Israel Matzav: John Kerry is a bigger fool than you thought

Saturday, December 20, 2014

John Kerry is a bigger fool than you thought

Shavua tov, a good week to everyone.

A European diplomat told Foreign Policy on Friday that US Secretary of State John Kerry has begged the Europeans not to push a negotiations deadline between Israel and the 'Palestinians' at the United Nations before Israel's March 17 elections.

Speaking at an annual luncheon with the 28 European Union ambassadors, Kerry cautioned that any action by the U.N. Security Council would strengthen the hands of Israeli hardliners who oppose the peace process. Kerry left open the possibility that the United States might ultimately support some sort of U.N. Security Council resolution that didn’t prejudge the outcome of stalled political negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians. He didn’t offer any details of what that kind of resolution would have to look like.

“Kerry has been very, very clear that for the United States it was not an option to discuss whatever text before the end of the Israeli election,” according to a European diplomat.

Well, duh. I could have figured that out on my own. But Kerry apparently couldn't.

The diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the luncheon was confidential, said that Kerry explained that Israel’s liberal political leaders, Shimon Peres and Tipzi Livni, had expressed concern that a Security Council move to pressure Israel on the eve of election would only strengthen the hands of Israeli hardliners, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Naftali Bennett, an implacable foe of a Palestinian state and leader of the right-wing Jewish Home party. Netanyahu is also fiercely opposed to the Palestinians effort to secure Security Council backing for its statehood drive.

Kerry said Livni had “told him that such a text imposed by the international community would reinforce Benjamin Netanyahu and the hardliners in Israel,” as well as the hardliners in Palestine, according to the European diplomat.

The message, said another European diplomat, was that U.N. action would “give more impetus to more right-wing parties, that there was a risk this could further embolden the more right-wing forces along the Israeli political spectrum.”

And when word of this story reached Israel after the Sabbath ended, our politicians reacted with fury... at Livni (There's nothing we can do about Peres anymore. He's supposed to have been put out to pasture).

"Tzipi Livni has hit rock-bottom in political subversion," Bennett stated, "by going behind the back of the sitting government to help schedule operations that will harm Israel and doing everything to hurt Bibi / Bennett."

"With all due respect, Livni's interests do not come before the state's interests, and demanding that an attack on Israel fit her schedule crosses a red line," he continued. "According to Livni, Israel is a country full of apologies, which is governed by political interests."

"I look forward to opposition leader [and Labor head - ed.] MK Yitzhak Herzog - whose intentions I sincerely appreciate - disciplining Tzipi Livni, who over the past few days has abandoned the state entirely and contributed to an atmosphere of incitement, and who is anarchic and dangerous to his campaign."

...

"This shows that the sole interest of Livni and Herzog is to replace Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who as a bulwark against the [international] dictates and Palestinian pressure," the Likud party stated in an official statement Saturday night. It added that they are willing to make "dangerous withdrawals" and "fold to international pressure."

"This election campaign has crossed all red lines," Likud MK Ofir Akunis stated Saturday night. "Ms. Livni failed negotiations with the Palestinians, [which] has been going on for years, and now gives advice to [the] American foreign minister, only to promote her personal political interests."

"This is further proof that Livni and Herzog prefer to advance their political interests over Israel's national interests, and they are dangerous to Israel," he added.

MK Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home) wrote on Facebook that the move is "Leftist subversion."
"They asked to postpone cases ambush on Israel not because it is not good for the country, but that it is not good for the Left in the elections," Shaked fired. "This is unprecedented."

Meanwhile, Livni says she's just doing Netanyahu's job.

"I turned to Kerry to safeguard the interests of the State of Israel, to prevent the world's coercion of Palestinian demands on Israel," Livni insisted. "I'm glad I did it and I'm glad that things I do have an impact on the world, what can not be said about Prime Minister [Binyamin] Netanyahu."

Livni then took her criticism one step further, taking the multiple statements by diplomats that she turned to Kerry to prevent Netanyahu and Economics Minister and Jewish Home Chairman Naftali Bennett from getting votes and claiming instead that they should "thank" her for doing their job for them.