It is time for the US to be tested
By Ted Belman—February 20, 2009
A year ago Obama spoke in Cleveland to the leaders of the Jewish community and tipped his hand,
“I think there is a strain within the pro-Israel community that says unless you adopt a unwavering pro-Likud approach to Israel that you’re anti-Israel and that can’t be the measure of our friendship with Israel”.
Yesterday, his point man George Mitchell spoke with them again and let it be known that economic development and diplomatic efforts “must be parallel, not sequential. You can’t have economic development when you’re shutting the door in the face of any diplomatic development.” and “..coordinated strategy that will take into account regional leaders concerns regarding Iran.”
It is instructive to note that Mitchell spoke only with American Jewish leaders, hailing from the left, including Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations; UJC representative rabbi Steve Gutow, executive director of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs; Ira Forman, Executive Director of the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC), representatives of J Street, Americans for Peace Now and others.
He is also pressing for a unity government with Kadima, though he denies it but the signs are clear. Also Daniel Kurtzer recently said Lieberman and Netanyahu would be a “bad combination for American interests.”
Yehudah Lev Kay in The Left’s New Spin, Unity Coalition, and Small Parties wrote that the left in Israel is claiming
“While the President is making a decision, it is becoming clear that it will be difficult for Likud to make a wide and stable government.”
“Kadima is the only alternative to Netanyahu’s extreme government, …[It] will last for the shortest amount of time in the history of Israel.”
Kay writes,
Meaning the new claim on the left: a majority government isn’t “stable.” 65 members of the Knesset have agreed that Netanyahu should be Prime Minister. Has anyone forgotten how many are left wing? Only 44. So in the left’s new arithmetic, 65 versus 44 isn’t good enough. According to them, 60 percent of the public is not fit to rule.
That’s also Obama’s arithmetic. Both are marginalizing the Right and two thirds of Jewish Israelis who voted for it. In fact Mitchell had the audacity to say,
“Obama’s administration expects the incoming Israeli administration to abandon the campaign slogans and roll up its sleeves in order to seriously operate on the economic and diplomatic planes simultaneously,”
In other words, it wants Netanyahu to betray his supporters. Netanyahu, for his part is also trying to bring Kadima into his coalition to do just that.
Haaretz had three articles yesterday alone, demonizing Lieberman hoping to keep his party out of the coalition.
See Netanyahu’s victory is starting to turn sour, Editorial / Keep Lieberman out of the government and Lieberman’s firm suspected of doing business with PA officials.
Netanyahu wants a big coalition not so his government can withstand US pressure but so that it can succumb to it.
Nevertheless, Bibi prepares to form narrow gov’t
“A wide national-unity government is especially necessary in light of the major challenges Israel is facing from Iran, terror and the international economic crisis,”
But privately, Netanyahu’s associates admitted that there was no chance of persuading either Kadima or Labor to join his government and that there was also no hope of breaking up the Kadima faction, where no one has yet challenged Livni’s authority.
That leaves Netanyahu with no choice but to form a narrow government of 65 MKs on the Right, including Israel Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman and MKs from Shas, whose mentor, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, recently called Lieberman the devil.
Hamas cannot save us now. E.U. lawmakers dealing with Hamas it was reported two days ago. So is Obama.
Mitchell said the US could support PA unity government
Mitchell expressed support for Egyptian efforts to forge a Palestinian national unity government, indicating that America could take a new tack on Fatah-Hamas reconciliation,
Mitchell said that Hamas would still need to adhere to the Quartet’s demands that it halt violence, recognize Israel and accept previous Palestinian-Israeli agreements in such a government,
I fully expect these preconditions will be finessed if not dropped outright.
In recognition of all this pressure, Indyk said yesterday Netanyahu may seek Syria deal to deflect U.S. pressure
I rather doubt it. Bibi is also on record of not withdrawing from the Golan.
Lurking in the background is Bibi’s determination to avoid what happened to his government when he accepted the Wye Agreement. It fell. He knows that if he goes with the narrow coalition he cannot betray it and stay in power.
It is time for the US to be tested.
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