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In the midst of Biden's visit, 1600 new settlements in the occupied West Bank were announced!

Israel Sandbags Biden

By Juan Cole, Reader Supported News
10 March 2010

The far rightwing government of Binyamin Netanyahu in Israel majorly sandbagged Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday, demonstrating once again that it has not the slightest interest in pursuing a just peace with the Palestinian people or in trading a cessation of its colonization of the Palestinian West Bank for a comprehensive peace with the Arab world.

Biden went to the Mideast to kick off negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis, and reassured the latter of undying US support for them. On Chris Matthews' Hardball, Biden explained that when you marry someone, you tell them you love them, but that does not remove the obligation to keep saying it years later. Apparently, however, Washington is henpecked by Tel Aviv to the point almost of being a battered spouse. In response to Biden's loyal support for Israel over decades, the Likud-led government kicked him in the teeth. Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai abruptly announced that he would build 1600 new households (for 8,000 people?) in a part of the Occupied West Bank that the Israeli government had annexed to Jerusalem District. It was precisely such new and increasing Israeli building on Palestinian territory that had led Palestine Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to reject negotiations and to threaten to resign. The announcement put in doubt whether the negotiations would go forward, and made Biden and the United States government look like fools.

Joe Biden should have turned around and left the country. Instead, he showed up 90 minutes late to a state dinner hosted by Netanyahu and dared actually directly complain about the way he was treated, "I condemn the decision," he said, calling it "precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now and runs counter to the constructive discussions that I've had here in Israel."

full article, video, and graphic at link

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From what I've seen, a significant portion of the Israeli press is unhappy with the public slapping of Biden. Behind closed doors Biden expressed an important point:

"The Israeli press has been extremely critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government's behavior during Biden's visit. See these excerpts from a piece by Shimon Shiffer in Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth today, headline: "Biden: You�re Jeopardizing Regional Peace":

"Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Israel as a friend. As a matter of fact, he is considered to be the greatest friend of Israel ever to have been a member of the U.S. Senate. Legislation that he promoted over the years ensured the Israelis� security and welfare. It is that great friend of ours who now feels betrayed.

"While standing in front of the cameras, the U.S. vice president made an effort to smile at Binyamin Netanyahu even after having learned on Tuesday that the Interior Ministry had approved plans to build 1,600 housing units in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo. But in closed conversations, Joe Biden took an entirely different tone. ...

"People who heard what Biden said were stunned. �This is starting to get dangerous for us,� Biden castigated his interlocutors. �What you�re doing here undermines the security of our troops who are fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. That endangers us and it endangers regional peace.�

http://www.politico.com/blogs/laurarozen/0310/What_Biden_told_Netanyahu_behind_closed_doors_This_is_starting_to_get_dangerous_for_us.html

From Haaretz

"The real problem, however, is not the timing of the announcement or the act of insulting a crucial ally - which are in themselves quite serious issues. Rather, it is the government's policy, which from the outset spawned this damaging project. Under the cover of nicely worded statements touting two states for two peoples and the hoopla over the renewal of indirect negotiations with the Palestinians, Netanyahu and his government continue to establish facts on the ground - and in such a way as to conquer yet another hill and another path, while populating East Jerusalem with more and more Jews."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1155648.html

I can't tell for sure if this insult was intended or not, but it looks deliberate. It's inevitable that we swallow an insult from someone like Chavez or the Iranians and continue on. It's an entirely different matter when it is an ally. Andrew Sullivan says we should 'cut off loan guarantees, suspend aid, threaten to remove the UN veto'. I agree Obama and Sec. Clinton should take a good hard look at one or two of those measures. There should be consequences.

[mises]

That little country treated the Obama admin like a bitch. Barry should man up and push back. No point in being a superpower if not.


The settlements are gross. I would be inclined to support Israel if not for the settlements. When I read about the settlements I discover that they're largely driven by ultra religious quacks who are building trip-wires in the desert. Oh well. Just more religious BS.

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http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=556639&publicationSubCategoryId=200


Maybe the reporter in the article mentioned in the OP should have checked his facts.

According to THIS article Netanyahu had no idea of what was going on. (see last paragraph). This seems to have be an unilateral decision by the Interior Ministry. Given that they are apparently run by a far right religious group and given that such groups see any territorial concessions as blasphemy it's hardly strange that they would choose Biden's visit to make a political point.

Whereas Netanyahu is likely more politically astute.

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[Reggie]

Sadly, many Americans are in denial of being Israel's bitch while the rest of the world laughs at us for being the "catcher" in the relationship.

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