Tuesday, May 23, 2017

The Omniscient Authority

"There is a growing realization among your Arab neighbours that they have common cause with you in the threat posed by Iran."
"What's happened with Iran has brought many other parts of the Middle East towards [sic] Israel."
"I had a meeting this morning with President Abbas and can tell you that the Palestinians are ready to reach for peace. I know you've heard it before, I am telling you, that's what I do, that they are ready to reach for peace. And by meeting with my very good friend, Benjamin, [I can say that] that he is reaching for peace, he loves peace, he loves people, he especially loves the Israeli people. Benjamin Netanyahu wants peace. Making peace will not be easy. But with determination, compromise, and the belief that peace is possible, Israelis and Palestinians can make a deal."
U.S. President Donald Trump, Jerusalem, Israel
Jerusalem Post -- Trump and entourage; Netanyahu and entourage, before the Wailing Wall

President Trump was pleased to inform Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel that his august presence in the Middle East has paved the way for a final and lasting peace not only in the Middle East, but finally, between Israel and the Palestinians because at long last a master negotiator was present, and his very presence cast a great luminous light of peace and reconciliation over all belligerent parties to make of them a benevolent cast more than willing to set aside the petty differences that made them adversaries over the years.

The message to Israel in particular was that the Trump administration guarantees that the Islamic Republic of Iran will never attain a nuclear weapon, guaranteed. That being the case, as Iran remains the main irritant causing instability in the region Israel would do well to partner with its Arab neighbours in confronting the Islamic Republic. As though for the past 70 years and long before, Arab and Muslim nations hadn't one thing in common; hatred for the presence of Jews. As though the Arab League membership wasn't constantly at one another's throats. As though when expedience demands they will bow but when the situation changes, so do the attitudes.

Saudi Arabia's relaxation of its traditional hostility to Israel owes entirely to the fact that after a stream of conflicts from the combined armies of the Arab League led to humiliating failure where Israeli military skills outmatched those of the invading Muslim nations had them 'respecting' the Jewish state's conflict skills and fearing the consequences of continued violent hostilities. But if those formidable fighting skills could be turned against Aryan (non-Arab) Iran, it would be all to the good. The enemy of Sunni Islam threatens not only Arab primacy, but Jewish existence.

This is the juncture where the enemy of my enemy transforms the enemy capable of withstanding the onslaught of the enemy harbouring grandiose schemes of elevating its prominence, dominance and threat level to conquest heights, makes a friend whose resources of survival can be acceptable as long as it makes gains for the entire Arab world. And Prime Minister Netanyahu recognizes his nation's opportunity to influence its former adversaries in the mutual battle against a common enemy.

Yet that is a separate issue from the divisive one of mutual cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians simply for the reason that the Palestinians have gained the impression that much is owed them, and it is Israel that must make all the concessions, none required by the Palestinians. And there is this about the culture of the Arab Middle East; concessions are ultimately viewed as symptoms of weakness.

The greater the concessions the weaker those making them and the more demands can be made of them, until there is nothing left to demand and the command goes to the partner in the conversation who made demands that were agreed to by a reasonable wish to achieve peace. Peace to one negotiator is characterized by a cessation of violent acts against its people by perpetrators incited by its 'partner for peace'. While peace to the partner for peace is deciphered as having succeeded in obtaining all demands, leaving nothing whatever for the whimpering loser to collect and slink off with.


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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Gatestone Institute


Instead of congratulating the Israeli people for being one of the few countries in the Middle East to hold real free and democratic elections, Obama has decided to inflict collective punishment not on Netanyahu, but on all Israelis, even its Muslim and Christian citizens, for having an election that came out not the way he wanted it to.
The terrorists have also been following with great enthusiasm reports that the Obama Administration is considering reassessing its policy -- that the U.S. no longer considers Israel a strategic ally in the Middle East.
In short, Obama's anti-Israel stance is the best gift the Americans could have given to Muslim terrorists and radical Arabs.
Obama also seems not to want to face the fact that because of his withdrawals and neglect, the situation in the Middle East today, with the rise of Islamic State and other terror groups, is not the same as it was even five years ago.
Thanks to Obama's policies, the Iranians and their friends are now in control of Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon, and much of Bahrain, and have surrounded the oilfields of the Persian Gulf. Meanwhile the U.S. has been forced to close down its embassies in three Arab countries -- Syria, Libya and Yemen.
Even Palestinians and Arabs are aware of the fact that under the current circumstances a Palestinian state would sooner or later be controlled by jihadists and Islamic terrorists, whose dream is the destruction of Israel, Europe and the U.S.
The last thing the Americans and Europeans need is another Islamic extremist country that exports terrorism -- with nuclear weapons -- to all parts of the earth.
The real enemy is not Netanyahu. The real enemy is Iran, Hizbullah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad and Islamic State.
Many Arabs and Muslims are rubbing their hands in joy as they watch U.S. President Barack Obama declare war on Israel after the victory of Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party in last week's general election.

They do not see the rising tensions between Obama and Netanyahu as the result of a personal dispute between two leaders. Instead, the dispute is seen by many Arabs and Muslims as part of the Obama Administration's strategy to undermine Israel and force it to make territorial concessions that would pose an existential threat to Israel.

At the beginning of his first term in office, he raised high hopes in the Arab and Islamic countries when he rushed to deliver an apologetic speech at the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Al-Azhar University in Cairo. His speech left many Arabs and Muslims with the impression that here, finally, is an American president who is prepared to sacrifice Israel for the sake of appeasing its enemies.

Muslims have long considered Obama to be on their side in the conflict with Israel. They were expecting him to become the first U.S. president to abandon Israel in favor of Arabs and Muslims. But since the 2009 speech in Cairo, there has been great disappointment with Obama in the Arab and Islamic countries for failing to "do something" about Israel.

Now, at long last, the Obama Administration's increased hostility toward Israel is being welcomed in many Arab and Islamic capitals. They are overjoyed to see that after failing the Arabs and Muslims for the past six years, Obama seems finally to be moving in the "right" direction.

Terrorist groups such as Hamas, Hizbullah, Al-Qaeda and Islamic Jihad are also expressing satisfaction with what they see as Obama's "declaration of war" against Israel. Palestinian Authority officials in the West Bank are also celebrating over the fact that Israel has become the number one enemy of the Obama Administration.

This week, a Palestinian Authority official was quoted as saying that the Palestinians would not be surprised if President Obama himself joined their campaign to file war crimes charges against Israel before the International Criminal Court. The official was reported to have told a Ramallah-based Western diplomat that Obama hates Israel and this was good news for the Palestinians.

Israel's enemies have been sitting on its borders and waiting for an opportunity to attack. One of the reasons they have been reluctant until now to wage an all-out war to destroy Israel was their fear that the U.S. would come to Israel's rescue. But now, Hizbullah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Islamic State and other terror groups are hopeful that Obama has finally decided to abandon Israel.

The terrorists also have been following with great enthusiasm reports that the Obama Administration is considering reassessing its policy in the Middle East in the wake of Netanyahu's electoral victory. This is exactly the kind of news they have been waiting to hear for so many years -- that the U.S. no longer considers Israel its main strategic ally in the Middle East.

Bassam Tawil writes that President Obama's anti-Israel stance is the best gift the Americans could have given to Islamist terrorists. Above, Israeli PM Netanyahu meets President Obama at the White House, May 20, 2011. (Image source: Israel PM office)

Reports that the Obama Administration will no longer support Israel in international forums and agencies, especially in the UN General Assembly and Security Council, are seen by a growing number of Arabs and Muslims as the beginning of the end of the partnership between the U.S. and Israel. This partnership has worried Israel's enemies for decades because it stands in the way of achieving their goal of wiping Israel off the face of the earth.
In short, Obama's anti-Israel stance is the best gift the Americans could have given to Islamist terrorists and radical Arabs. For the first time ever, the Obama Administration has created hope among Israel's enemies that the U.S. will at last give them his wholehearted support, just as he has been doing with Iran.

The sharp crisis between the Obama Administration and Israel has been taking place at a time when the U.S. is losing most of its Arab and Muslim friends, especially in Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, as well as other countries. It is also taking place at a time when Iran is capturing one Arab country after the other, and has now surrounded all the oilfields in the Persian Gulf, as well as having quietly for years infiltrated South America.

Thanks to Obama's policies, the Iranians and their friends are now in control of Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon, and much of Bahrain, and have surrounded the oilfields of the Persian Gulf. Meanwhile, the U.S. has been forced to close down its embassies in three Arab countries -- Syria, Libya and Yemen.

Instead of facing the dangers of the Iranian drive to export the Islamic revolution to as many Arab and Islamic countries as possible -- with the help of an accelerating operation to acquire nuclear weapons -- Obama has turned Israel in general, and Netanyahu in particular, into the main threat to world peace and stability.

And instead of congratulating the Israeli people for being one of the few countries in the Middle East to hold real free and democratic elections, Obama has decided to inflict collective punishment not on Netanyahu, but on all Israelis, even its Muslim and Christian citizens, for having an election that came out not the way he wanted it to.

What Obama does seem to want is to force Israel to accept a Palestinian state that would pose an existential threat to it and become the source of instability and tensions in the region. Obama also seems not to want to face the fact that because of his withdrawals and neglect, the situation in the Middle East today, with the rise of Islamic State and other terror groups, is not the same as it was even five years ago.

Even Palestinians and Arabs are aware of the fact that under the current circumstances a Palestinian state would sooner or later be controlled by jihadists and Islamic terrorists, whose dream is the destruction of Israel, Europe and the U.S.

If Obama is interested in reconsidering his Middle East policy, he should start by examining the repercussions of the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on regional and international security. The last thing Americans and Europeans need is another Islamic extremist country that exports terrorism -- most probably with nuclear weapons -- to all parts of the earth.

Obama needs to wake up. The real enemy is not Netanyahu. The real enemy is Iran, Hizbullah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Islamic State. Unfortunately, Obama -- as he continues undermining moderate Muslims and Arabs in the free world -- has decided to side with the wrong side.

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Thursday, March 19, 2015

Why the Israeli voter reelected Binyamin Netanyahu and strengthened his Likud


Why the Israeli voter reelected Binyamin Netanyahu and strengthened his Likud

DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis March 18, 2015, 5:47 PM (IDT)
Binyamin Netanyahu celebrates a "great victory"
Binyamin Netanyahu celebrates a "great victory"
Binyamin Netanyahu’s Likud party owed its March 17 election lead of 30 seats as much to its rivals’ myopia as to the prime minister’s stunning last-ditch campaign blitz. The writing had been on the wall for weeks. On Feb. 13, debkafile reported that Netanyahu had taken to using Facebook to depict a semi-comic character on video clips that were catching on fast. But most pundits and the Tel Aviv-based political and academic establishments insisted that Bibi had had his day and the voter was bound to usher him to the exit.
 
This assumption, which drew heavily on personal dislike, was reflected in all the opinion polls and the media. With one voice, they hailed the Yitzhak Herzog-Tzipi Livni partnership, whose parties merged to form the left-leaning, dovish Zionist Union (former Labor party), as Israel’s great white hope and the next heads of government after Netanyahu’s long years at the helm.

While they admittedly operated in a widespread climate of popular despondency and hankering for change, Likud’s rivals also missed the strong underlying trends:

1.  Negative electioneering  rarely works. The opposition kicked off its campaign with the “anyone but Bibi” slogan and smear tactics against the prime minister, his wife Sarah and their personal lifestyle, as justification for Likud’s ouster and the left-wing camp’s installment in government.
The tactic’s very intensity boomeranged, when Bibi craftily turned it into an asset. He reached out to the voter as the underdog who had been unjustly vilified by the “haves.”

2. Another opposition tactic which misfired was the campaign to demonstrate Israeli society as exploited and abused by a bad government which, for example, had run the health and education systems into the ground.

The average Israeli has plenty of cause for complaint in terms of the crippling wage gap, lack of affordable housing, and a soulless bureaucracy. Clamors to address these malaises must and will be addressed.

But by and large, many of the public services on offer are of a high standard compared with most Western countries. Unemployment is down to 5 percent, food prices are falling and the currency is strong.

Potable water is in unlimited supply as a result of huge government expenditure on desalination plants; a highway and road network connects all corners of the country and a rail system is finally being built. Communications rates are cheap.

Although the housing shortage for the average home-buyer far pre-dated the Likud-led government, the outgoing administration was on its way to providing solutions in response to popular pressure.
Three of the five parties Netanyahu quickly approached to join his new coalition ran on a social ticket and are deeply committed to making life better for young families and the middle class at large.

3.  Opposition parties claimed they lost the election because security issues overshadowed the economy. This too was groundless.

The average voter not only re-elected Likud for another term, but shrank the smaller right-wing parties. This boosted Netanyahu’s support in parliament from a low 18 seats to thirty. With this setup, he need no longer be prey to the harassments of small partners, but will enjoy greater leeway for his government to get important jobs done.

4. A common convention has always been that an Israeli prime minister who falls out with an American president must go and make way for a politician able to heal the rift and restore good relations with Washington.

This presumption has been superseded by four changes:

--- The average Israeli is a lot better informed on events taking place in the Middle East countries around his country’s borders, where he sees hotbeds of instability, civil war bloodbaths and galloping Islamic radicalism. In his six (interrupted) years as prime minister, Netanyahu established sophisticated defense fortifications in the north and the south. Vast national resources were also invested in upgrading the operational capabilities of the army, air force and navy. Therefore, another slogan hurled against him that national security declined on his watch failed to connect.

--- The Israeli voter was not so much worried by the way Netanyahu stood up to President Barack Obama’s policies in the Middle East as he admired his pluck in defending national interests.
Herzog and Livni’s pledge to improve relations with the Obama administration, instead of being a vote-catcher had the opposite effect. While better relations are desired, the average Israeli is not prepared to pay for them by concessions on security.

--- The two most recent waves of immigrants to Israel from Russia and France have altered Israel’s demographic makeup and colored its perception of national and security issues. Neither group is stranger to brushes with radical Islam, on the one hand, or arguments with the United States, on the other. Both prefer pro-reactive responses to hostile challenges rather than knuckling under. Groups with this attitude tend not to be attracted by dovish, left-leaning politicians.

--- For all these reasons, the conflict with the Palestinians became sidelined in the election campaign as a non-issue.

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