Yaakov Amidror and Isaac Molho to visit Washington ahead of Obama’s visit to Israel; will work with U.S. on trip’s diplomatic agenda – especially on Syrian, Iranian issues – and discuss ideas for restarting peace process.
Haaretz
The construction in West Bank settlements is causing Israel to lose the support even of its best friends in the West, National Security Adviser Yaakov Amidror was quoted as warning in recent weeks.
According to two Israeli sources, Amidror, who spoke in closed-door discussions in the Prime Minister’s Bureau, is very worried about Israel’s deteriorating international standing. Several leading Western countries harshly criticized Israel’s response to UN recognition of Palestine as a nonmember observer state, which included announcing new settlement construction. The bureau declined to comment.
“It’s impossible to explain the issue of settlement construction anyplace in the world,” Amidror was quoted as saying at one of these closed discussions. “It’s impossible to explain this matter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel or even to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Construction in the settlements has become a diplomatic problem and is causing Israel to lose support even among its friends in the West.”
Though Amidror has long been considered politically right-wing, in his work as national security advisor he has taken a very moderate line, based on the professional analyses done by his own staff, the Foreign Ministry and the defense establishment.
At a meeting that took place the week before the November 29 UN vote, the sources said, Amidror opposed responding with new settlement construction. He especially opposed the announcement that Israel would move forward with planning for the E-1 corridor, which links Jerusalem with the settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim, warning that this would provoke an international outcry.
Amidror’s views are shared by Isaac Molho, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s special envoy for the peace process.
Netanyahu and his advisers have recently concluded that once the new government is formed, Israel will come under heavy international pressure regarding the Palestinian issue, and especially settlement construction. Netanyahu himself compared the expected pressure to “a meat grinder.” The surprise announcement that U.S. President Barack Obama will visit this spring, the plans by new U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to revive the peace process, and fear of a European peace initiative or international sanctions are all part of this “meat grinder.”
That is why Netanyahu plans to make great efforts to bring three centrist parties – Tzipi Livni’s Hatnuah, Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid and Shaul Mofaz’s Kadima – into his next government. Likud sources say Livni, a former foreign minister well-regarded overseas, would be given a position that included involvement in talks with the Palestinians.
Amidror, Molho and other advisers haven’t ruled out another temporary construction freeze in isolated settlements located outside the three main blocs that Israel wants to keep (Ariel, Ma’aleh Adumim and Gush Etzion). But this would be conditioned on the Palestinians’ resuming negotiations and taking other steps, such as promising not to seek Israel’s indictment in the International Criminal Court.
Amidror and Molho will go to Washington next week to prepare Obama’s visit. Aside from the technical details, Amidror will work with the Americans on the visit’s diplomatic agenda, especially on the Syrian and Iranian issues. Molho will discuss ideas for restarting the peace process.
Obama and Kerry are interested in taking another stab at the peace process, an Israeli source said, especially since Israel’s recent election roused hopes that the new government will be more moderate than its predecessor. But nobody expects a breakthrough on Obama’s visit, he added – an assessment confirmed by White House spokesman Jay Carney’s statement yesterday that Obama won’t be bringing a new peace initiative, and that the visit’s goal isn’t to relaunch Israel-Palestinian talks.
In a sign that the White House is trying hard to avoid tensions in the run-up to the visit, Carney evaded questions on settlement construction.
#1 by Iman on February 8, 2013 - 6:47 pm
Here we go again, same scenario prior to Iraq invasion. God rest our souls , another war and destruction. Thank god life is short.
#2 by annebeck58 on February 8, 2013 - 9:01 pm
Well, I’m glad someone is comprehending this, but I don’t expect it will cause any positive changes for the Palestinian people. Besides us being disgusted with settlements (which the whole lunatic-state is), we’re pretty done with these land-theives murdering Palestinians whenever and wherever they feel like it.
When will they comprehend and speak about that?
Oh, and the Nutty-yahoo has a, “peace-envoy”? What’s he doing with that?
#3 by ruby22-kate on February 8, 2013 - 10:22 pm
“Just a few little settlements” that Israel wants to keep..
The raw assumption of heavily armed Israeli Jews is that they believe they’re supremely entitled to do what they want, take what they want, run scams & invent new cons.
There can be no “fresh” talks, we all remember how pitiful Mr. Erekat complained that he’d given them (the zionists) all he possibly could (“What more can I give them?”)
How can you negotiate with a pathological liar? One that lies at whim. One that knows his fancy words cover dirty dark deeds, and we all read between the lines and notice none of their actions match their pretty words.
#4 by michael mazur on February 9, 2013 - 1:09 am
It’s not about Obama coordinating details prior to a USrael assault on Syria and Iran – in that order, it is about Obama laying it on the line, politely, in a joint meeting with the FOUR top political leaders; Netanyahu, Livni, Lapid, Mofaz, that they had better forget about the subjugation of Syria followed by that of Iran, because while it may seem good for Israel, it will definitely blowback as uncontrollable social disorder within America leading to the collapse of the Republic principally for the reason that the military operations, once commenced, will not end until the American Republic itself has first collapsed.
Had Netanyahu won the January22 election decisively, then Obama would NOT be travelling to Israel for he would have to face Netanyahu ALONE to tell him all of the above, which he would be loathe to do since we know from that extraordinary episode late August when he declined to meet with Netanyahu in NYC at the annual meeting of the UNGA, but instead rubbed in the snub by making arrangements to be on a talk show there at the same time !
That double humiliation of a Ashkenazi Jewish PM of Israel by a black house boy they installed in the Whitehouse was insufferable, and could not go unpunished – hence the murder of Ambassador Stevens in Benghazi on the night of Sept 11. The date was not an accident.
As Jews are a uniquely vindictive lot, not genetic, just the 2,500yo rabbinical malevolence expressing itself via the enculturation of the young.
#5 by Ingrid B on February 9, 2013 - 5:24 am
@michael mazur, what you say makes sense, Bashar al Assad`s government has, once more, called for dialogue with the opposition, without pre-conditions..
#6 by SEARCHLIGHT on February 9, 2013 - 4:48 pm
SATAN IS THE FATHER OF LIERS, CAN ANY THING NEW BE EXPECTED OF THE “RAT FACE CRIMINAL JEWS” i JUST DON’T THINK SO. JUST LISEN TO THEIR PLANS, WE NEED TO HAVE TALKS WE THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AS LONG AS THEY WONT TAKE ISRAHELL TO A WORLD CRIMINAL COURT, CAN ANYBODY WITH ANY SENCE OF JUSTICE, EVER BELIVE THESE CRIMINALS.
IS LIKE THE MAFIA TELLING THE BUISNESS MAN, I SON’T MIND DILOGING WITH YOU ABOUT PAYING US THOSE WEEKLY FEES, AS LONG AS YOU WONT TELL THE JUDGE THAT WE ARE CROOKS, AND THAT WE WILL CONTINUE BULLING YOU, DUMB BUISNESS MEN.SO WHEN AMERICA AND ALL THE REST OF THE WESTERN WORLD ASK YOU ABOUT US JUST GIVE THEM A GOOD REPORT OF HOW WE TREAT YOU OR WE WILL BE VERY PISSOFF.