In the aftermath of media and White House reports of a strained relationship between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama, footages published days later showed that the meeting was far from tension. On the contrary, it even showed a very positive atmosphere between the two leaders who were meeting in the presence of key leaders of the Zionist Lobby.
At some point in their meeting, Obama reminded Netanyahu about Juniper Cobra, a recent U.S.-Israeli anti-missile exercise which took place in Israel and included thousands of U.S. troops and their sophisticated systems. Obama used the exercise to illustrate America’s continued commitment to Israel and perhaps he promised to join an eventual military strike against Iran once diplomacy and sanctions run their course. That might explain what Netanyahu meant by the “importance” of the meeting becoming “clear in the future.”
Meanwhile, former US president Bill Clinton confirmed on Sunday that Washington is committed to Israel’s security. He added that Israel must also want the US president to be accepted by non-extremist Muslims in the world.
Clinton also urged the Palestinians to accept America’s modification of its anti-settlement policy and return to the bargaining table. “Take where we are and the reformulation of the settlement issue and find a way [to move forward],” Clinton told a Jerusalem gathering of high level American and Israeli policy makers at the Saban Forum in occupied Jerusalem.
The Palestinians, he warned, were more likely to get a good deal through negotiations. By refusing to talk with Israel, he said, they risked irking the international community, which might then blame them for the stalled peace process.
His words were consistent with the policy of Obama’s administration, which has backed Israel’s call to the Palestinians to open an immediate dialogue without preconditions.
That statement pleased Netanyahu, who opposes any freeze but angered many Arabs by appearing to reverse Obama’s commitment to a total freeze. It also put Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas in an untenable position because he refuses to resume talks “…without a full cessation of settlement construction.”
America has said it wants Israel to freeze settlement activity but that Israel’s refusal to comply with this demand should not stop the two sides from talking. “We have to work with the politics we found in Israel just like we have to work with the politics we found with the Palestinians,” Clinton said.
He added that he would not be shocked if Netanyahu’s government “actually does make some kind of an agreement or makes a proposal that would be beyond anything anyone expects,” Clinton said.
The Palestinians, he warned the Israelis, are having children at a faster rate. “If you want to be a democracy and a Jewish state you have to cut a deal,” he said.
There is a physical danger to a deadlocked peace process, he added. It is only a matter of time, he warned, before Hamas is capable of putting a GPS system on the rockets that it continues to launch from Gaza against the occupied territories.
He said that all of America wishes Israel well and would like to see a resolution to the Middle East conflict. Clinton assured Israel that but in the process, he said, Israel should be careful “not to sound too victimized.” It should also believe that America is its friend and remains deeply committed to Israel and its security. “You should not think that President Obama is your enemy,” Clinton said.
Clinton, however, stressed that the US, and Obama, remain deeply committed to the peace process. “I think that when we meet someone new, in any context, we are always looking for clues that will tell us something,” said Clinton.
“No American president can serve in good conscience and not be committed to the security of Israel,” said Clinton.
“The United States cannot make you do something that you do not want to do,” Clinton said. He added that if the US spends federal funds to support Israel’s security needs, “then we owe it to you to say what the best way to achieve that security is.”
He said that Israel should interpret America’s rejection of the Goldstone Report, which accused Israel of war crimes in Gaza, as a strong sign of its commitment to Israel.
For America to be an effective partner in the peace process it is critical that Israel believes and trusts in the deep bonds between the two countries. He cautioned Israelis not to “over-analyze the Obama-Netanyahu relationship.”
When asked about Iran’s nuclear program, Clinton said that he sees increased European support for the US position than there was in the past, saying that the Europeans have finally understood that the true problem is that if Iran has a bomb, all of its neighbors will also want one.
According to Clinton, the Iranian regime is far less “crazy” than Israel thinks. He said that all options must be kept on the table and that Israel must work efficiently – no less and no more – and emphasized that the true threat is not in a nuclear Iran, but in nuclear proliferation throughout the region.
Clinton said that if Geneva talks are not successful, harsh sanctions must be imposed on the Islamic Republic. Clinton said that if one positive thing has come from the fact that the Iranian nuclear issue has not be resolved, it is that Arab states are showing increasing willingness to be open and friendly towards Israel.
Notes/Sources:
1.Arab Voices,Hanan Awarekeh
