AIPAC to White House: Defuse tensions, keep issues behind closed doors
The AIPAC statement:
The Obama Administration's recent statements regarding the U.S. relationship with Israel are a matter of serious concern. AIPAC calls on the Administration to take immediate steps to defuse the tension with the Jewish State.
Israel is America's closest ally in the Middle East. The foundation of the U.S-Israel relationship is rooted in America's fundamental strategic interest, shared democratic values, and a long-time commitment to peace in the region. Those strategic interests, which we share with Israel, extend to every facet of American life and our relationship with the Jewish State, which enjoys vast bipartisan support in Congress and among the American people.
The Administration should make a conscious effort to move away from public demands and unilateral deadlines directed at Israel, with whom the United States shares basic, fundamental, and strategic interests.
The escalated rhetoric of recent days only serves as a distraction from the substantive work that needs to be done with regard to the urgent issue of Iran's rapid pursuit of nuclear weapons, and the pursuit of peace between Israel and all her Arab neighbors.
We strongly urge the Administration to work closely and privately with our partner Israel, in a manner befitting strategic allies, to address any issues between the two governments.
As Vice President Biden said last week in Israel, "Progress in the Middle East occurs when there is no daylight between the United States and Israel."
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Note this is coming from someone who cares very much about the survival and happiness of Israeli citizens.
The trouble is the US anger is the rest of the Worlds anger, it is simply too late to apologise - less and less citizens outside Israel trusts Israel’s word anymore, let alone its actions.
“The Israeli Ynet News website quoted the ambassador as saying “Israel’s ties with the US are in the most serious crisis since 1975”.
The Haaretz newspaper said the quote had been reported to them by four of the Israeli consuls general following the conference call on Saturday.
Mr Oren had appeared “tense and pessimistic”, the consuls general told the newspaper.
They were instructed to lobby members of congress and Jewish community leaders and tell them Israel had not intended to cause offence.”
Why? Israel has shown itself to be as bad as what it is opposing.
Blatantly publically killing a human being – for whatever reason – without due process.
Belligerently defying common sense in continuing a policy of building for rabid religious fanatics on disputed land when the rest of the world has clearly become utterly disgusted with such Israeli blocking tactics against the resolution of the Middle East conflict.
Israel will now have to pay a very dear price for its inability to grasp the great sea change which has occurred due to its own bloody mindedness.
The great tragedy is Iran will now be able to build its nuclear weapon unhindered.
Israel unless you act exceedingly expeditiously there is a great chance Israel will not exist at the end of this century and the rest of us will have to pay a very dear price cleaning up what is left of the Middle East and possibly other significant areas of the world as well.
For God sake, face reality Israel, because of what you have and have not done Israel you will have to make even greater concessions for your own survival and maybe even ours.
Do not waste time apologising; it is no longer taken seriously.
A very public statement of a reversal of policy and a significant statement of relinquishing a long cherished position are urgently required.
Given Iran, time is something Israel and the rest of us supporting Israel no longer have.
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Yosef Hartuv
03/15/10 08:13 AM
US anger at Israel is misplaced, insulting: The American reaction to the announcement that Israel would continue to build in Jewish East Jerusalem puts several things in sharp focus. What does it tell us that Joe Biden ‘condemned’ it, Hillary Clinton found it ‘insulting’ and White House political advisor David Axelrod called it both an ‘affront’ and an ‘insult’?
Let’s look at both the substance and the tone of these remarks.
The substance: as many commentators have pointed out, Israel has been building in East Jerusalem since 1967, and negotiated with the Palestinian Authority for 15 years while building there. When Israel agreed to the Obama Administration’s demand for a settlement freeze in Judea and Samaria, it pointedly did not agree to include Jerusalem, which Israel has never considered a ’settlement’. At that time, the US praised Israel for taking a positive step to resolve the conflict. Israel has indicated that it would cede some Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem as part of a peace agreement, but has never accepted any prior limitation of its sovereignty over all of Jerusalem. Continue ......http://calevbenyefuneh.blogspot.com/2010/03/us-anger-at-israel-is-misplaced.html