Obama administration threatens to boycott Netanyahu
Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are trying to ratchet up the pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Obama, who will be in Indonesia when Netanyahu reaches Washington on Sunday, has threatened that members of his administration will not meet with Netanyahu while he is in Washington unless the crisis is 'resolved' (i.e. Netanyahu caves in to Clinton's and Obama's demands). Netanyahu has meetings scheduled with Vice President Biden and Secretary of State Clinton while he is in Washington. The US, during Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s conversation with Netanyahu on Friday, reportedly demanded that Israel stop the Ramat Shlomo projects in northern Jerusalem, make confidence-building gestures to the Palestinians, and agree that the proximity talks with the Palestinian Authority will deal with core issues of borders, refugees and Jerusalem, and not just technical issues.A 'compromise' proposed by Israeli President Shimon Peres has apparently already been rejected by Netanyahu's inner cabinet.
Channel 2 reported on Wednesday night that the administration told Netanyahu that until a response to these requests had been received, he would not be able to meet any high level US officials on his upcoming trip to Washington to address the American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference.
Prior to the explosion of the Ramat Shlomo issue last week, Netanyahu was expected to meet with both Clinton and Biden during his visit. Now neither meeting is confirmed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been presented with a new proposal according to which construction in Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem that are located behind the Green Line will be reduced, while Jewish construction in Arab neighborhoods will be frozen altogether, Ynet reported Thursday.I think Netanyahu has to make another Bar Ilan speech and rally the country behind him. A united Jerusalem under Israeli control is an issue on which nearly all Jewish Israelis agree. Netanyahu has to lead and not be pushed around.
A similar proposal was brought before the "forum of seven ministers," but was apparently rejected by right-wing members of cabinet. President Shimon Peres, who met with EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton on Thursday, supports the proposal.
Jewish construction in east Jerusalem has gained momentum since Mayor Nir Barkat took office.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:25 PM
4 Comments:
Ohhhh, pleeeeeeeeease, Bibi, please don't cave. Stand up to these Israel-hating bullies!
Yes. He desperately needs to make another Bar Ilan speech - this time, WITHOUT concessions. Concessions only make things worse.
just say the world, FUCK OFF.
Quit all peace talks, if the enemy attacks then retaliate 100 times harder.
i'm just tired of this bullshit of "peace talks" that are nothing but israel giving something and reciving TERROR as payment.
as jewish, i'm really tired of the world. i'm tired of being the world scapegoat, i'm tired of discussing.
you know what, if the world don't like it, let them remove their embassies from israel. and cut the relations.
quit the useless U.N.
demostrate the world that we are not longer lambs to the slaughterhouse.
I think Netanyahu has to make clear Israel's sovereignty over Jerusalem is not open to discussion and the right of Jews to live in their capital is no body else's business. Israel will never relinquish it and will never impede its people's freedom - even for the sake of better relations with the world. This is the principle the Jews fought against Rome in two wars in antiquity. Freedom is a birthright and is not to be sold or bartered away and in its absence, death preferable to anything else in life.
That is what Netanyahu ought to tell the country and the world. No other people has bled and died for Jerusalem like the Jewish people and it will never be taken away from them again. The world can take it or they can leave it.
The Obama administration, the UN and the rest of the world is correct. Unless Israel stops building Jewish housing in Arab East Jerusalem then they should be completely cut off of funding from the US. Netanyahu has made it clear he opposes peace talks. The carrot has not worked, it is time to use the stick.
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