Israel Matzav

When Israel attacks Iran, blame Obama

Jed Babbin explains that Israel is going to attack Iran's nuclear program - barring a miracle at a likely Obama - Netanyahu meeting during Netanyahu's visit to Washington for the AIPAC conference - because the Obama administration has left us no choice (Hat Tip: Ricky G).

Since Obama took office, Israel has learned to suspect America, not trust it. Obama's Islam-centric foreign policy has broken the link between Israel and the United States. There is no common policy on Iran that could have resulted in coordinated statements by Barak and Panetta.

The personal hostility between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the public face of deep disagreements. Their enmity became open after Obama had demanded Israeli-Palestinian negotiations based on the pre-1967 war borders. Last May, Netanyahu schooled Obama before the television cameras after a rocky private White House meeting. A visibly angry Obama shifted uncomfortably in his chair during Netanyahu's compelling lecture. Netanyahu's subsequent speech before a joint session of Congress amplified the clear break between the two men.

Since then, Obama, Panetta, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey have attempted to dissuade Israel from any military action against Iran. But the only result has been that Israel's distrust of the Obama administration has grown to the point that Israel will not tell Obama what it plans. Panetta himself has worked to heighten that distrust. Last December, he blamed Israel for the lack of talks with the Palestinians, admonishing Israel to "Just get to the damn table."

In effect, by its feckless actions and pressure on Israel but not Israel's enemies, Obama has deprived Israel of options other than war. Continued sanctions against Iran have been met with defiance from Iran and dissembling from its allies. Iraq is apparently planning to help Iran avoid a pending embargo on Iranian oil by shipping Iranian oil from its ports, hiding its origin. (That plan may be only symbolic, because the construction of planned pipelines delivering oil and gas from Iran to Iraq's export center are not scheduled to be finished until 2014.) The European embargo of Iranian oil is months away, and may never happen.

Read the whole thing.

Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Binyamin Netanyahu, Iranian nuclear threat

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:50 PM