Israel must win
By David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee A. Casey, Haaretz, August 11, 2006
...Israel's inability to defeat Hezbollah, at least at the tactical and operational level, makes it look less like a valuable ally and more like a liability. This is particularly the case because of the impact - well understood in Washington particularly in the post-September 11 environment - of Arab perceptions of Israeli strength or weakness on their assessment of U.S. capabilities. The Bush administration's pro-democracy strategy also makes it far more difficult for it to ignore the stridently anti-Israeli views expressed by the proto-democratic governments in Iraq and Lebanon.
The fact that the United States has spent major diplomatic capital providing Israel with an unprecedented window of opportunity to deal with Hezbollah, facing down both its European allies and the Arab League, and complicating efforts to launch multilateral sanctions against Iran, makes matters even worse.
This is especially true when U.S. domestic political developments are taken into account. In the past, Israel could depend upon a basic consensus among both Republicans and Democrats that it was a valuable, indeed indispensable, ally that occupied the moral high ground. The political sands, however, are shifting. Anti-Israeli sentiments are rife among Democrats - 59 percent want the U.S. to be more "evenhanded" in the Middle East - some of whom appear to be convinced that the Bush administration's deposition of Saddam Hussein was masterminded by "neo-conservatives" in Israel's interest. [complete article]
Comment -- Isn't it fascinating that a desire for evenhandedness can be characterized as a form of hostility! Pro-Israeli Howard Dean quickly learned that whoever dares utter the word "evenhanded" in reference to America's role in the Middle East will suffer a swift and harsh rebuke from the Israel Lobby. Suitably chastened, he joined the ranks of the 99% of the Democratic Party's leadership who studiously ignore the 59% of Democrats who favor fairness.
And what happened to all that post-election discussion about the importance of values? Isn't fairness a profoundly important and universal human value? Wouldn't America and all Americans make a gigantic step forward if they could convince the rest of the world of one thing and this one thing alone: We believe in fairness and we endeavor to act with fairness.
Link Here
Olmert cannot remain in the prime minister's office
By Ari Shavit, Haaretz, August 11, 2006
Ehud Olmert may decide to accept the French proposal for a cease-fire and unconditional surrender to Hezbollah. That is his privilege. Olmert is a prime minister whom journalists invented, journalists protected, and whose rule journalists preserved. Now the journalists are saying run away. That's legitimate. Unwise, but legitimate.However, one thing should be clear:
If Olmert runs away now from the war he initiated, he will not be able to remain prime minister for even one more day. Chutzpah has its limits. You cannot lead an entire nation to war promising victory, produce humiliating defeat and remain in power. You cannot bury 120 Israelis in cemeteries, keep a million Israelis in shelters for a month, wear down deterrent power, bring the next war very close, and then say - oops, I made a mistake. That was not the intention. Pass me a cigar, please. [complete article]
See also, The foresight saga (Ze'ev Schiff), As casualties mount, Israeli reservists voice concern over inadequate equipment, training (WP), Israeli public believes IDF not winning the war (Haaretz), and Antiwar camp in Israel comes out of bunker (LAT).
Link Here
Olmert's popularity plunges in Israel
- poll:
The survey in the Haaretz newspaper found only 48 percent of Israelis were satisfied with Olmert's performance compared with popularity ratings of more than 75 percent in polls taken in the early stages of fighting against the Lebanese group.
Link Here
...Israel's inability to defeat Hezbollah, at least at the tactical and operational level, makes it look less like a valuable ally and more like a liability. This is particularly the case because of the impact - well understood in Washington particularly in the post-September 11 environment - of Arab perceptions of Israeli strength or weakness on their assessment of U.S. capabilities. The Bush administration's pro-democracy strategy also makes it far more difficult for it to ignore the stridently anti-Israeli views expressed by the proto-democratic governments in Iraq and Lebanon.
The fact that the United States has spent major diplomatic capital providing Israel with an unprecedented window of opportunity to deal with Hezbollah, facing down both its European allies and the Arab League, and complicating efforts to launch multilateral sanctions against Iran, makes matters even worse.
This is especially true when U.S. domestic political developments are taken into account. In the past, Israel could depend upon a basic consensus among both Republicans and Democrats that it was a valuable, indeed indispensable, ally that occupied the moral high ground. The political sands, however, are shifting. Anti-Israeli sentiments are rife among Democrats - 59 percent want the U.S. to be more "evenhanded" in the Middle East - some of whom appear to be convinced that the Bush administration's deposition of Saddam Hussein was masterminded by "neo-conservatives" in Israel's interest. [complete article]
Comment -- Isn't it fascinating that a desire for evenhandedness can be characterized as a form of hostility! Pro-Israeli Howard Dean quickly learned that whoever dares utter the word "evenhanded" in reference to America's role in the Middle East will suffer a swift and harsh rebuke from the Israel Lobby. Suitably chastened, he joined the ranks of the 99% of the Democratic Party's leadership who studiously ignore the 59% of Democrats who favor fairness.
And what happened to all that post-election discussion about the importance of values? Isn't fairness a profoundly important and universal human value? Wouldn't America and all Americans make a gigantic step forward if they could convince the rest of the world of one thing and this one thing alone: We believe in fairness and we endeavor to act with fairness.
Link Here
Olmert cannot remain in the prime minister's office
By Ari Shavit, Haaretz, August 11, 2006
Ehud Olmert may decide to accept the French proposal for a cease-fire and unconditional surrender to Hezbollah. That is his privilege. Olmert is a prime minister whom journalists invented, journalists protected, and whose rule journalists preserved. Now the journalists are saying run away. That's legitimate. Unwise, but legitimate.However, one thing should be clear:
If Olmert runs away now from the war he initiated, he will not be able to remain prime minister for even one more day. Chutzpah has its limits. You cannot lead an entire nation to war promising victory, produce humiliating defeat and remain in power. You cannot bury 120 Israelis in cemeteries, keep a million Israelis in shelters for a month, wear down deterrent power, bring the next war very close, and then say - oops, I made a mistake. That was not the intention. Pass me a cigar, please. [complete article]
See also, The foresight saga (Ze'ev Schiff), As casualties mount, Israeli reservists voice concern over inadequate equipment, training (WP), Israeli public believes IDF not winning the war (Haaretz), and Antiwar camp in Israel comes out of bunker (LAT).
Link Here
Olmert's popularity plunges in Israel
- poll:
The survey in the Haaretz newspaper found only 48 percent of Israelis were satisfied with Olmert's performance compared with popularity ratings of more than 75 percent in polls taken in the early stages of fighting against the Lebanese group.
Link Here
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 9:40 PM
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