Israel accuses US of backing European settlement backlash
Five European countries, including Britain, have registered formal protests with Israeli ambassadors over last week’s decision by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to build 3,000 settlers’ homes and develop an area of the West Bank that could render a Palestinian state unviable.
Along with Australia and Brazil, they were joined by Egypt, threatening to destabilise its fragile regional relations. …
Britain, France, Sweden, Spain and Denmark all summoned Israeli envoys on Tuesday to protest over the settlement plans, while Germany and the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-Moon, denounced it.
The newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, quoted unnamed Israeli diplomats as saying the outcry could not have occurred without the complicity of the Obama administration, which has profound differences with Mr Netanyahu over settlements.
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Idiots. Palestinians are not interested in a “two-state” solution. They just want the Israelis to jump in the sea.
Bitter Clinger on December 5, 2012 at 8:55 AM
Hell, I think we should go over there and help them build homes.
Blake on December 5, 2012 at 9:02 AM
Ignore Australia’s protest. With Hanoi Julia at the helm, we have no hope of any principled approach – to anything!
OldEnglish on December 5, 2012 at 9:06 AM
No, they want to throw their dead, mutulated bodies into the sea. Let me know when the “Palestinians” even accept that Israel has the right to exist. I will be long dead and buried, before that happens.
SC.Charlie on December 5, 2012 at 9:09 AM
There is no mystery here – obama asked these countries to pull their ambassadors – obama is behind this “backlash”. Not that anyone needs a reminder, but, we have to keep in mind that obama is a sworn enemy of Israel – something that he proves every day.
Pork-Chop on December 5, 2012 at 9:32 AM
You’re all confusing Obama’s general dislike of Israel with US policy, which has always been to contain Israel.
Example:
Bush criticises settlements on Israel visit
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jan/09/usa.israelandthepalestinians
Why do you all think no Republican or Democrat has ever followed through and moved the US embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem?
What Israel SHOULD do is the following:
1) Immediate diplomacy with Iran; In exchange for a peace treaty, help their nuclear program. The Arabs want Israel to stop Iran because it’s in Arab interests, and objectively against Israel’s interests in terms of realpolitik.
2) Refuse to take any more US Aid (in other words, subsidies for US weapon systems);
3) Order an entire air fleet – 1000 jet fighters – from Russia. Preferably whichever jet performs best against US supplied Arab air-forces. By now the US will get the message, and Russia will be much more pro-Israel.
4) Recognize the Palestinian Authority as the legitimate ruler of Jordan, with it’s capital in Amman. Once they take Jordan, if they dare wage war with Israel, they will lose everything in the West Bank.
5) Tell the Egyptians that if they dare break the peace treaty, and start a war, should they lose, the Sinai will granted to the Gazans, the Suez will be made an international zone (as opposed to Jerusalem), and there will be a DMZ between Suez and Cairo. Because the Suez will be international, the British will immediately become much more neutral.
6) If the Turks don’t become more neutral, Israel should back the Kurds, Armenians, Cypriots, and Greeks against Turkey.
7) If France doesn’t become more neutral, recognize the independence of Corsica. If the British haven’t gotten the message, recognize the independence of Scotland. If Spain doesn’t get it, support Catalonia.
And so forth.
Unless Israel actually stops ****ing around, the US containment strategy will keep on going.
ebrawer on December 5, 2012 at 9:49 AM
Rumors have it that the US has quietly encouraged European lands to close their embassies in Israel.
Schadenfreude on December 5, 2012 at 11:37 AM