This article canvasses the treatment given to the settlement construction announcement and retraction. My reaction is one of dismay. Netanyahu let’s the international community to dictate to him on the matter of settlements and has done so since he has been in office while at the same time publicly showing our independence when it comes to settlements. He can take on the world when it comes to Iran, why not when it comes to settlements. He must reassert our independence after the Iranian issue is settled. He must reaffirm our right to build without interference, our right to sovereignty over J&S, that settlements are neither illegal or illegitimate and show he means it. If the world wants to impose sanctions, let it try. The US will never go along with them neither will India and China. We are energy independent and food independent and we have many friends. Netanyahu has empowered the US and the EU to make outrageous demands apon us. We must disempower them by issuing a categorical “NO’. Ted Belman
Netanyahu scrambles to put out another diplomatic fire; meanwhile, Avigdor Liberman gets back to work
The past few days have not been easy for Israel and the United States. The two BFFs have been having a very public fight over peace talks and a possible nuclear deal with Iran. Adding fuel to the fire on Tuesday was an announcement that the Housing Ministry had issued tenders for planing 20,000 new housing units in the West Bank, with 1,200 of them slated to be built in the controversial E1 corridor outside of Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Netanyahu quickly froze the new plans, but was it fast enough? Israel Hayom puts words in his mouth with the headline “Netanyahu to [Housing] Minister [Uri] Ariel: Stop, don’t cause any damage.”
The paper reports that Netanyahu told Ariel that he had halted the construction because it “creates unnecessary conflict with the international community at a time when we are trying to avoid a bad deal with Iran.”
Veteran Israel Hayom columnist Dan Margalit writes a scathing op-ed against Netanyahu’s coalition partners for showing poor judgment. While Netanyahu is fighting the “diplomatic battle of his life,” he has to face sabotage from within. “Avigdor Liberman smugly returns to the Foreign Ministry and instead of supporting the government, he ignores the prime minister, and reveals – for the first time in his life – that we need to cooperate with the United States.” He also directs his ire toward Ariel, reprimanding him for the timing of the move. “Now? Such a move plays into the hands of enemies and adversaries of Israel.”
Yedioth Ahronoth sums up the situation on its front page this way: “Israel and the US: From one crisis to another.” The paper calls Ariel’s actions “an embarrassment to Netanyahu” and says they “provoked American anger.” The paper reports that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is angry as well and has threatened to break off negotiations over the issue.
Yedioth’s political analyst, Shimon Shiffer, writes that the announcement will not only hurt Israel abroad but will also make peace talks with the Palestinians more difficult. Shiffer says that currently negotiations won’t accomplish anything because “Israel refuses to clarify its position on key issues.” What is really absurd to Shiffer is that so much is known about the negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program (save possibly some intelligence issues) but talks with the Palestinians have a blackout imposed over them. “Where is the logic in blocking the news and public debate on issues familiar to us all?”
While Yedioth frets about the peace process, Maariv strikes a different tone on its front page: “Security sources: Failure in peace negotiations will not lead to a third intifada.” The paper cites unnamed officials who credit both the strength of the Palestinian economy and Egypt’s recent coup as deterrents to a possible third intifada, even if peace talks fail. Due to the Egyptian coup, Hamas no longer has a powerful ally and it is the Palestinian Authority that controls and sets the Palestinian agenda. The paper also states, “Palestinians, for their part, see the current situation as de facto peace and do not want to break it.”
Haaretz is the only paper not to put Iran or settlements in its main headline. Instead it reports that police are seeking to classify organized crime groups as terror organizations, which would give police the same legal means used to arrest and interrogate possible terror suspects. Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch is moving forward with the plan and said, “Enough of the hypocrisy of human rights organizations. These are the tools that are needed and they will be provided.”
Back to work
Tuesday was Avigdor Liberman’s first full day back at the helm of the Foreign Ministry, and aside from commenting on the diplomatic crisis with America, Yedioth reports that the recently acquitted politician already sent a special request to Bibi. “Liberman to Netanyahu: Give me back all my authority,” reads the headline. The article goes on to explain that in Liberman’s absence various ministers took over some of the duties of the ministry (like Finance Minister Yair Lapid being responsible for economic contacts with the Palestinians) and now Liberman wants all of his former authority restored.
Maariv also dedicates some space to the newly returned foreign minister. Columnist Shalom Yerushalmi is given a full page to comment on the new Liberman, who is “conciliatory, giving, soothing.” Yerushalmi calls Liberman a wise man, but also a man who remembers how difficult his first stint as foreign minister was. Yesterday, as he tried to calm the growing fight with America, it looked like he was trying to get back into the good graces of the Obama administration. But Yerushalmi writes that despite yesterday’s niceties, Liberman’s politics haven’t changed and he is still the minister urging for an attack on Iran and believing that peace with the Palestinians is a near impossibility.
In the opinion pages, Haaretz’s editorial asks what Uri Ariel’s real position in the government is. Dubbing him the “minister of settlements,” the paper writes that despite his official title of housing minister, he doesn’t help the average Israeli but rather aims to help the settlers. The paper concludes that having Ariel involved in the government carries serious international political concerns and that if Israel wants to show that it is serious about peace with the Palestinians, it should “remove Ariel and replace him with someone whose goals are professional rather than political.”
Lets for once assign the guilt where it belongs. Squarely upon a damning cadre of unJewish promoters of a Israblof “peace industry” led at this time by Netanyahu, Livni and the ever undermining Peres and his peresites. Those persons have a long history of destroying Jewish homes, villages, families, farms, industries, schools, Synagogues, and even cemeteries. Causing tens of thousands of “victims of peace”. Netanyahu invariably pulls the construction scam before committing one of his repetitive outrages. The last one being releasing bestial islamic murderers.
I directly accuse that nefarious individual of having intentionally allowed Iran to virtually complete their nuclear plans.
Ted, you are right on with your commentary above.
The world public opinion has been against Israel mostly for their selfish economic interests due to oil from Arab countries. Israel’s self sufficiency in oil and food and even defense equipments and first class armies could gradually change the attitude of selfish governments around the globe in Israel’s favor. However, it is advisable to deal with Iran’s nuclear Issue first ASAP without forgetting it’s proxies around Israel.
Then, it would be less difficult to deal with internal situations (in Judea and Samaria).
This is called “Government Extortion Rackets“.
Last week, we witnessed the immoral deal consisting in exchanging terrorists prisoners towards the shameful authorization to construct in Judea and Samaria.
Now that the terrorists have been released, the government Mafia’s Racketeer calls for a freeze of the said constructions.
As to Iran bomb, it is an international issue and not only an Israeli one.
The question to raise is: How many times do Jews have to pay their racketeer for the same and identical thing?
Therefore, it is high time to take action against this Trojan Horse which takes whatever shot it wants and draw on all available means for the annihilation of Jewish rights and the continual contestation of the legitimacy of the Jewish People in their Legal and Legitimate Land.
Israel’s leftist media of course thinks Israel is at fault for not surrendering fast enough to American and Arab demands.
If only Israel gave up everything that’s under dispute, there would be milk, honey and pomegranates – er peace – in the Land Of Israel.
Its a puzzle why Israel is so slow to get on with what the world wants.