It is like an abusive relationship. The abusive partner doesn't stop abuse knowing that the abused partner will never leave the relationship.
“Bibi, you heard me say before, progress occurs in the Middle East when everyone knows there is simply no space between the United States and Israel,” Biden said. “There is no space between the United States and Israel when it comes to Israel’s security. And for that reason, and many others, addressing Iran’s nuclear program has been one of our administration’s priorities.”
But that was practically the moment when the wheels came off the visit.
At about the same time on Tuesday that Biden was speaking, Israel announced it would build1,600 new homes for ultra-orthodox Jews in East Jerusalem, an area Israel annexed after the 1967 six-day war, and which neither the US nor the rest of the international community has ever recognized as legally Israel's.
The euphoric mood quickly went downhill. Though Israel said the announcement had nothing to do with Biden's trip, many commentators said it would likely be taken that way by an Obama administration pushing for a full settlement freeze as a confidence-building step with Palestinians.
Sharp response across the political spectrum
Popular Atlantic Monthly blogger Andrew Sullivan, a critic of Israel's settlement polices, headlined his post on the new settlement construction in Jerusalem: "Israel Humiliates Joe Biden."
Time Magazine wrote: "having been publicly humiliated by the Israeli announcement ... Biden made no secret of his pique."
Col. (ret.) Pat Lang, a former head of the Middle East desk at the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency, wrote on his blog that Biden was treated like a "servant."
Israeli Daily Ma'ariv wrote: "The closest man to Netanyahu in Washington got the usual treatment, where the guest returns to his capital angry and humiliated," according to a translation by the BBC.
UPDATE, March 16th: Roger Cohen form the NYT: Netanyahu in Obama's cooking pot.
Since March 29th 2006
2 comments:
today the President of Iran called Jews who immigrated to Israel before or after Israel's creation “the most criminal people in the world.”
The real question is WHY Jews left Iran, Yemen, Egypt, Iraq, etc. to move to Israel? And who took the property they were forced to leave behind?
Sophia
how many overtures has President Obama made to Iran and Syria? He has tried hard to engage these countries, but they have openly mocked him.
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