Things are moving so quickly and dramatically in the Middle East that it is almost impossible to keep up. Egypt is struggling to create a new government, while Libya is in the process of destroying the old government. Subtle diplomatic activities get lost in the shuffle because it is two people on the phone or multiple people quietly meeting over lunch or in a board room. But that doesn’t mean that the diplomatic activities aren’t just as dramatic.
Last month at the UN, the US vetoed a resolution that would have condemned Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Our European allies, Briton, Germany, and France, voted in favor of the resolution. The Obama administration exercised its first veto at the UN Security Council, even after the resolution was worded in a way that supported official U.S. policy on the matter. Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, said that the veto did not represent support of the Israeli settlements. Her official statement was, "We reject in the strongest terms the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity”.
The international community is adamant that these settlements are illegal under international law. They are also one of the continuing sources of conflict between the Palestinian people and Israel—a conflict that colors all of the diplomacy in the Middle East. In fact, a “Day of Rage” has been called for today to protest these settlements in Palestinian territory. When Netanyahu phoned German Chancellor Angela Merkel to express his displeasure with Germany’s vote in favor of the resolution, her reaction was anger. Rumor has it that she said, "How dare you? You are the one who has disappointed us. You haven't made a single step to advance peace."
Israeli governments truly haven’t done much to either stop the settlements or actually try to find a diplomatic solution. Palestinian governments aren’t blameless; they’ve been headed by some hot-heads, too. But it is my opinion that Obama should have done the spanking that Merkel dished out. Since 1985, the US has given $3-billion annually to Israel. Almost all of that aid is directed toward the Israeli military. A September 2010 report details how unusual that aid is from aid delivered to other nations. We give them money, on condition that they buy fighter planes from us. The only real beneficiaries are the military/industrial complex of two nations. Peace is a casualty.
Benjamin Netanyahu is a belligerent man. He would rather peruse war than peace. We need to hit him upside the head with a 2 X 4 that leaves the lasting impression that the US will not continue to give Israel war toys, to the detriment of our own security—both economic and political—if Netanyahu keeps destroying Palestinian homes and taking their land.
Homework
Merkel Spanks Netanyahu
Rice's Statements
Congressional Research Service Report on US foreign Aid to Israel
Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know About Benjamin Netanyahu
Last month at the UN, the US vetoed a resolution that would have condemned Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Our European allies, Briton, Germany, and France, voted in favor of the resolution. The Obama administration exercised its first veto at the UN Security Council, even after the resolution was worded in a way that supported official U.S. policy on the matter. Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, said that the veto did not represent support of the Israeli settlements. Her official statement was, "We reject in the strongest terms the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity”.
The international community is adamant that these settlements are illegal under international law. They are also one of the continuing sources of conflict between the Palestinian people and Israel—a conflict that colors all of the diplomacy in the Middle East. In fact, a “Day of Rage” has been called for today to protest these settlements in Palestinian territory. When Netanyahu phoned German Chancellor Angela Merkel to express his displeasure with Germany’s vote in favor of the resolution, her reaction was anger. Rumor has it that she said, "How dare you? You are the one who has disappointed us. You haven't made a single step to advance peace."
Israeli governments truly haven’t done much to either stop the settlements or actually try to find a diplomatic solution. Palestinian governments aren’t blameless; they’ve been headed by some hot-heads, too. But it is my opinion that Obama should have done the spanking that Merkel dished out. Since 1985, the US has given $3-billion annually to Israel. Almost all of that aid is directed toward the Israeli military. A September 2010 report details how unusual that aid is from aid delivered to other nations. We give them money, on condition that they buy fighter planes from us. The only real beneficiaries are the military/industrial complex of two nations. Peace is a casualty.
Benjamin Netanyahu is a belligerent man. He would rather peruse war than peace. We need to hit him upside the head with a 2 X 4 that leaves the lasting impression that the US will not continue to give Israel war toys, to the detriment of our own security—both economic and political—if Netanyahu keeps destroying Palestinian homes and taking their land.
Homework
Merkel Spanks Netanyahu
Rice's Statements
Congressional Research Service Report on US foreign Aid to Israel
Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know About Benjamin Netanyahu
RSS Feed