Israelis fear unravelling of US alliance - Settlement policy fuels differences/Obama Talks of Being ‘Honest’ With Israel

Israelis fear unravelling of US alliance - Settlement policy fuels differences
By Tobias Buck in Jerusalem
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
Published: June 2 2009 13:26 | Last updated: June 2 2009 13:26
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ff9b7dde-4f6f-11de-a692-00144feabdc0.html


The latest tensions between Washington and the new right-wing Israeli government are sparking concern bordering on alarm among Israeli officials and analysts, amid suspicions that the formerly-rock-solid alliance is unravelling.

Disagreement between Barack Obama, the US president, and Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has been particularly pronounced on the issue of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. The US leader has urged Israel repeatedly to stop expanding its settlements on occupied land, arguing that they present a big obstacle to peace in the region.

But, speaking earlier this week, Mr Netanyahu again rejected the US demand for a total settlement freeze. He told a parliamentary committee: ”We will agree not to take any new territory, but we will not agree to freeze life in the settlements.”

The US and Israeli leaders are also at loggerheads over Mr Netanyahu’s continuing refusal to endorse the two-state solution as the way to end the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Mr Obama – along with the international community – views the creation of a Palestinian state as the only way to achieve a lasting peace in the region.

Mr Netanyahu’s apparent defiance has led to speculation among Israeli commentators that the US will step back from its traditional commitment to support the Jewish state both diplomatically and materially.

Their concerns gained fresh nourishment after the New York Times quoted an unnamed US official on Monday saying the Obama administration was considering retaliatory steps such as not vetoing UN Security Council resolution that criticise Israeli policy.

Ben Caspit, a commentator for Israel’s Maariv newspaper, wrote on Tuesday: ”America has the capacity to shut down Israel for renovations with an administrative decision or two. A series of resolutions in the UN Security Council are liable to turn us into a new South Africa. A delay in a shipment of replacement parts for Apache helicopters can ground the Air Force. Replenishing the IDF’s [Israel Defence Forces’] ammunition stocks in the event of another conflagration in Gaza or Lebanon is a matter of American good will.”

US officials, including Mr Obama, insist that Washington remains as committed as ever to Israel’s security. However, in an interview with US National Public Radio on Monday night, the US president said it was time for America to be more ”honest” with Israel.

Roni Bart, and analyst with Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies and an expert on US-Israeli relations, argues that Washington is not about to break decisively with Israel. But he insists that – unlike its predecessor – the current American administration views the Jewish state as ”just another country” and not worthy of special treatment.

At the same time, Mr Netanyahu is under intense pressure from his own coalition allies not to give in to US pressure. Yuli Edelstein, the government’s information minister and a settler himself, warned that the prime minister would not be able to muster the support of his own government should he agree to a complete settlement freeze.

Political pressure aside, Mr Netanyahu is also in danger of stoking further clashes between radical settlers and state security forces in the streets. Enraged by the government’s decision to start dismantling small settlement outposts in the West Bank, radical settlers have staged a series of violent demonstrations in the past days – attacking both Palestinian civilians and Israeli security forces.

In the meantime, there are signs that the mounting international and domestic tensions are beginning to take their toll on the prime minister, barely three months into his tenure. According to Israeli media reports, Mr Netanyahu accidentally voted against a draft transportation law proposed by his own government on Monday. He was the only member of the coalition to vote against the bill.




Obama Talks of Being ‘Honest’ With Israel
By HELENE COOPER
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: June 1, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/world/middleeast/02prexy.html?hpw


WASHINGTON — President Obama indicated on Monday that he would be more willing to criticize Israel than previous administrations have been, and he reiterated his call for a freeze of Israeli settlements.

“Part of being a good friend is being honest,” Mr. Obama said in an interview with NPR News. “And I think there have been times where we are not as honest as we should be about the fact that the current direction, the current trajectory, in the region is profoundly negative, not only for Israeli interests but also U.S. interests.

“We do have to retain a constant belief in the possibilities of negotiations that will lead to peace,” he added. “I’ve said that a freeze on settlements is part of that.”

His comments, on the eve of his first trip as president to the Middle East, where he is scheduled to give a speech to the Muslim world in Cairo on Thursday, were made as Israeli officials dug in their heels against a settlement freeze. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said Monday that halting construction in settlements in the West Bank would be equal to “freezing life,” and, therefore, “unreasonable.”

Mr. Obama declined to say what he would do if Israel continued to balk at halting all construction. But he said that Israel needed to hear the truth, as he saw it. He also said that in the past, American officials had not been willing to call things as they saw them. “That’s part of a new dialogue that I’d like to see encouraged in the region,” he said.

Mr. Obama leaves Wednesday morning for a five-day trip to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Germany and France. Israel is not on his itinerary. In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, he is expected to press King Abdullah to engage more fully on Arab-Israeli peace and to make an overture to Israel, possibly a tall order. In a separate interview with the BBC on Monday, Mr. Obama hinted at that, saying, “I think we have not seen a set of potential gestures from other Arab states, or from the Palestinians, that might deal with some Israeli concerns.”

Many in the Muslim world are waiting to see what Mr. Obama will do if, as expected, Israel ignores his request on the settlements. When asked about this during the NPR interview, Mr. Obama indicated that he was not yet ready to stipulate an “or else,” despite the fact that several American presidents before him have demanded settlement freezes in Israel and been ignored.

“The United States has to follow through on what it says,” Mr. Obama said.

He added: “I haven’t said anything yet because it’s still early in the process. They’ve formed a government, what, a month ago?”
Mr. Obama also dismissed criticism that he should not deliver his speech to the Muslim world from Cairo because of Egypt’s poor record in upholding human rights. “It’s a mistake to suggest that we’re not going to deal with countries around the world in the absence of them meeting all our demands,” he said.