Israel alone

dogsbody

A former Clinton adviser and Democratic Party strategist, Dick Morris, long ago called Hillary Clinton evil.
Yes.

David

Utterly wrong. But then few take Bolton seriously. Being in DC currently, there isn't a hail of domestic criticism - most people think Israel insulted the US and, as friends do when they are insulted ,feel rather hurt.

Grassmarket

It's worse than that. I'm convinced that even if Israel does try to strike Iran, Obama will tip the Iranians off in advance.

Liz

History is moving toward a conclusion, its final destination. Whatever happens with Iran, at most there's still/only another 230 years left Melanie.

NACHMAN

Once again the Jewish people (yes ~I include not only us living in the State of israel but all our brothers and sisters living in the diaspora whether zionist or anti-zionist whatever) are alone and it is open season on us. Make no mistake judging by the comments being posted on stories currently running on the Times, Guardian and the BBC the anti-Semites are out in force rubbing their hands with glee and they smell blood - ours! Right now so these comments state Israel is ( and according to a number of posts Jews in general are) nothing more than a blood sucking drain on the West, Israel is an apartheid pariah terrorist state which offers absolutely nothing to the world and the Jews are therefore expendable - No distinction is made as to wherever they may happen to be living or whether they support Israel or are its most sternest critics - yes even you Mr Gerald Kaufman MP.
The fact that the MSM allow these outrageous comments to be posted and then refuse to remove them when it is pointed to them that besides causing grave offense they breach the working definition of anti-Semitism is just another pointer to the way things are going. I urge people to flood the MSM with complaints about any anti-Semitic poster on any of their sites and then maybe they will take action before it is too late. They will bear responsibility as will Obama for any Jewish blood spilled as a consequence of US Administration's indefensible actions toward Israel over the past week.

Watt Tyler

David, yes but the News Corps (painting the Tea Party people as rabid again last night) is in league with the devil.

Robert Mitchum

What a 'Trojan Horse' the Americans have voted into power. The only ray of light is that the Americans, unlike us, seem to have the ability to spot a wrong 'un very quickly but that still means a further two and a half years of damage in store. What a nasty reality was lurking behind the smiling face of Obama, and to think Hilary Clinton was portrayed as a steadying influence.

elixelx

Ah, yes! David! The best place from which to understand DC. is when one is in DC! Clever, not to say simple-minded!

As we all know, nobody, simply NOBODY, in the boondocks, that is outside DC, can really understand, appreciate, marvel at the brilliance of DC! You really have to be there to be overwhelmed by the brainpower!

Once outside DC, of course, one becomes a blithering idiot capable of believing the most outlandish things, such as that John Bolton is unserious! Yes, David, from village idiot to universal genius--and all it takes is a ticket on Amtrak!

How very Liberal, and how very silly, to think that you KNOW what MOST PEOPLE think...OH! Sorry! YOU think that YOU are MOST PEOPLE! Of course you are, boyo!

And how very DC of you! Now hie thee back to your boondocks!

Apropos this column: Iran will get its bombs--plural, it is what Barry-boy fervently desires for his brethren --small little nest-eggs that will be packaged and sent via DHS to Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza, there to be held with plausible deniability until some hard-rainy day.

After all, why risk your Queen when you have pawns willing to sacrifice themselves for the endgame?

Jonathan Karmi

Yes agreed, Obama is hopeless and his weakness in foreign policy is highly dangerous. But the Israelis have antagonised him through sheer bad manners. Not only the timing of the Ramat Shlomo announcement. Before he was elected, Obama visited Sderot on the border with Gaza, where he gave a speech to the world’s media. On the platform behind him stood Eli Moyal, the mayor of Sderot, in his sunglasses looking like some gaunt, seedy gangster, and Ehud Barak, the Defence Minister, who was smiling, waving and winking to friends as Obama spoke. What a plonker. Sheer lack of class and bad manners. For Americans and Obama in particular, style is every bit as important as substance, so perceived humiliations and insults do not go down well. The natural instinct is to put offenders in their place. Sometimes the Israelis do not help their own cause.

Original Tony

The Bible says Jerusalem will become a stumbling block in the end times.

Looks like that wonderful book, or the author of it rather, is right again!

Not long now!

Raymond in DC

Grassmarket writes, "I'm convinced that even if Israel does try to strike Iran, Obama will tip the Iranians off in advance."

Unless the attack is initiated from beyond Israel's borders, the US will certainly know something is afoot. The US set up an X-band radar station in the Negev that tracks everything flying for hundreds of miles. Initially, Israeli personnel weren't even allowed on the base. Even now, the US decides what intel it will pass on to the IDF.

And, to elixelix, I like to think *some* of us in DC have a grasp of what's going on.

Joshua

"For Americans and Obama in particular, style is every bit as important as substance, so perceived humiliations and insults do not go down well."

Ah yes, one only has to think about the stylish manner in which Obama has treated Brown, Sarkozy and Merkel to see that.

"On the platform behind him stood Eli Moyal, the mayor of Sderot, in his sunglasses looking like some gaunt, seedy gangster"

With supporters like Jonathan Karmi, the Jewish state really does not need enemies.

Dixon

"Grassmarket
March 17th, 2010 10:33am
It's worse than that. I'm convinced that even if Israel does try to strike Iran, Obama will tip the Iranians off in advance."

Do you really think the laughable US "intelligence" agencies would have a clue in advance?

elixelx

Ray in DC "And, to elixelix, I like to think *some* of us in DC have a grasp of what's going on."

Yes, but how many of you brave and intrepid needles in that putrid haystack have any power to do anything to prick the conscience or goose the mindset of the present day DC powers-that-be?

The point being, Ray, that David thinks that simply being in DC confers upon the denizens and visitors thereof dazzling and miraculous insights into the mind of hoi polloi.

Hopefully you don't think that! There is no holiness nor prophecy in DC!

My own thought is that the Conventional Wisdom in DC is not "wisdom" at all, but a rather mundane, manichean us/them POV which entitles the holders to imagine that "they" know best, and that "we" know nothing at all!

Penny

"The prime minister should recalibrate his approach, and soon."

Isn't Obama due to visit Indonesia om 21st March?

Call me cynical, but I'd be surprised if any major re-calibration occurred prior to this visit. There's a whole gallery to be played to in Indonesia.

Graeme

Obama is the most pro-Arab president America has ever had. Obama used to attend every Arab-American function in Illinois going. There is a photograph of him sitting next to the late Edward Said at a function for Arab Americans taken in 1998 on electronic intifada website, which I think speaks volumes about his attitude to Israel. associating yourself with the likes of Edward Said and people of that Ilk. Obama wants Israel gone of the map like every other lift-wing crank in the West.

Jonathan Karmi

"On the platform behind him stood Eli Moyal, the mayor of Sderot, in his sunglasses looking like some gaunt, seedy gangster"

Joshua : “With supporters like Jonathan Karmi, the Jewish state really does not need enemies.”

It doesn’t matter what I think. It matters what Obama thought. He would have seen that footage and done his nut. Here he was addressing the US electorate, especially Jewish voters, and the Israeli public, and you’ve got these two clowns mucking around on the stage behind him. Really didn’t do Israel any favours.

Barak behaves himself in this particular part of the footage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFoj-PKJhck , but Eli Moyal is in good form here.

Support for Israel is more genuine when it’s not placed beyond criticism. Given its vulnerable position in the front line against radical Islam, it’s incumbent upon Israel’s leaders not to mess up unnecessarily.

Ronnie

Maybe isolationism is the best policy after all.

roger

A letter to the world from Jerusalem

http://www.aish.com/v/49498552.html

Adam F

I don't think anything is really going to change, even if President Obama should want to alter the US's stance towards Israel. I think that there is enough grassroots support for Israel among Americans, and in the body politic so as to make it very hard for him to do it. That said I thought that the timing of the announcement by Israel was a little ill-time (if not rude).

I really do not see that Obama will have time or political capitol to change anything, I doubt whether he will even be able to push his health care bill though.

Grassmarket I don't suppose that we would warn him.

C. Gee

Netanyahu will not take Bolton's excellent advice. He is destined to disappoint. Obama will contrive Netanyahu's and Likud's downfall long before Netanyahu shakes off his trust in America.

I notice that the apartment-building announcement is now being referred to as an "insult" to America.

Instead of apologizing, Israel should seize the opportunity to be insulted at being called insulting. It should immediately announce :
1. the non-negotiability of any part of Jerusalem, which shall henceforth be the undivided capital of Israel.
2. that negotiations over boundaries for a state for the Palestinians are conditioned upon the open, public, recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, signed in an accord by every Arab and Muslim nation.
3. that Israel is no longer willing to participate in "peace talks" on the basis of land for peace. It is willing to enter into negotiations on statehood facilitation.

steve

C. Gee: Perhaps point 4 in your list would be for Israel to reject billions in American aid and free itself from having to listen to its closest friend and ally?

Simon (aka piggy kosher) UK

Nachman

Just what the hell did you expect if you enter the fetid bowels of the BBcs HYS (now improved by the way, so that pro Israeli voices are muted) the gruniads CIF, which is so notorious it even has its own "CIF Watch" monitoring site, and the odd Times.
Most of them are muslims, pretending to be euros, its almost comically obvious. And the usual commie nazi hangers on.
Stop with the apoclyptic crap. These are chimps in charge of a keyboard mate.
They have to resort to censorship because the pro Israeli argument is unamswereable to their small minds. Check CIFwatch and Bias BBC. They often redirct you to a Melanie article, which is useful to the cogency of our arguments.
The anti Jewish "argument" has been lost a long time ago. The islamist owned MSM now has to resort to crude censorship in various forms, to stop the reality of their bankrupt ideology from becoming public knowledge.
The NWO is here. And it attends a mosque.

Eugene

This crisis has again displayed not only the maliciousness of Obama's convictions but also the fundamental narcissism of his personality.

J. Goldberg reports (and I have no reason to doubt the veracity of this report):

"people near the President say that, for one thing, Obama doesn't think that
Netanyahu is very bright"

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2010/03/what-obama-is-actually-trying-to-do-in-israel/37548

Just a comment: in Israel there are many people who hate Netanyahu, or who
think that hs is a bad decision-maker, incapable of withstanding pressure. But no one would ever suggest that he is not bright, or that he is less bright than Obama. Certainly Obama reveals himself here as the embodiment of arrogant mediocricy

Simon aka pk UK

I agree on the utter bankrupcy of "land for peace" a term which will be as infamous to later historians as "peace in our time" Chamberlains usage, not Mr Disraelis.
The whole thing should be renogotiated. We should take as our starting period, the Balfour declaration. Their is still a legal paper trail that would be recognised as such by international law. Agreements were made under League of Nations auscpices which have subsequently been broken or ignored. The UN is still the legal offspring of the League.
Demand a complete renegotiation.
Its the UN et al that have been breaking international law for 90 years.

C. Gee

Steve:

You suggest:"Perhaps point 4 in your list would be for Israel to reject billions in American aid and free itself from having to listen to its closest friend and ally?"

Why should America object to the new Israeli policy with respect to the Palestinians?
No doubt you will point out the the Palestinians will object - as they have to all policies.
But if America were to side with the Palestinians on their objections - and withhold loan guarantees to Israel - is that not an indication that America has been paying Israel to listen not to an ally - but to its enemy?

Focusing on "state facilitation" rather than "peace", has the virtue of truth and will either call the Palestinian's bluff about wanting a state and not wanting Israel, or - if there is no bluff - actually establish one. It will of course be a hostile state to America, but that should not stop America sending aid.

Simon aka pk UK

Steve.

This seems to be the "ultimate weapon" in the armoury of Israel/Jew haters.
Fact is that the 3 billion is a piddling .05% of the Israeli economy. The money is directed exclusively towards rigged US arms contracts. So YOU end up with your money back and jobs etc etc and Israel LOSES huge export markets job creation etc etc, mostly better Israeli technology being kept from the international market.
You know mate, keep your money.
Funny how non- Jews are so obsessed with money.

Simon aka pk UK

steve.

Theres a difference between listening to and being dicatated to.
This administration has begun to try to dictate.
This is unwise. For everyone.

Simon aka pk UK

Steve I wasnt putting you in any hostile category by the way.

Rob-NY

The Obama/Clinton policy is to bash our friends and appease our enemies.
At least Bibi did not get 25 useless DVDs like Brown did.

Michael B

V.P. Biden's and HRC are beyond risible and beyond contemptuous. Keep in mind, folks, this is all suppose to represent "hope" - and "change".

In point of fact, it reflects an ad nauseam display of the hopeless and changeless, the status quo - and therein continued dissolution in lieu of any more far sighted and hope-filled solution.

Whatever terms might be more properly applied to Biden's and Clinton's performance, as puppets of the hopeless and changeless One himself, they exist somewhere below the idea of any mere contempt.

blue_&_white_avenger

C. Gee
I agree with both your postings

Trumpeldor

Sometimes,en evil act is a blessing in disguise
By revealing his true Muslim and leftist nature,Obama cut the leash to the Israeli poodle.
True,freedom is daunting,suffocating in the first breaths and the feeling of loneliness is harsh and intense
But after some days,the poodle may revert to its role : a powerful swamp hunter,able to take on any prey.
It will take some time but the highly efficient and despised Mr Libermann,is doing more than small ripples in the complex world theater.Behind the scenes,new alliances are formed,contracts are signed and the world order is slowly changing.
Make no mistakes,all Israelis adore the USA but they understood that a powerful enemy is currently at the white house and will do anything to harm our legitimate interests for another 2.5 years
Israelis will activate all conventional and less conventional means to pass though those turbulent times but.In the meantime, the Iranian clock is ticking and "something"will have happen in 2010....

Augustus

Month after month the Obama administration was able to hold Israel back from attacking Iran's nuclear facilities only by a guarantee of tough sanctions; first promised for the end of last year, and then by the end of March. But Secretary Clinton has u-turned, saying that sanctions would take
a leisurely several months, thus enabling Iran's rulers to carry on its dash for a nuclear bomb. Israel has been deceived and no effective international action is going to be in place to delay Iran's ambitions.

However, the Obama administration is plagued with serious political problems. On top of the party's major election defeats in Virginia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, American politics is plagued by discontent. Anger over a broken economy, unemployment, debt, cronyism, and scandal, all play their part in losing independent voters. There is organized opposition to the President's policies, and the opposition is universally supportive of Israel. Hammering the Jewish state is not a consensus policy in America. Twisting the arm of its allies while coddling terrorists at home and offering public apologies to Islam abroad are not the kinds of politics most people admire. The President is vulnerable. Sane and honourable people stand with the Jews. Before the shards of glass cover the pavements, yet again, and before whole families are bulldozed into mass graves, yet again, Western civilization must stand up and be counted. Before the mushroom cloud rises over Tel Aviv we must stand with
Israel and say, "Never Again".

logdon

And spawn of the devil BBC is ratcheting the anti-Semitism as if they were just begging for Kristalnachte: The Sequel.

The lies become blatant in the opening line of last nights news. 'Israel building in Arab East Jerusalem'.

Arab? This is the Israeli capital. East Jerusalem is not Arab. It's in Israel.

And therefore about as true as Jews building apartment blocks in Mecca. Imagine that? Never a mention of the Judenrein status of Saudi is there?

These out of control bastards really need reining in. Starting with el-Bowen.

But as for the story, I read Israeli blogs like Arutz Sheva and rather than being cowed by Barack Hussein Obama and his bitter side kick Shrillary the mood is fuck 'em.

The US creates such sturm und drang over this and actually suggest that building apartments will cost US lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is as big a deception as it gets.

And why? All that's happened is 'permission to build'. The actual spades in ground is not slated for about three years hence. Obama knows that. Clinton knows it. What a farce? What is this really about should be the big question.

I hope Netanyahu realises that the only way out is to stick to his guns. In more ways than one. US Jews, traditional Democrat fodder will only go so far. Any more of this kow-tow to Muslims/Insult Israel schtic will, and is backfiring spectacularly.

And Barry’s stance is not lost on the rest of America either. There’s real unrest out there and his overt Islamic fawning spelled out with zero ambiguity is not lost on Americans still raw over 9/11.

They’re even rawer over the proposed New York terror trials, Major Nidal Malik Hasan’s Fort Hood massacre, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s attempted hijacking, all talked of by Obama as neither here nor there.

We live in interesting times has never been more apt.

Peter

Obama looks like exactly the wrong man in the wrong job at the wrong time.
My sympathies are 101% with Israel.
Let's pray that Mr.Netanyahu has the courage to act unilaterally against Iran,soon.

Joshua

"Support for Israel is more genuine when it’s not placed beyond criticism."

Criticism of Israel and Israelis that is based on rank prejudice is invariably very genuine, but that doesn't prevent it from being extremely distasteful and rather less than helpful.

gareth

Nachman - the BBC and Guardian are declining, for obvious reasons, they're inaccurate, selective and boring - and hateful.
I hope they'll be gone soon. We need a Fox news channel in Britain, that allows free speech.
If the truth ever gets out, and it is leaking out slowly, then people will change, but with the BBC and CNN and Zanu Labour propaganda we're done for.

Mailman

Jonathan Karmi,

Oh well then thats ok because clearly due to a mayor wearing sunglasses and a defence minister with dust in his eyes is justification enough for Israel to be nuked! :)

Besides...youtube linky or it never happened!

Mailman

Harold

Gareth, surely 'free speech' on Fox is defined by the agenda Rupert Murdoch is currently pushing?