to the Prime Minister.
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Riyadh, Ankara Call on Al-Qaeda to Declare War on Syrian Kurds
TEHRAN (FNA)- Saudi Arabia and Turkey have ordered Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist groups in Syria to target Syrian Kurds after the latter renewed allegiance to the Damascus government and declared strong opposition to Ankara’s plan for the Kurdish population in the region, media reports said.
The al-Qaeda-linked terrorist groups, the al-Nusra Front and the Sham and Iraq Islamic Emirate, have already started their attacks on the Kurdish regions of Aleppo after Saudi and Turkish governments asked them to do so, the Arabic-language Al-Watan newspaper reported. (Read more…)
Netanyahu’s self-defeating strategy 
Acting like he thinks Israel is doomed without a peace deal, the prime minister encourages the Palestinians not to sign one.
Someone unfamiliar with Israeli politics might think the decision to free 104 Palestinian murderers became inevitable only once the cabinet approved it last week. Those more familiar with Israel’s political dynamics might date it a few weeks earlier, to whenever US Secretary of State John Kerry shamefully decided to demand that Israel do something America would never do itself.
Someone unfamiliar with Israeli politics might think the decision to free 104 Palestinian murderers became inevitable only once the cabinet approved it last week. Those more familiar with Israel’s political dynamics might date it a few weeks earlier, to whenever US Secretary of State John Kerry shamefully decided to demand that Israel do something America would never do itself.
But in truth, it has been inevitable for years – at least since October 20, 2010, which is when I first heard Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu say that Israel couldn’t “survive in the long run without a political settlement.” For once a prime minister convinces himself that the country’s very survival depends on an Israeli-Palestinian agreement, the inexorable consequence is that almost no concession is too high to pay for a deal, or even for the faintest chance of one. He’ll obviously try to get the best deal he can. But ultimately, he’ll feel justified in crawling to any Palestinian demand, even one as wildly unpopular as the prisoner release, to save Israel from the doom he foresees.
CONTINUE TO PREMIUM ZONE
Obama’s fundamental failure on Iran
US president must focus on preventing nuclear Iran regardless of how Israel-PA talks develop
President Obama apparently is at it again. A report has emerged citing an unnamed source, that any effort by the US to curtail Iran’s development of their nuclear program will be directly tied to Israel’s commitment to peace with the Palestinians.
Some of the details remain rather ambiguous. For example, when did Obama communicate this to Prime Minister Netanyahu? Another unknown is whether he’s referring to peace talks taking place, or if they are successful?
While certain details remain unclear, this is not the first time Obama has in essence blackmailed Israel. Virtually the same suggestion was floated early his first term. Along with this, he engaged in some other activities which brought serious strain to relations between the two countries.
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Ted Belman
Jerusalem, Israel
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