Israel and Others in Mideast View Overtures of U.S. and Iran With Suspicion
By JODI RUDOREN, NYT
JERUSALEM — For Israel and Persian Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, President Obama’s telephone call with President Hassan Rouhani of Iran on Friday was the geopolitical equivalent of discovering your best friend flirting with your main rival.
Though few nations have a greater interest in Mr. Obama’s promise to stop Iran from developing a nuclear bomb, his overtures to Mr. Rouhani were greeted with alarm here and in other Middle East capitals allied with the United States. They worry about Iran’s sincerity, and fear that Mr. Obama’s desire for a diplomatic deal will only buy Iran time to continue a march toward building a nuclear weapon.
But beyond that, the prospect of even a nonnuclear Iran — strengthened economically by the lifting of sanctions, and emboldened politically by renewed relations with Washington — is seen as a dire threat that could upend the dynamics in this volatile region.
One gulf academic, in a Twitter post, likened the phone call to “the fall of the Berlin Wall.” An Israeli lawmaker said in a radio interview that he hoped that Mr. Obama would not be the next Neville Chamberlain, known for appeasement of the Nazis in 1938.
(More here.)
JERUSALEM — For Israel and Persian Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, President Obama’s telephone call with President Hassan Rouhani of Iran on Friday was the geopolitical equivalent of discovering your best friend flirting with your main rival.
Though few nations have a greater interest in Mr. Obama’s promise to stop Iran from developing a nuclear bomb, his overtures to Mr. Rouhani were greeted with alarm here and in other Middle East capitals allied with the United States. They worry about Iran’s sincerity, and fear that Mr. Obama’s desire for a diplomatic deal will only buy Iran time to continue a march toward building a nuclear weapon.
But beyond that, the prospect of even a nonnuclear Iran — strengthened economically by the lifting of sanctions, and emboldened politically by renewed relations with Washington — is seen as a dire threat that could upend the dynamics in this volatile region.
One gulf academic, in a Twitter post, likened the phone call to “the fall of the Berlin Wall.” An Israeli lawmaker said in a radio interview that he hoped that Mr. Obama would not be the next Neville Chamberlain, known for appeasement of the Nazis in 1938.
(More here.)
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1 Comments:
The "vibe" from Israeli media is not good ... their trust is not limited to a Kerry-Iran resolution but also to the Kerry-Palestine situation. After recent murders of IDF soldiers with the Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade claiming responsibility, there is vocal suspicion that prisoner releases are not productive.
Add to that the kerfuffle involving French diplomat Marion Castaing. Castaing was one of a group of European envoys manhandled by Israeli soldiers in the Palestinian village of Khirbet al-Makhul when the troops prevented them from handing out French-funded tents and emergency aid to 120 Palestinians whose homes Israel had demolished that week. Castaing reacted by hitting an IDF soldier in the face.
Yet, Israel was the prime site for "educational" free-trips for Members of Congress during the August recess, they have sources to reflect their concerns.
BTW, did you know that being a Congressional spouse can be profitable ? Rachel Duffy, wife of the Wisconsin Republican, and Bryon Noem, the husband of the South Dakota Republican, were each paid $200 to speak to groups in Israel (plus lodging and airfare.)
Yep, a Congress that can be bought.
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