“I think it's a big deal. This is a fight that the White House has picked. … I think it surprised Netanyahu. Netanyahu apologized to Vice President Biden … And he expressed regret. … And they thought the thing had been put to bed … And then for some reason … the White House at the highest levels—the president decided let's make a big fuss about this … I do not know, honestly, why the president chose to pick a big public fight just when it was all dying down with Israel.”
—William Kristol, editor, Weekly Standard, Fox News Sunday, March 14, 2010
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“[T]he president, the vice president, secretary of State did exactly the right thing for American interests and for Israel ... [F]irst of all, they were speaking for many secretaries of State, many presidents in the past who have had Israeli settlements shoved in their face before, during, and after a visit by Israel. ... So there's a lot of backstory here, this isn't just about that trip.
“Then let's look at the moment we're in. We have an Israeli prime minister from the right who actually could deliver the right. He's done actually a lot of good things on the ground in the West Bank. You have to give him credit for that. We have the best Palestinian leadership we've had in a long time. And we have a Sunni Arab world obsessed with Iran, ready to work with Israel more than ever. You'd think in that context Israel could say to the United States, you know, ‘You're doing all this for us, we're just going to stop settlements in Jerusalem, in the West Bank, not temporarily, not moratorium. We're going to give you a chance to actually test the other side whether they're for real. ... Barack Obama, this Bud's for you. We're going to do this for the American people.’ Is that anti-Semitism, is that anti-Israelism, to ask that of an Israeli government, to ask, act first in its own interest and then in America's interest? I don't think so.”
—Tom Friedman, columnist, The New York Times, Meet the Press, March 14, 2010
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that Israel must prove it is committed to the Mideast peace process with actions but brushed aside suggestions that US-Israeli relations are in crisis and reaffirmed America's steadfast commitment to the security of the Jewish state.
Clinton said American and Israeli officials were in intense talks about how to repair the damage caused by last week's Israeli announcement of new Jewish housing in east Jerusalem while Vice President Joe Biden was visiting the country. She said the goal was to relaunch stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
The U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv on Tuesday morning confirmed that U.S. Special Mideast envoy George Mitchell will not arrive in Israel on Tuesday evening as planned, but denied reports that the trip was postponed because Washington was waiting for a formal Israeli response over its concerns on an east Jerusalem housing plan.
Sources at the embassy said Mitchell postponed his visit due to “logistical reasons” and will arrive sometime after a meeting of the Middle East Quartet—the U.S., UN, EU and Russia—in Moscow Thursday.
Hundreds of Palestinians clashed with police in several east Jerusalem neighborhoods early Tuesday amid heightened religious and political tension in the Holy City. ...
The government's announcement last week of plans for new Jewish settler homes in mainly Arab east Jerusalem infuriated the Palestinians, as well as the U.S. administration. ... The reopening of a twice-destroyed landmark synagogue in Jerusalem's walled Old City on Monday further fueled tension.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee said today that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will be the plenary speaker representing the White House at the group's March 21-23 conference. ...
Other speakers at the AIPAC conference include Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Kadima Party leader Tzipi Livni, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
In response to the Obama administration’s stepped-up criticism of Israeli building plans in Jerusalem, Jewish groups are slamming the White House for failing to speak out more against Palestinian incitement. ...
The White House and left-wing Jewish groups say they are as concerned with Palestinian actions that undermine the peace process, especially the issue of anti-Israel incitement, as they are with Israeli settlement policies. But several centrist and right-wing pro-Israel groups have pointed out that U.S. criticism in recent days has been focused exclusively on Israel.
Hours after Vice President Joe Biden declared that there is “no space” between Israel and the U.S., the Israeli government announces the approval of 1,600 new housing units in contested East Jerusalem. …
As Americans, we feel insulted. Contrary to the spin generated in some quarters, the Obama administration has gone out of its way to support Israel and the Netanyahu government. As the Forward has reported, cooperation between the two nations is flourishing—the Obama administration has worked hard to bolster Israel’s qualitative military edge, which had eroded during the final year of the presidency of George W. Bush. America continues to do the heavy lifting required to fend off unfair criticism of Israel in unfriendly venues. And American Jews continue to pour money, resources and energy into ensuring Israel’s future.
Some Jews believe that all of Jerusalem belongs under Israeli control, but that is a political position, not an indisputable fact. Another people also lays claim to this holy city. This is why negotiations are so desperately needed—and why expanding Ramat Shlomo by fiat may serve the narrow purposes of a political agenda, but it obstructs the broader goal of a negotiated settlement. …
But our reaction to this announcement is more personal. The American vice president was placed in a humiliating position. Note to Israel: That’s not how you treat your best friend. Access the full article>>
Israel could not have asked for a more positive beginning to U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s visit [last] week. ... As Israeli Apartheid Week [drew] to a close, it seem[ed] that the only real friend Israel has in the entire world is the good old U.S. of A, and the Biden visit was confirmation of that partnership. … But then it happened. A three-year chain of bureaucratic events climaxed to spectacularly damaging effect. …
Such right-hand-not-knowing-what-the-left-hand-is-doing blunders strike a blow to Israel’s image, and a blow on more substantive levels too. For a start, the Netanyahu government looks completely incompetent. … [B]ecause of sheer ineptitude, the timing of the announcement immediately threatened the “proximity talks” in which Netanyahu has stressed Israel has a profound interest. It united the Palestinians, the Arab world and much of the international community in a chorus of anti-Israel condemnation. And most unhappily of all, it embarrassed our most important ally.
It seems fair to assume that, in the long run, the truly deep and significant bonds between our two countries will endure. The shared values and interests, many of them encapsulated in the commitment to freedom and democracy, plainly outweigh even significant missteps like this one. But to attain these common goals requires avoiding serious mistakes that embarrass our friends and strengthen our enemies. To attain these common goals requires profound trust between allies. Now Israel must set about rebuilding that trust. Access the full article>>
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has led Israel into a serious crisis in relations with the United States and to a collapse in peace talks with the Palestinians just when they were to be resumed. … Netanyahu hoped the crisis had passed, but his assessment was divorced from reality, as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made clear to him Friday in a long telephone conversation. ... She demanded that he take steps to show his commitment to bilateral relations between the two countries and to the peace process. …
There is one reason for the crisis: Netanyahu’s persistence in continuing construction in East Jerusalem, in placing Jews in Arab neighborhoods and evicting Palestinians from their homes in the city. This is not a matter of timing but substance. Despite repeated warnings and bitter experiences, he stokes the flames over the conflict’s most sensitive issue and is bound to get himself in trouble. Netanyahu has made it clear by his actions that American support for Israel, especially essential now in light of the Iranian threat, is less important to him than the chance to put another few Jews in the Sheikh Jarrah or Ramat Shlomo neighborhoods. Even if Netanyahu's adversaries in the U.S. administration have exploited his misstep to push him into a corner, as his “associates” will certainly argue, a statesman as experienced as he should have been especially careful. …
Netanyahu’s flip-flopping games have come to an end. Even at the price of risks involving domestic party politics, he should opt for what is in the national interest and act to strengthen American support for Israel. Access the full article>>
Vice President Joe Biden, remarks, “The Enduring Partnership Between the United States and Israel,” Tel Aviv University, March 11, 2010:
“We are determined to keep the pressure on Iran so that it will change its course. And as we do, we will also be seeking to improve relations between the Israelis and Palestinians. They are connected indirectly, but there is a relationship. … These are critical goals in their own rights. Their pursuit also denies Tehran the opportunity to exploit the differences between Israelis and Palestinians, and Israelis and the Arab world, and to distract the many countries that stand united against Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and the support of terrorism. Building peace and security between a Jewish democratic state of Israel and a viable, independent Palestinian state is profoundly in Israel’s interest, if you will forgive me for suggesting that. I’ve learned never tell another man or another country what’s in their own interest, but it seems so—it’s also profoundly in the interest of Palestinians. And it’s fundamentally in the national security interest of the United States of America. … Look, folks, as we move forward I promise you this: The United States will continue to hold both sides accountable for any statements or any actions that inflame tensions or prejudice the outcome of these talks. The most important thing is for these talks to go forward and go promptly and go forward in good faith. We can’t delay, because when progress is postponed, extremists exploit our differences and they sow hate.”
“Israel is one of our strongest allies. … It is a vibrant democracy. It shares links with us in all sorts of ways. It is critical for us and I will never waver from ensuring Israel's security and helping them secure themselves in what is a very hostile region.”
—President Barack Obama, Town Hall Meeting in Tampa, Florida, January 28, 2010
“Israel’s unique relationship with the United States means that you need not bear that heavy burden alone. Our nations’ unbreakable bond borne of common values, interwoven cultures, and mutual interests has spanned the entirety of Israel’s history. And it’s—it’s impervious to any shifts in either country and either country’s partisan politics. No matter what challenges we face, this bond will endure.”
—Vice President Joe Biden, remarks, “The Enduring Partnership Between the United States and Israel,” Tel Aviv University, March 11, 2010
“It is important that the United States always underscore our unshakable, durable, fundamental relationship and support for the State of Israel. … I want to emphasize the continuing strengths of the United States-Israeli relationship and our unrelenting commitment to Israel's security. … The democratic process has its ups and downs, but the United States and Israel share a common bond that strengthens our relationship as fellow democracies to address the challenges that we each face. Our relationship is more than just one of shared interests. It is of shared values.”
—Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, remarks with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Jerusalem, March 3, 2009
“The President and the Secretary of State have been clear about our commitment both to Israel’s security and to the two-state solution based on the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state with contiguous territory. This commitment is unwavering and in the national security interests of the United States.”
—Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell, interview, Middle East Bulletin, “Progress Requires Patience, Compromise and Courageous Leadership,” December 1, 2009
“As President Obama said in Cairo last month, our bond is unbreakable. We also discussed the regional security challenges we both face from terrorism to the threat posed by Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons. As part of our steadfast support for Israel, the United States continues to provide a robust, annual military assistance package. We are contributing both financial and technical assistance to strengthen Israel's defense against the growing threat posed by rockets and missiles. And we will continue to ensure that Israel has the most advanced weapons for its national defense. One example is our ongoing discussion of the Joint Strike Fighter program. Of course, achieving long-term security for Israel is ultimately dependent on a sustainable, comprehensive Middle East peace. The goal is vitally important for regional stability. To help move the process forward, we will continue to address further Israeli security requirements to make a two state solution possible.”
—Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, press conference with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, July 27, 2009