T. Belman. All comments coming out of the Whitehouse are appalling. I have highlighted them.
On the eve of the prime minister’s flight to Washington, sources in the White House warn that there will not be good tidings regarding Israel’s compensation package for the Iran nuclear deal in his meeting with Obama, saying that Federal budget cuts are part of the issue.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be getting what he wants out of his trip to Washington, according to White House sources who spoke with the New York Times on Friday.
The sources claimed that Israel would not be getting an increased compensation package from the US government. Netanyahu is due to take off for Washington on Sunday in order to meet US President Barack Obama, the first meeting between the two since the signing of the Iran nuclear deal.
One of Netanyahu’s central goals for the trip was to strike an agreement on a new defense deal for Israel for the next decade, including compensation Israel was supposed to receive in light of the Iran deal.
The White House sources noted that the issue would not come up in the meeting between Netanyahu and Obama, and furthermore claimed that any compensation would not be increased as had been suggested in earlier reports.
“There is no justification for an increased compensation package, especially in light of the Federal budget cuts and the current battle in Congress over the ‘wastage’ of the US government,” a White House source said.
It was reported this week that Israel requested that the US raise its yearly security assistance sum from the current $3 billion to $5 billion. Israel’s first proposal was leaked to Reuters by an Israeli source.
According to the document, Israel had been pushing for the desired $5 billion yearly aid package to run for 10 years – amounting to a total sum of $50 billion. Obama is not expected to authorize this agreement, instead granting Israel a billion dollars less.
Also overshadowing the forthcoming meeting are the soured relations between Jerusalem and Washington following Netanyahu’s repeated attacks on the Iran deal, as well as his speech to Congress on the matter.
Following the deal, Democratic members of Congress also had their invitations to a Rosh Hashanah press conference at the Israeli embassy in Washington canceled – solely for the reason that they had voted in favor of the Iran agreement.
The New York Times claimed that Netanyahu had changed the compensation package proposal and that he was traveling to Washington in order to try and heal the rifts in the US-Israel relationship.
However, the two sides still regard each with suspicion and mistrust.
Obama does not believe negotiations will recommence while he is in office
Obama does not believe that negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians will recommence before the end of his term in the White House, one of his senior advisors told a press briefing held ahead of Netanyahu’s visit.
The advisor, Ben Rhodes, told reporters that in Obama’s view, no peace deal would be reached by January 2017 – the date that he leaves the office of the president.
“Despite what we were wanting, we do not see the chance for a two-state solution at the moment,” Rhodes said. “We tried direct and indirect dialogue, but each time we were at the point of taking a decision, the two sides themselves did not take sufficient steps.
“Part of our appraisal is based on the reality on the ground,” Rhodes added. In light of the current state of affairs, Obama is not likely to apply pressure on Netanyahu to renew peace talks.
“In the immediate term we will seek trust-building measures in order to lower the tension, reduce the violence and incitement and leave open the option of a two-state solution,” Rhodes continued.
“We want to hear from the prime minister which steps Israel is prepared to take in order to safeguard the Palestinians’ aspirations,” Rhodes emphasized. “Obama believes that settlement-building damages trust and makes it difficult to realize the solution of a viable Palestinian state.”
Also in the background of Netanyahu’s upcoming visit is the affairs concerning Netanyahu’s newly-appointed spokesman Dr. Ran Baratz. Immediately following the appointment, numerous harsh statements made by Baratz about senior US officials – including Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry – came to light.
After Netanyahu’s speech to Congress, Baratz wrote on Facebook: “Obama’s attitude to Netanyahu’s speech is what modern anti-Semitism looks like in Western liberal countries.”
Baratz also ridiculed US Secretary of State John Kerry on October 18, 2014 when he posted on Facebook that he was present at a speech given by Kerry during which, according to Baratz, he made a connection between Israel and Islamic State.
“After his tenure as secretary of state he is assured a prosperous career as a stand-up comic in one of the clubs of Kansas City, Mosul, or the Holot detention center,” wrote Baratz.
State Department Spokesperson John Kirby called Baratz’s statements “troubling and offensive.”
“We obviously expect government officials from any country, especially our closest allies, to speak respectfully and truthfully about senior US government officials,” Kirby said.
Following the revelations, Netanyahu promised Kerry that he would reconsider his appointment of Baratz.
“These statements do not reflect my stance nor government policy,” Netanyahu said. “Dr. Baratz has apologized for his statements and requested to clarify them in a meeting with me. We have agreed to meet on my return to Israel.”
In spite of his promise, Netanyahu then tweeted that he has not promised to reconsider the appointment but that he will deal with the issue on his return from the US.
Of course this entire article is a standard leftist propaganda pro terrorist position paper designed to make The Netanyahu Gov’t appear as badly as possible.
Dr. Baratz was truthful and that is a fact. As far as according respect to Secretary of State Kerry or his boss, rather than blame him, the same U.S. Officials who are in such a hissy fit over the matter should take stock of how much they have lost in terms of Israeli goodwill TOWARDS THEM and how that might affect their relations with Israel. Perhaps if they were to do a little soul searching, they might consider the lying about Jews, aka anti-semetism, brewing in The U.S. intelligence community for years. What goes around comes around you low life sacks of dung.
The Quaker War on Israel
by Alexander H. Joffe and Asaf Romirowsky
How much of the AFSC’s almost $160 million annual budget is devoted to BDS isn’t known, as the Internal Revenue Service classifies the organization as a church.
http://www.meforum.org/5616/quakers-israel
Lawfare should attack their IRS designatiion as a church as it is a political org.
Estimates are that Israel will get $4 billion in military aid which mostly primarily used by US military contractors to make weapons which will then go to Israel.
a vague, and misleading report, full of anonymous mutterings with he tarticle difficult to decipher. Is the article saying the WH sources stated that BB will get 1 billion less than the 5 bill he will be requesting, which would amount to a total of 4 billion or 1 billion increase over what Israel in now getting?
It is possible that there is a 1 billion increase couched as a rejection of the request because there must be a great deal of opposition to any 2 billion increase or even 1 billion in the deficit ridden nation. a 2/3 or even 1/3 increase would be difficult for even a pro israel president to approve at this time. the fact of BB not getting what he wanted on Iran deal would not be an acceptable reason to the public. why would BB even ask unless it was already agreed? If the F35 is as bad as written then Israel might be getting compensation to that fact in order to get some real planes. it might be a bail out of the defense industry and gov for the F35 debacle which if Israel were not buying it would be a massive scandal. Israels purchase may be a fig leaf for that hiding of the scandal.
Perhaps this outcome, like the Israel Pal 9 mos talks, were always expected to yield this result but everyone has to be seen to be doing something to appease their squeaky wheel constituents. My own view is that not even Abbas nor hamas want the TSS at this time and they also must appear to be carrying on a resistance battle. If abbas or hamas are not appearing to be in some sort of battle then they will be brought down by their street. Abbas, his sons and fatah are getting rich, maintaining their power and running the PA with absolute authority while getting international funding. the same is true with gaza, they dould have declared a state in gaza, they satisfy all state criteria, unlike the PA, but they would lose international funding, international support and would have to bow to international supervision of their elections. A TSS would mean that abbas would have no excuse to keep out pal refugees whose swarming of his PA would mean his loss of power and even his head. I dont think their reasons for avoiding a state are ideological, I think their reasons are practical and self serving. Everything they now have could be lost, including their heads by assassination or for corruption if a TSS arrived.
Israel abbas and hamas may have the same goal to maintain a status quo. the one entity that has a definite interest in everything falling apart is Iran and it is likely that elements in the west bank and gaza still connected to Iran have been causing the incitement. Apparently, in spite of threats and rhetoric, the PA has been cooperating with Israel.
I expect some sort of settlement freeze to get the talks, and the charade, restarted and an increase given later.
The US will under no circumstance be able to support Israel militarily against Iran. Israel must enable herself militarily and politically to manage the current crisis, which must include striking a deal with Russia on creating a strategic balance in the Middle East, where Israel and Russia appear as the main guarantors of military detente and stability.
Excellent!
The unworthy aggregate passing as our leaders in Eretz Israel must be made to understand that “shnorr”, fleece do not cover ineptitude. Netanyahu will certainly do ample speeching and will make TV faces but his malodorous meanderings will again prove futile. I expect that the subject will surrender something more in secret to Hussein Obama.