Oh my: British PM Theresa May in 'unprecedented' attack on US over Kerry speech
In what's being called an 'unprecedented' attack, British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday issued a
blistering rebuke of US Secretary of State John Kerry's ranting attack on Israel on Wednesday.
A spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said it was inappropriate of Mr Kerry, America's top diplomat, to attack the make-up of the democratically-elected Israeli government – a key ally of both the US and Britain.
Downing Street also rebuked Mr Kerry for focusing on the single issue of Israeli settlements and not the whole conflict.
Intervening in the increasingly hostile international dispute today, a spokesman for the British Prime Minister said: 'We do not... believe that the way to negotiate peace is by focusing on only one issue, in this case the construction of settlements, when clearly the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians is so deeply complex.
'And we do not believe that it is appropriate to attack the composition of the democratically-elected government of an ally.'
'The Government believes that negotiations will only succeed when they are conducted between the two parties, supported by the international community.'
It echoes Mr Netanyahu's riposte yesterday when he accused the US Secretary of State of being skewed against Israel' and talking 'obsessively' about settlements.
Mind you, Britain was one of the 14 countries that voted in favor of UN Security Council Resolution 2334 last Friday, so why are they now attacking Kerry?
Apparently because they think he went too far.
And Britain is not the only country who went after Kerry today. So did
Australia's Julie Bishop.
In a statement released on Thursday, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop
said Australia was not currently a member of the Security Council and
was not eligible to vote on the resolution.
However, she said, "in voting at the UN, the Coalition government has
consistently not supported one-sided resolutions targeting Israel".
She
urged both sides to refrain from steps that damage the prospect for
peace and to "resume direct negotiations for a two-state solution as
soon as possible".
Meanwhile, in the US, it's not just President Elect Donald Trump who has been tweeting up a storm in support of Israel. So have many Representatives and Senators
from Kerry's own party (and of course from the Republican party).
“While he may not have intended it, I fear Secretary Kerry, in his speech and action at the U.N., has emboldened extremists on both sides,” said Senator Chuck Schumer, the incoming Senate Democratic leader.
A
bipartisan chorus of lawmakers, upset with President Obama’s decision
last week to allow the passage of a United Nations resolution condemning Israel’s construction of settlements in disputed territory, made clear that they were looking past the departing administration.
Senator
Benjamin L. Cardin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Foreign
Relations Committee, said he shared Mr. Kerry’s concerns “with the lack
of forward progress on a two-state solution.” But Mr. Cardin also said
he was unhappy that Mr. Obama had not vetoed the United Nations
resolution, instead abstaining from the vote. He pledged to “explore
congressional action that can mitigate the negative implications” of it.
The most ardent supporters of Israel in Congress seemed just as liberated as Mr. Kerry was to let loose.
“Secretary
Kerry’s speech today was at best a pointless tirade in the waning days
of an outgoing administration,” said Senator John McCain, Republican of
Arizona. “At worst, it was another dangerous outburst that will further
Israel’s diplomatic isolation and embolden its enemies.”
Representative
Eliot L. Engel of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign
Affairs Committee, called Mr. Kerry’s speech “gratuitous” and “wrong.”
“There doesn’t seem any purpose to this other than to embarrass Israel,”
Mr. Engel said. “It just pained me to watch it.”
Democratic
members of Congress who are closer to Mr. Kerry, a former senator, and
the Obama administration were more measured. Many had been angered by
Mr. Netanyahu’s decision last year to accept an invitation from the
Republican-led House to deliver a speech in the Capitol, where he
confronted the president over the Iran nuclear accord.
Yet
even these Democrats — eyeing the arrival of a Republican
administration-in-waiting that has vowed strong support for Israel —
left little doubt that they were parting ways with Mr. Obama on the
substance of the United Nations resolution.
Senator
Bill Nelson of Florida, who is facing re-election in 2018, said he knew
why Mr. Kerry was frustrated over the settlements, which he called an
“impediment toward a negotiated two-state solution.” But he was quick to
note that he was among the 88 senators who signed a letter months ago
opposing the sort of United Nations resolution on Israel that the
Security Council approved last week.
Hopefully the reactions in Congress will keep the Obama administration from saddling Israel with their 'peace plan.' Perhaps this picture says it best.
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Ben Cardin, Bill Nelson, Charles Schumer, Eliot Engel, John Kerry, John McCain, Julie Bishop, Theresa May, United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334
Khameni: The 'superpowers' of the West have surrendered to Iran; Oren pleads with Congress to reject sellout
Shavua tov, a good week to everyone. I am still in Boston.
Iran's Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan delivered a speech last Sunday (translation posted on Friday by MEMRI), in which he haled the
surrender of the 'superpowers' of the West to Iran.
At an armed forces general command ceremony on August 30, 2015, Iranian
Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said: "Today, Iran has attained such
status that the superpowers have surrendered to it, because of its
majesty, its steadfastness, its resistance, and its unity. Despite their
great pride, the regime of the arrogance [the West, led by the U.S.]
sat humbly behind the negotiating table and obeyed the rights of the
Iranian nation."[1]
Sadly, he's correct. Former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren has issued a plea to Congress to
reject President Hussein Obama's sellout to a nuclear-armed Iran.
Ariel and Romi face 100,000 rockets — more than possessed by all of NATO
— supplied by Iran to Hezbollah. Currently, many of these rockets can
be intercepted by Iron Dome, the Israeli-designed and American-financed
anti-ballistic system. But Iran wants to upgrade Hezbollah’s rockets
into guided missiles capable of eluding Iron Dome and striking our
military bases, electrical grids, and airport. Only the sanctions have
prevented Iran from funding the upgrade. But since the nuclear deal
fails to compel Iran to cease threatening to destroy Israel, the
hundreds of billions of dollars in sanctions relief can help Hezbollah
realize that goal. Before they are old enough to sprint, Ariel and Romi
may well be rushed by their parents into shelters while missiles
paralyze their state.
Israel will, of course, do its utmost to
protect my grandchildren, but its ability to do so will be hindered by
the Iranian deal. As the arms embargo on Iran wanes, the Islamic
Republic will equip its allies — not only Hezbollah in Lebanon, but also
Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza — with the world’s most advanced
weaponry. Shielded by its newly-purchased Chinese jet fighters and
Russian anti-aircraft system, Iran can also attack Israel with hundreds
of Shehab missiles, each packing a ton of TNT. To defeat the terrorists
and defend its home front, Israel can mobilize tens of thousands of
reservists, including Romi and Ariel’s fathers. But the nuclear deal may
reduce the chances of their safe return.
The nuclear deal grants the oppressive Iranian
regime, which is acting to overthrow pro-Western governments throughout
the Middle East, with unquestioned legitimacy. Iranian forces are
advancing to the south, east, and north of Israel, and have tried to
launch attacks against Israeli civilians from the Golan Heights, a short
drive from my grandchildren’s homes.
By the time they enter kindergarten, Romi and
Ariel will be even more perilously surrounded. Yet the West which views
Iran as a “very successful regional power” is unlikely to break that
stranglehold. On the contrary, to support the Palestinians and the
growing BDS movement, many of the same countries that freed Iran from
sanctions may be imposing them on Israel.
Condemned to endure the very war that the
nuclear deal was supposed to prevent, Ariel and Romi will grow up with
little hope of peace. The deal strengthens those Palestinians most
opposed to peace and deepens Israeli fears that creating a Palestinian
state will merely furnish Iran with another base for launching rocket
attacks. The American credibility essential to mediating and
guaranteeing peace will also have vanished. Having falsely promised that
Iran will never possess the right to enrich uranium and retain
underground facilities, Israelis and other Middle East partners will
unlikely place their trust in the United States.
And by the time Ariel enters middle school and
Romi celebrates her Bat Mitzvah, Iran will almost certainly be a
nuclear power. By submitting false specimens from secret sites to the UN
and repeatedly exploiting the minimum 24-day delay in international
inspections, Iran can cheat its way to weapons-grade uranium. Or it can
wait out the ten-year period, develop centrifuges capable of enriching
uranium at twenty times the current rate, and emerge the following day
with enough fissile material for two hundred bombs. Weaponizing —
forging a warhead and the intercontinental missile to carry it — will be
no obstacle for Iran, for all of its military activity is exempted from
the deal.
...
Advocates of the Iran deal must ask themselves one question. Would they
support it if the lives of their children and grandchildren depended on
it? Mine do. Indeed, the deal will threaten all of our families —
Israeli as well as American — for generations to come.
Oh - and about that poster at the top of this post... it's from Iranian Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khameni's website.
On August 24, 2015, the website of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
published a poster titled "The Iron Fist," symbolizing Iran's might
following the agreement. The text on the poster states: "Those who
levelled sanctions against us yesterday are dying today, because Iran
has become the region's foremost military power. The Islamic Republic of
Iran has proven that it works diligently to defend itself. The entire
nation unites as a solid fist, standing fast against the aggressors who
lack all reason." The poster features a fist adorned with Iranian flags
breaking through clouds; the fist is made up of military equipment,
including missiles, jets, ships, tanks, and so on.[2]
All for Der Fuhrer's legacy.
If you live in a State one or more of whose Senators has come out in favor of the sellout (e.g. New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Florida) or in a Congressional District whose representative has come out in favor of the sellout (e.g Nadler's district in New York), please consider forwarding this to them.
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Barbara Mikulski, Bill Nelson, Cory Booker, Iran Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Iran sanctions regime, Iranian nuclear threat, Jerry Nadler, Kirsten Gillibrand
