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.
