Like any stubborn child who is used to always having only carrots, Israel will not have any of it - the American call for it to cease and desist from further settlement activities in the disputed territories otherwise the never coming-out stick? With this spare the rod and spoil the child approach to anything Israel by America, it is possible that Israel has now become too entitled as the spoilt-bratty child of America? Israel is used to having its way with every past United States of America Presidents on matters concerning its policy in the Middle East; and it would seem that it have now tacitly made a decision to add President Obama to one of the many, tried but failed American Presidents, to make a vain effort at finding a lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem. This latest Israeli's decision not to heed President Barack Obama's call put a hold on new development projects on disputed territories; and instead choose to rebuff it and by extension, refused to defer to America's appeal to stop building these provocative new developments, is so telling that it hurts. It is an affront on America's credibility and clout in the Middle East that seem to suggests that it have no leverage on Israel and cannot reign in, its so called 51st State and stop it from continuing its unilateral anti-peace settlement building on lands in dispute? How can anybody in the White House after such Israeli antagonistic moves, expect the Arabs, especially the Palestines, to take America seriously when their "only child" in the Middle East, cannot heed their call and is throwing up dust on its face and frustrating their initiative with the peace process? This is a land being disputed by two parties and while a third party is trying to mediate in order to find a more meaningful way to equitably distribute the land amongst the two contesting parties, one of them is exacting full acts of ownership, regardless? How will the other party feel, moreso when the 'aggressive' party is known to be a "beloved child" of the arbiter with "no distance between them"; and the arbiter also has a member of the 'aggressive' party's clan as its chief of staff? Tough! Icheoku's proffered solution, it is about time America called Israeli's bluff and say enough is enough! America must tell the Israelis that what they are doing is wrong and has the potential of diminishing America's influence in the Middle East and making America less influential on matters concerning the Israelis who no longer regard America's word any seriously? The necessary implication being that the Arabs might soon be fed up and no longer interested in what America says or wants as they plunge the entire Middle East into a preventable war of last man standing, to protest and fight off their perceived enemy Israel? Israel as of necessity must try and end this recalcitrant behavior where it ignores America or not interested in what Washington says or desires, which makes America look rather ineffective with their effort at securing a lasting solution to the Middle East's revolving-door crisis. Israel should understand that like a bride that finds sense of authority in her husband, that their pride of authority inures in their inalienable closeness to the United States of America with its military, economic and political might. That many in the Middle East would have venture but for what would the Americans do or say; which they do not want any of. So knowing when to stop pushing this envelope will be a good Middle East policy add-on for the Israelis so that both them and America can come out tops looking unblemished. It is all about necessary sacrifices and trade-offs which both parties must make; and the least Israel can do in the circumstance is a good faith effort to try and appear to be genuinely interested in the peace process by showing cause - stop the settlements! But barring an immediate about-turn on the part currently being trailed by the Israelis, with these disputed developments; the pervading fragile peace might soon unravel, defaulting the situation to its status-quo of 'efforts in perpetuity without the desired result ever being achieved!'. Israel should put on hold these developments until a future time when conditions will be much better, tolerable and more conducive to carry on. Failing this work-stoppage on the new settlements, it makes no further sense for America to continue asking parties to negotiate over a realty, when one of the party is jeopardising the res, subject of the negotiation. But should Israel continue in defiance and choose instead to remain adamant, despite all American persuasions, then such obstinacy will leave America with limited to no choice. So wield, the Americans must, the big stick! Put in another way, Icheoku says, it is about time America wielded the big stick on Israel, to jolt them into a reality that is both feasible and tenable; and not the euphoria of thinking that the Arabs will indulge them a 100% ownership of Jerusalem? Both people have historical and religious sentimental attachments to Jerusalem, which furnishes and burnishes their respective identities, so it will be a mere wishful thinking to day-dream of a some day wholesome Jerusalem capital devoid of the other party's claim. This is the only real road-map to anything meaningful out of the peace process! Admitted that everyone loves Israel and empathises with them in their very heart-wrenching Holocaust story, but the Israelis should not be allowed to continue to visit the sins of Hitler on poor Palestines. Let the two states-solution come to fruition and any side seen to be sabotaging the effort sanctioned! Conscience is an open wound which only truth can heal, so let the truth be told! Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should have delayed or post-poned the 1,600 units new settlement announcement until after Vice President Biden's visit; as it have succeeded in making a mince-meat of the reason for the visit, once again calling into question, Israeli's true intention with the peace process! Enough of the carrots, bring out the stick!WORDS ON MARBLE.
"Birth is agony. Life is hard. Death is cruel." - Japanese pithy.
RON DELLUMS: UNAPOLOGETICALLY RADICAL.
"If it’s radical to oppose the insanity and cruelty of the Vietnam War, if it’s radical to oppose racism and sexism and all other forms of oppression, if it’s radical to want to alleviate poverty, hunger, disease, homelessness, and other forms of human misery, then I’m proud to be called a radical.” - Ron Vernie Dellums.
WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN LIFE - STEVE JOBS
“I reached the pinnacle of success in the business world. In others’ eyes, my life is an epitome of success. However, aside from work, I have little joy. Non-stop pursuing of wealth will only turn a person into a twisted being, just like me. God gave us the senses to let us feel the love in everyone’s heart, not the illusions brought about by wealth. Memories precipitated by love is the only true riches which will follow you, accompany you, giving you strength and light to go on. The most expensive bed in the world is the sick bed. You can employ someone to drive the car for you, make money for you but you cannot have someone to bear sickness for you. Material things lost can be found. But there is one thing that can never be found when it is lost – Life. Treasure Love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your friends. Treat yourself well. Cherish others.” - SJ
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
ISRAELI'S SETTLEMENTS, THIS NOSE THUMBING ON AMERICA MUST STOP!
Like any stubborn child who is used to always having only carrots, Israel will not have any of it - the American call for it to cease and desist from further settlement activities in the disputed territories otherwise the never coming-out stick? With this spare the rod and spoil the child approach to anything Israel by America, it is possible that Israel has now become too entitled as the spoilt-bratty child of America? Israel is used to having its way with every past United States of America Presidents on matters concerning its policy in the Middle East; and it would seem that it have now tacitly made a decision to add President Obama to one of the many, tried but failed American Presidents, to make a vain effort at finding a lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem. This latest Israeli's decision not to heed President Barack Obama's call put a hold on new development projects on disputed territories; and instead choose to rebuff it and by extension, refused to defer to America's appeal to stop building these provocative new developments, is so telling that it hurts. It is an affront on America's credibility and clout in the Middle East that seem to suggests that it have no leverage on Israel and cannot reign in, its so called 51st State and stop it from continuing its unilateral anti-peace settlement building on lands in dispute? How can anybody in the White House after such Israeli antagonistic moves, expect the Arabs, especially the Palestines, to take America seriously when their "only child" in the Middle East, cannot heed their call and is throwing up dust on its face and frustrating their initiative with the peace process? This is a land being disputed by two parties and while a third party is trying to mediate in order to find a more meaningful way to equitably distribute the land amongst the two contesting parties, one of them is exacting full acts of ownership, regardless? How will the other party feel, moreso when the 'aggressive' party is known to be a "beloved child" of the arbiter with "no distance between them"; and the arbiter also has a member of the 'aggressive' party's clan as its chief of staff? Tough! Icheoku's proffered solution, it is about time America called Israeli's bluff and say enough is enough! America must tell the Israelis that what they are doing is wrong and has the potential of diminishing America's influence in the Middle East and making America less influential on matters concerning the Israelis who no longer regard America's word any seriously? The necessary implication being that the Arabs might soon be fed up and no longer interested in what America says or wants as they plunge the entire Middle East into a preventable war of last man standing, to protest and fight off their perceived enemy Israel? Israel as of necessity must try and end this recalcitrant behavior where it ignores America or not interested in what Washington says or desires, which makes America look rather ineffective with their effort at securing a lasting solution to the Middle East's revolving-door crisis. Israel should understand that like a bride that finds sense of authority in her husband, that their pride of authority inures in their inalienable closeness to the United States of America with its military, economic and political might. That many in the Middle East would have venture but for what would the Americans do or say; which they do not want any of. So knowing when to stop pushing this envelope will be a good Middle East policy add-on for the Israelis so that both them and America can come out tops looking unblemished. It is all about necessary sacrifices and trade-offs which both parties must make; and the least Israel can do in the circumstance is a good faith effort to try and appear to be genuinely interested in the peace process by showing cause - stop the settlements! But barring an immediate about-turn on the part currently being trailed by the Israelis, with these disputed developments; the pervading fragile peace might soon unravel, defaulting the situation to its status-quo of 'efforts in perpetuity without the desired result ever being achieved!'. Israel should put on hold these developments until a future time when conditions will be much better, tolerable and more conducive to carry on. Failing this work-stoppage on the new settlements, it makes no further sense for America to continue asking parties to negotiate over a realty, when one of the party is jeopardising the res, subject of the negotiation. But should Israel continue in defiance and choose instead to remain adamant, despite all American persuasions, then such obstinacy will leave America with limited to no choice. So wield, the Americans must, the big stick! Put in another way, Icheoku says, it is about time America wielded the big stick on Israel, to jolt them into a reality that is both feasible and tenable; and not the euphoria of thinking that the Arabs will indulge them a 100% ownership of Jerusalem? Both people have historical and religious sentimental attachments to Jerusalem, which furnishes and burnishes their respective identities, so it will be a mere wishful thinking to day-dream of a some day wholesome Jerusalem capital devoid of the other party's claim. This is the only real road-map to anything meaningful out of the peace process! Admitted that everyone loves Israel and empathises with them in their very heart-wrenching Holocaust story, but the Israelis should not be allowed to continue to visit the sins of Hitler on poor Palestines. Let the two states-solution come to fruition and any side seen to be sabotaging the effort sanctioned! Conscience is an open wound which only truth can heal, so let the truth be told! Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should have delayed or post-poned the 1,600 units new settlement announcement until after Vice President Biden's visit; as it have succeeded in making a mince-meat of the reason for the visit, once again calling into question, Israeli's true intention with the peace process! Enough of the carrots, bring out the stick!
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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday delivered a stinging rebuke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his government's announcement this week of new Jewish housing in east Jerusalem, calling it "a deeply negative signal" for the Mideast peace process and ties with the U.S.
ReplyDeleteThe State Department said Clinton spoke to Netanyahu by phone for 43 minutes to vent U.S. frustration with Tuesday's announcement that cast a pall over a visit to Israel by Vice President Joe Biden and endangered indirect peace talks with the Palestinians that the Obama administration had announced just a day earlier.
The length and unusually blunt tone of Clinton's call underscored the administration's concern about prospects for the negotiations it has been trying to organize for more than a year and its anger over Israel's refusal to heed U.S. appeals not to make provocative gestures.
"The announcement of the settlements on the very day that the vice president was there was insulting," Clinton said in an interview with CNN Friday. "It was just really a very unfortunate and difficult moment for everyone, the U.S., our vice president who had gone to reassert America's strong support for Israeli security, and I regret deeply that that occurred and made that view known."
Clinton called "to make clear that the United States considered the announcement to be a deeply negative signal about Israel's approach to the bilateral relationship and counter to the spirit of the vice president's trip," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters.
"The secretary said she could not understand how this happened, particularly in light of the United States' strong commitment to Israel's security and she made clear that the Israeli government needed to demonstrate not just through words but through specific actions that they are committed to this relationship and to the peace process," he said.
The harsh criticism of America's closest Mideast ally and questions about its commitment to the U.S.-Israeli relationship followed equally blunt condemnation of the housing announcement from the White House and Biden himself.
It also comes ahead of a trip to the region by U.S. Mideast peace envoy George Mitchell and a meeting in Moscow next week of the Quartet of Mideast peacemakers that Clinton will attend.
Hours after the call to Netanyahu, the Quartet — the U.S., European Union, United Nations and Russia — denounced the Israeli announcement in a statement from the world body's headquarters in New York where Clinton was addressing a commission on the status of women and meeting with U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon.
ReplyDelete"The Quartet has agreed to closely monitor developments in Jerusalem and to keep under consideration additional steps that may be required to address the situation on the ground," the statement said.
It did not elaborate on what steps it would consider but said the Quartet members "would take full stock of the situation" when they meet in the Russian capital next Friday.
The Quartet has long urged both Israel and the Palestinians not to take any steps that could hinder peace talks. Crowley stressed that the United States objected to both the content and timing of the announcement and said Clinton had "reinforced that this action had undermined trust and confidence in the peace process and in America's interests."
Netanyahu has apologized for the timing, though not the substance, of the announcement to approve 1,600 new homes for Jews in east Jerusalem. The international community does not recognize Israel's annexation of east Jerusalem — captured in the 1967 Mideast war — and the Palestinians see that part of the city as their own future capital.
Earlier Friday, an Israeli cabinet minister said the government is moving to amend the country's planning procedures on sensitive political decisions because of the embarrassing diplomatic flap. Netanyahu has said he was not aware the announcement was going to be made during Biden's visit.
The Israeli announcement enraged the Palestinians and Arab states, jeopardizing the proximity talks Mitchell is to mediate. An Arab League advisory committee has already withdrawn its endorsement of the discussions.
In a bid to salvage those negotiations, Mitchell and the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, Jeffrey Feltman, called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Arab League chief Amr Moussa and the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates over the past two days,