via The Guardian.
Following the quick collapse of the ceasefire in Gaza, the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, told the White House not to force a truce with Palestinian militants.Naive? Never second guess him again?
Sources familiar with conversations between Netanyahu and senior US officials, including the secretary of state, John Kerry, say the Israeli leader advised the Obama administration “not to ever second-guess me again” on the matter. The officials also said Netanyahu said he should be “trusted” on the issue and about the unwillingness of Hamas to enter into and follow through on ceasefire talks.
The Obama administration on Friday condemned “outrageous” violations of an internationally brokered Gaza ceasefire by Palestinian militants and called the apparent capture of an Israeli soldier a “barbaric” action.
The strong reaction came as top Israeli officials questioned the effort to forge the truce, accusing the US and the United Nations of being naive in assuming Hamas would adhere to its terms. The officials also blamed the Gulf state of Qatar for not forcing the militants to comply.
Do you remember the news report I linked to earlier this week that described President Obama as saying that the Israeli's weren't in a position to pick there mediators?
I'm more convinced than ever that report was spot on.
The bad thing for the US? Our leadership around the world is now officially mud. We aren't trusted and I believe many think we can't be counted on. Worse for the administration is that they're probably viewed as being rank amateurs on the world stage.
The irony is delicious...and stunning.
How do you go from being a Noble Prize winner to a laughing stock in less than a few years? We're seeing it happen right before our eyes.
And at the time, the Nobel Prize for Obama (based on no actual achievement) made the whole thing a laughing stock. Our only advice to Israel should be: "win".
ReplyDeleteThe only people surprised by this turn of events work in the West Wing at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
ReplyDeleteTo anyone else, it was predicting the tide coming in.
And yes, that leaked transcript was spot on.
Israel had no interest in further embarrassing HopeyDopey, and events have done a marvelous job of doing that better than anything the Israeli government could have added.
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ReplyDeleteHey Sol. Check this out - looks like another hotspot is about to flare up. Azerbaijani and Armenians are trading blows in Nagorno-Karabakh again.
ReplyDeletehttp://ru.oxu.az/society/35832
http://ru.oxu.az/politics/35888
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28626986
In essense, Armenians and Azeri are blaming each other for breaching the ceasefire, and as of recently, the clashes are not just small arms fire, but full on artillery barrages.
Unfortunately, winning is not an option at this point. The IDF has gotten orders to withdraw forces out of the built-up areas, closer to the border, but not withdraw completely.
ReplyDeleteTo start a military operation to conquer the whole of Gaza and destroy Hamas would have caused horrendous civilian casualties and cost the IDF many dead and wounded. At this time the cost-benefit of such an operation seems to indicate the cost too high. In addition, it would have been unrealistic to consider that Hamas can be destroyed. The fighters would disappear in the population to come back and strike where they find convenient. Remember Algeria and Vietnam?
Only a political solution will have longer lasting effect. The UN solution is a joke - in Lebanon in 2006 they came out with Resolution 1701 (demilitarising Hizbullah) and it was not worth the paper it was written on.
As Sol says the USA administration is also a sad joke as they have no leverage with Hamas or Qatar (a big client for military equipment; $11 billion). This was proven by the humiliating Hamas ceasefire they brokered and guaranteed, that was broken after 90 minutes.
The Gazan populace will not be able to have a say in their fate, due to the savage stranglehold Hamas has over them. In addition, I am sure a large proportion of them identify with the extreme Islamic idealogy and view Hamas' aims and actions legitimate. We can not know what percentage are Hamas as there is a virtual censorship on journalists and TV reporters on pain of injury or death.
One and a half more years to go, before He goes? Can't be soon enough.
In the meantime, poor US of A, the troubles are mounting up.
Ideology and real world politics do not mesh well. Someone always looks the fool and people die.
ReplyDeleteIf leading from behind is his method he should do it quietly.
The Israeli's should know better than believe in the same leadership as the American Jewish voters do.
The population of Gaza is in the sorry position of having to go along with Hamas or face the knife and single shot pistol bullet behind the right ear.
We see what happens in Syria, Libya and elsewhere when you do not go along with Islamist.