The Obama administration is refusing to discuss reports that emerged early Thursday claiming that the White House is considering imposing sanctions on Israel for continuing construction on Jewish homes in Jerusalem.The world is upside down.
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf dodged several questions on Thursday when confronted with reports that the administration had held secret internal meetings to discuss taking action against Israel for its ongoing building in East Jerusalem.
The classified meetings were reportedly held several weeks ago and included officials from both the State Department and White House, according to the Israeli daily Ha’aretz, which first reported on the meetings.
The possibility of sanctioning Israel for its ongoing construction sends a signal that the Obama administration is willing to go further in its denunciations of Israel then any previous White House.
At the same time, the White House is vigorously pushing Congress against passing new sanctions on Iran.
The administration wants to sanction Israel but opposes sanctions against Iran?
WTF is going on!
Its almost like they want the world to burn. This will do nothing but signal to Israel's enemies that its open season on them. Do they really want a regional war?
Lets see how that works out. This will be yet another nail in the coffin for this lame-duck administration when a new congress takes over.
ReplyDeletethis is just BE move by the amateurs in White House, to sound "fair and balanced".. they certainly wont commit suicide going against the Israeli, the WHOLE congress is PRO israel..
ReplyDeletetalk about political suicide..
Is that your definition or fairness? If yes, USA is not a trustful partner in this issue.
Delete"Its almost like they want the world to burn. This will do nothing but signal to Israel's enemies that its open season on them. Do they really want a regional war?"
ReplyDeletePoint 1- At this very moment, not one single Israeli regional neighbour is capable of prosecuting a "War" against Israel. Proof of that statement- If you cant destroy ISIS, you sure as hell cant fight Israel.
Point 2- The way diplomacy functions, ultimately there might be no sanctions against Israel but just a warning shot not to further conflagurate the region.
Point 3- Obama is desperatly trying to salvage some foreign policy success. He must think if Iran as his China and himself as Nixon. How true that statement is....only the future will tell.
But Solomon, you are right by saying some enemies of Israel might get emboldened by this news of a sanction. Only thing being it wont be the usual collection of bad asses that we have been taught of- Syria, Iran and Iraq but other non state bad actors like Hezbollah and Hamas.
DeleteYou forget about "express concern" in Point 2.
DeleteIf i start experessing real concern about the Mid East, i'll have to cry a river as long as the nile over the missed opportunities for peace, outside interference, no genuine efforts from themselves to work for peace, profiteering from the current status of perennial violence, pig headed decisions etc. And the last time I checked, my country is equally guilty of such things. Screw experessing real concern.......all we can do is comment. Publish and be damned.
DeleteObama, at 53, is still trying to navigate himself around his first actual job he has ever held in his whole life.
ReplyDeleteAnd in politics, this will be he last Job. Can he still stand for Public Office after his Presidential term is over ?
DeleteHopefully his performance will be better than his teaching of constitutional law.
DeleteBut I wont hold my breath.
But do you really think he will go "quietly into the night" like former Presidents? Has Geroge W. Bush said ANYTHING negative about what the Obama administration is doing or has done? Even though they drug his name through the mud?
ReplyDeleteObama is classless and the next President will have as hard a time dealing with the result of Obamas failures as he will with his constant need for attention.
We will never be free of this guy.
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DeleteRealisticaly speaking, whats the worst sanction that Washington can impose on Israel ? -5 bags of cement so that atleast 1 household doesnt get to build a kitchen extension on the disputed land ?
ReplyDeleteThe worst sanction you ask? Take a look at the several billion dollars the US hands them every year.
DeleteAnd yet Pakistan has recieved more US assistance than Israel over the last decade. I think they were the largest reciepients of US military assistance in this period.
Deletei can make a huge list of countries that get more aid than Israel. as usual the anti-Israel, pro-Hamas lobby likes to focus in on that but they're just bastards.
Deletethere is only one democracy in the Middle East. we only have one TRUE partner in the Middle East and it isn't an Arab country.
You are right about Israel Solomon and I am not disputing that fact. But when you do go around making that list.......Pakistan will be on the top.
Deleteare you sure? i know Iraq is also draining us dry.
DeleteYup, I am pretty much sure. Off course lots of academics use different methods to measure "aid"....civilian and military.
DeleteIraq is not draining you dry.....your Govt.'s absolute insistance that "we must do something about this crisis" is draining you dry. The name of the drain may be Iraq/Pakistan.....but the hand that pulls the flush lever is definitely American.
Last I heard, a deal was being brokered about some Oliver Hazard Perry class ships for the Pak navy. And the terms of that deal were I am sure very draining for the US seeing that Pakistan is virtually Bankrupt. Unless they get funded by a Saudi bridge fund.
DeleteEarly this year Saudi Arabia raised an eyebrow by buying an amazing amout of Anti-tank Missiles and the whole lot of us thinking about which countries Tanks they were targeting apart from Israel. Then you think about Saudi's partner in crime- Pakistan and then you realize which countries tanks are being targeted.
The Saudis don't benefit from a war with Israel, I think the ATGMs are either just part of their general expansion of the military or perhaps they are destined for Syria.
DeleteAgain, I think that the Obama administration is trying to do a little "dammage limitation" exercise ... nothing of consequence, more a PR stunt, for show. they neither have the guts not the means to pull any weight on this israeli government and the lack of credibility the US has with regard both to Israel and the Arab countries is genuinely worrying ...
ReplyDeleteThis spin doctoring exercise might also have to do with the ongoing 'secret' negociations with Iran, about the fight against ISIS, the possible deal on nuclear energy with Iran and the wholly Graal that might save the whole Obama administration and go into his history books as his legacy to the world, i.e. a strategic alliance with Iran whilst maintaining close ties with Israel, sort of double insurance against sunni terrorism and saudi/wahabi influence in the region.
But so many obbstacles on that road that this is probably due to fail just as much as Clinton's attempt at brokering a final peace deal between Israel and Palestinians ... everybody knows what came after that failure
Not overly optimistic for the region ...
I agree. Obama told AIPAC back in June 2008 that he favored an undivided Jerusalem. " Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided." Israel wants all of Palestine and they are getting it.
DeleteA point can be made here that Israel is already facing sanctions. Its called the F35 project. But thats just humor.
ReplyDeleteLOL....
Deletebut in seriousness I would bet that is partly an attempt to help placate this administration and keep in the good graces of American military contractors. Don't be shocked if they dump the F-35 in two years after a new US president is in office. Unfortunately, by then the F/A-18 may be out of production. As much as I hate to see contracts going somewhere other than the USA, I wouldn't be surprised if Israel has out feelers for other planes. The Gripen wouldn't be a bad fit but I doubt the Swedes would go for it. For that matter most nations wont sell to them. Maybe the Tejas now that there is some trade going on with India and the engine is the American f414?
Tejas, only if we pull off a miracle will be a decent operational plane. Israel will be better off buying the PAK-FA (Provided they are ready by then) from us. The best thing about the PAK-FA is that India gets to build its own version. So anytime Putin goes bonkers and sanctions make it hard to do business with Russia you can always buy from India. Single seat/double seat, Elta Radar/Phazotron Radar/Thales Radar, AMRAAM/R77, BrahMos/Tomahawk etc.
DeleteThe 1980's and 90's and early 2000's in India are filled with Projects that were carried on with no inter service cooperation. There was no proper link between the scientists, bureacrats and the end military users about these systems. That is changing slowly. The fact that we havnt blown up a nuclear device for testing also helps with the sanctions. 1 Nuclear Test is on an average a decade plus of sanctions.
We always assume that the President is playing politics. We forget he actually believes in some of this stuff. He actually believes like many on the far side that the poor Palestinians are just victims of the war-loving Israelis. Look at all of his policies on the middle east. He has never treated Israel as anything but an aggressor. Israel is a very liberal nation (on everything but the military) and started out encouraged by him becoming president. Now, everyone on every side of the political fence there distrusts him.
ReplyDeleteWhen the Palestinians began firing rockets at innocent people, he seemed more concerned about Israeli "over-reaction". Now that the Palestinians are just treating ax murderers and people who run over Jews as heroes, instead of launching missiles they are the good guys again in his eyes. And please nobody try and say that "that is just a few doing it" when the leadership in Palestine is the ones praising them, and polls show support from well over half the population for these latest low tech acts of terror.
Of course what probably has ticked off the President the most is that in response to these last terrorist attacks, Israel is talking about dropping most gun control on handguns.
By the way, has anyone heard anything more about ISIS capturing and Egyptian Navy gunboat?
Only a gunboat, in Pakistan they almost had a Islamic Mutiny on a frigate. And thats the second major attempt to take over Pakistani Naval assets. The last time it was that airfield raid that destroyed some of their Maritiime Recce Aircrafts. Now that was a special forces raid that could have been done a lot better.
DeleteA frigate? Depending on their armament fit, that could have been insanely dangerous threat. I can just see the headlines if 3 or 4 harpoon missiles slammed into a US or allied ship. Do you have a link about that?
DeleteThe gunboat I was talking about was an internet story about an Egyptian gunboat...with anti-ship missiles on board...being hijacked by either ISIS or Hamas depending on the source. No hard news sites just secondhand blog posts.
What is surprising about an Islamic mutiny is that usually the navies of Muslim nations tend to be led by the more secular classes of society like engineers. I know the heads of the Malaysian and Indonesian navies have taken pretty strong stands against ISIS.
But then the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008 came from the sea, and rumors abounded that elements of the Pak navy or Intel branches were involved.
The Frigate in question is the PNS Zulfiqar and one of the links-
Deletehttp://www.wsj.com/articles/al-qaeda-militants-tried-to-seize-pakistan-navy-frigate-1410884514
Their plan was to indulge in ship vs. ship activity against the US and Indian Navies there. Looking at Osama Bin Laden and other people joining up ISIS and some of the more distinguished leaders of these terrorist organizations....they have a tendency to come from educated or moderate or percieved to be moderate/secular classes. No one could have looked at Osama in 1970's Sweden and said thats a terrorist.
P.S- that attack on the Airbase housing their Maritime Recce Aircrafts was also conducted by their ex-SF chaps who were radicalized.
DeleteI dont know if Osama was already radicalized during the 70's, I suppose he was since he left school to join Azzam in afghanistan at the end of the decade. And you are right, the level of education or economic solvency has nothing to do with the radicalization tendencies, highly educated or economically stable people tend to be radicalized as easily as ignorant ones.
DeleteIn my opinion, perhaps even more. Truly poor and ignorant people dont spend their free time reading bullshit about Jihad. But that's my opinion, facts show an "equal" chance.
Delete