Clinton's climbdown
Buried deep in a Times of London column on the Middle East (co-authored by one Uzi Mahnaimi), comes word of an attempt to get Hillary Clinton down from the tree she scampered up called a 'settlement freeze.' Obama demanded that Israel halt the construction of settlements on Palestinian land, but he avoided repeating Clinton’s stronger language that this be without exception - “not some settlements, not outposts, not natural growth exceptions”, she said - which has left him little room for diplomacy.One would think that a 'diplomat' like Clinton would know better. But apparently, in the Obama administration, the best way to enhance one's status to display venom toward Israel.
“What if they don’t take more land but build up and put another storey on a building? The administration has put itself in a difficult position,” said David Schenker, a former Pentagon official now based at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
The demand for an outright settlement freeze has put Obama on a collision course with Binyamin Netanyahu, the right-wing Israeli prime minister. “There will be no agreement on this unless the Americans soften their stance,” a source close to Netanyahu said.
Ian Kelly, Clinton’s own spokesman, retreated from her blunt comment at a briefing. “We’re not focusing on adding rooms for new babies or any kind of natural growth of the settlements. We’re focusing on creating the conditions where we can get a lasting solution to this problem,” he said.
Kelly’s comment represented a climbdown for Clinton, whose influence and status have been lessened by the appointment of seasoned, high-profile envoys such as Mitchell to the Middle East and Richard Holbrooke to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
What could go wrong?
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:55 PM
10 Comments:
In the end, the US will have to live with existing settlements and accept Israel's pledge not to build new ones. All President Obama and Secretary Clinton have done is to spend American political capital on what is a non issue with nothing to show for it. Its hard to understand why they picked a fight on the issue in the first place when they had a lot of other issues on which the US could have had more leverage with Israel.
And a US climbdown here will weaken the US' ability to deliver Israel to the Arabs. In view of that, the US now has to wait and see what Prime Minister Netanyahu's peace vision is going to be, which in the details will differ significantly from that offered by President Obama in Cairo.
Now its time for some Hopenchange, Israel-style.
Heh
In today's Baltimore Sun a Jerusalem neighbor of yours, Aron Raskas, also an attorney, lays out the historic, Jewish and moral case for the revanants in Yesha. Two quotes are instructive in what in what he writes to appreciate the context:
Given this history, the rights of the Jewish people in these lands are rich, historic and firmly enshrined. While negotiations about sharing this land may be necessary for the sake of peace, they cannot proceed from a premise that these are "Palestinian lands" or occupied "Palestinian territory." They are, at most, "disputed territories."
Indeed, the Oslo Accords firmly recognized the issue of "settlements" as one of the "final status" issues to be addressed by negotiation after other, less difficult, issues were resolved.
Nowhere in the Oslo Accords are settlements prohibited nor it is suggested Jews do not have the basic moral right to live in the land of their forefathers.
There's more in the article under the title:
Settlements Are No Threat
The closing quote sums up the picture better than any comment of mine I could put up:
The thousands of young children who frequent the Rimonim pool look to the future like children anywhere. They seek only to grow up in peace, experience the joys of youth with sufficient room in their homes and schools and, ultimately, have the right to raise families in the communities that nurtured them from birth.
There is no morally sound reason for the Obama administration to challenge these basic rights.
Indeed.
Read it all.
Hard core Jews knew the real Hillary.
She is ust showing her true Suha kissing colors
Not that I expect it to happen but if Hilary had an ounce of integrity, she would resign as SOS. She was selected by Obama only as a bone to her supporters and she has since been completely triangulated and marginalized via Obama's placement of Jones, Power, and Mitchell in key operative posts.
She could resign with a flourish citing her political differences with Obama. When his dark fantasies of a world without Israel collapse in failure, she would be well-positioned to pick up the pieces with a run in 2012.
Carl,
/The Uzi Mahnaimi?
Feh.
Figures that he wrote this.
Powers is better looking than Clinton. Each time Carl puts up that Hillary picture, I almost loose my cookies. Powers/Clinton... is there a difference without a distinction? Clinton seems the hothead, but not very diplomatic. She, Hillary, could actually be the better choice from Israel's perspective, as she over-reaches like in health care, and now with Israel. Diplomats should give the 'illusion' of neutrality. Mitchell is a good example... he's probably pro-arab, but he doesn't explode like Hillary. Kurtzer, the same, very professional in his demeanor and of course Abba Eban-who was a wonderful professional diplomat: Hillary is just a loathsome pol.... She is no Bill.
Joseph's tomb is the most important reason for the revenants.
If there is no Jewish presence at a holy site, the arabs will destroy it.
I would advise my Israeli friends not to worry too much about what Hillary says or does. It's practically just a moot point whatever Hillary has to say. You can be assured that Hussein Obama & Co. intend to continue (and increase in any way possible) their effective marginalization of Hillary and Bill.
IMO, this marginalization of the wretched Hillary and her husband is one of the very few good things that the Hussein Obama Admin. has done.
Why do I think Hillary doesn't matter in the so-called Middle East peace process?
Note that on all major foreign matters-Iraq, Afghanistan, Middle East "peace", Hussein Obama has appointed people with various titles and authority to oversee, manage and deal with others-and all these people report directly to Hussein Obama, not to Hillary or anyone else in the State Dept.
That means whatever happens diplomacy-wise, Hillary will not be involved with the real empowered Hussein Obama Admin. figures. Basically, they've cut her down to a talking head, obnoxious but powerless. Hill & Bill, the only potential rivals for control of the Democratic Party and threat to his renomination, have been neutered.
Israel has real cause for grave concern about Hussein Obama & Co. but Hillary is just annoying static. Look elsewhere. Watch Hussein Obama and these other top level appointees reporting directly to him.
NormanF,
Saw that article a couple of days ago somewhere else - I don't recall where. Maybe American Thinker?
Biorabbi,
Watch the video of Samantha Powers saying the US should send troops(!) to force Israel to create a 'Palestinian state' and I guarantee you, you won't care what she looks like anymore. I've embedded it several times - search under her name.
Right, Carl. If Shrillary is pushed out, the despicable, irrational Powers might get the job. Better the devil you know...
In any case, Shrillary has royally screwed any thoughts she had of running for POTUS in the future. She curried favor with NY Jews as a senator - despite her very telling , repulsive behavior with hideous Suha. Now with her Aztec two-step on Israel and making a big brouhaha out of the settlements and the letters, she's finished. She'll have to join the ACLU or ACORN or Code Pink for any future employment.
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