Israel Matzav

Obama trying to undermine Bibi again?

There's more evidence that President Obama is attempting to undermine Prime Minister Netanyahu, or at least trying to undermine his coalition. Obama offered Israel's Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, $205 million toward the deployment of Israel's questionable Iron Dome missile defense system this week after Barak hinted at the need to 'broaden' Netanyahu's coalition. The only way Netanyahu's coalition could be 'broadened' would be if Kadima became part of it.

U.S. President Barack Obama said he will ask Congress to approve $205 million for the controversial Iron Dome anti-missile system that at least one expert has called a "scam." The president’s move comes shortly after the return of Defense Minister Ehud Barak from a warm welcome in Washington and Barak's repeated hints at weakening the Likud’s dominance in the coalition.

The Iron Dome system is touted as being able to stop rockets from Gaza and Lebanon, but by all accounts, it cannot intercept primitive and short-range Kassam rockets that explode within two miles of firing and within 20 seconds of detection.

The missile program has faced budgetary obstacles in Israel, and the timing of the Pentagon announcement of President Obama’s request comes a few days after Barak’s audible suggestions that the Netanyahu government needs to be widened.

White House officials have denied that President Obama has been trying to undermine Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and cause his coalition to collapse in favor of Kadima leader Tzipi Livni.

...

Since Barak’s return, he has frankly stated at least twice that widening the coalition would help advance the process for creating a new country headed by the Palestinian Authority, a high priority issue for President Obama.

American aid of $205 million for the Iron Dome program would be a political coup for Barak, whose Labor party has only 13 seats in the coalition and is internally divided.

Suffice it to say that Barak did not have to enter the White House through the back door this time, and did not have to wait while Obama went to dinner with his family.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:07 PM