It’s no secret that the Obama administration is setting up a less friendly relationship with Israel than the close relationship set up by President Bush. Creating two-states with few pre-conditions has been Obama’s plan since the campaign, talking with all parties including Hamas. Over the last few months the administration has made overtures to Iran and Syria, and the President bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia, while their rhetoric towards Israel has been cold, even threatening. Hillary Clinton told the Israelis to accept a terrorist Palestinian state, or they may lose support from Arab countries on dealing with Iran’s nukes. There were rumors that Obama may try to force Israel into disclosing its nuclear program before the US takes more serious action on Iran. And, Leon Pannetta went on a secret trip to Israel begging them to consult with the White House before taking action (in their own defense) against Iranian nuclear sites.
Clearly Iran is the most pressing concern for both the US and Israel. While Obama’s strategy for dealing with insane tyrants is discourse and appeasement, Israel can’t take the chance–a nuclear armed Iran is an existential threat to the Jewish State, and will likely spell its destruction. Netanyahu is a hard liner, not because he’s a right-wing nut like the media will tell you, but because he’s a peace-through-strength commonsense kind of guy–did you know he’s friends with Rush Limbaugh and his brother went to school with Mark Levin?–If pushed into a corner by Obama, he probably won’t budge. While Netanyahu doesn’t support “the two-state solution” (whatever that means now) he’s not opposed to a “Palestinian state,” in fact he has a great, new strategy to deal with Israel’s murderous neighbors. It’s a three pronged approach involving Security, Economic Development, and Diplomacy.
If a Palestinian leadership can emerge from a newly invigorated, secure and successful people, that will recognize Israel as a Jewish State and join it as a partner in peace and prosperity, Netanyahu would clearly support it. As things are going now though, “the two state solution” is the same bloody pipe dream it’s been since Oslo. Hamas is hell bent (literally… 72 virgins and all) on Israel’s destruction, the PLO, although under a new disguise as the PA is pretty much in the same boat, only flying a flag that makes the world think they’re moderate. Abu Mazen, the President of the PA, recently stated that he will never recognize a Jewish Israel, the PA doesn’t even believe that a Jewish People exist. The PLO is not a partner for peace, and won’t be any time soon.
With reports that Hizballah and Hamas have joined forces in the south, another war is more likely than a terror state turned liberal democracy in Judea and Samaria. Obama’s HopeN’Change BS makes the media giddy, but the truth is, terrorists should be killed, not given a country. We’ll see in the morning how Obama and Netanyahu get along…He wasn’t Bill Clinton’s cup of tea, which gives me hope.
A good article to read before the Obama/Netanyahu meeting (it’s 2am now on the West Coast, so you might not get to it) is up at WSJ: “Netanyahu and Obama Have a Shared Interest in Iran“
