That Israel - and perforce the rest of the world - is in for some "interesting" times in the forseeable future is almost an oxymoron. The Israelis, hell-bent on going their own way, are sticking their heads in the sand and not taking Obama all that seriously when he says that a peace deal must be struck with a Two State solution part of it.
No sooner had the Israeli PM returned from the US last week than all sorts of issues have arisen.
First, this madness, as reported by Akiva Elder in Haaretz in "Words of the living God":
"Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin is considered an honest man who speaks his mind. That is cause for great concern.
In speaking last week to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee - and through it, the greater public - he put forth a position that indicates a serious flaw in strategy and logic. Diskin said that as long as Hamas rules Gaza, an effective diplomatic process does not stand a chance.
What does the Shin Bet head propose? "I suggested to government officials at the time to overthrow Hamas in Gaza in order to give Israel more diplomatic options," he said. Almost in the same breath, Diskin said "Hamas can be overthrown, but it cannot be uprooted from the hearts of the people."
Assuming that the director of the Shin Bet, who is responsible for appraising the situation in the territories, was not seeking to serve his new master in the Prime Minister's Bureau, his diagnosis and the recommendation derived from it might become a self-fulfilling prophecy of doom."
Then, this, as also reported by Haaretz in "'Israel won't yield to U.S. demands, won't halt settlement construction'":
"Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon spoke to Channel 2 on Saturday about the meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama, held earlier this week, saying that Israel's government will not allow the U.S. to dictate its policy, and that "settlement construction will not be halted."
"Settlements are not the reason that the peace process is failing, they were never an obstacle, not at any stage," Ya'alon told Channel 2 News. "Even when Israel pulled out of [Palestinian] territory, the terror continued. Even when we uprooted [Jewish] communities, we got 'Hamastan.' That is why I propose that we think about it - not in slogans and not with decrees."
According to Ayalon, "we will not halt the construction in the settlements within the framework of natural growth. There are people here who are living their lives, raising children. Housing is required ? it wasn't housing that has prevented peace."
But, one sane voice in that ever-increasing Israeli madhouse, is that of Gideon Levy. Writing his op-ed piece "Only settlers are taking Obama seriously in Israel" in Haaretz he says:
"Israel is arguably standing before the opportunity of a lifetime, yet there is not even a hint of real public debate. The town square is empty - for years it has been devoid of demonstrations and protests, neither for nor against, completely empty. The frightening indifference dragged us into wars, and the no-less horrifying indifference could lead us to miss a rare opportunity for peace.
Barack Obama has made Israel an offer it cannot - and must not - refuse, yet Israel fails to wake up. Where are those 57 percent of Israelis who said in the latest Haaretz poll that they support a two-state solution? What do they think? That this solution, which they allegedly support, will fall from the sky, without lifting a finger, without making waves among the depths of society, waves that will put such a grandiose process in motion? Where are the protests against the anti-peace position of our elected prime minister, who continues with his hackneyed we-will-not-divide-Jerusalem and we-will-not-come-down-from-the-Golan?"
No sooner had the Israeli PM returned from the US last week than all sorts of issues have arisen.
First, this madness, as reported by Akiva Elder in Haaretz in "Words of the living God":
"Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin is considered an honest man who speaks his mind. That is cause for great concern.
In speaking last week to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee - and through it, the greater public - he put forth a position that indicates a serious flaw in strategy and logic. Diskin said that as long as Hamas rules Gaza, an effective diplomatic process does not stand a chance.
What does the Shin Bet head propose? "I suggested to government officials at the time to overthrow Hamas in Gaza in order to give Israel more diplomatic options," he said. Almost in the same breath, Diskin said "Hamas can be overthrown, but it cannot be uprooted from the hearts of the people."
Assuming that the director of the Shin Bet, who is responsible for appraising the situation in the territories, was not seeking to serve his new master in the Prime Minister's Bureau, his diagnosis and the recommendation derived from it might become a self-fulfilling prophecy of doom."
Then, this, as also reported by Haaretz in "'Israel won't yield to U.S. demands, won't halt settlement construction'":
"Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon spoke to Channel 2 on Saturday about the meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama, held earlier this week, saying that Israel's government will not allow the U.S. to dictate its policy, and that "settlement construction will not be halted."
"Settlements are not the reason that the peace process is failing, they were never an obstacle, not at any stage," Ya'alon told Channel 2 News. "Even when Israel pulled out of [Palestinian] territory, the terror continued. Even when we uprooted [Jewish] communities, we got 'Hamastan.' That is why I propose that we think about it - not in slogans and not with decrees."
According to Ayalon, "we will not halt the construction in the settlements within the framework of natural growth. There are people here who are living their lives, raising children. Housing is required ? it wasn't housing that has prevented peace."
But, one sane voice in that ever-increasing Israeli madhouse, is that of Gideon Levy. Writing his op-ed piece "Only settlers are taking Obama seriously in Israel" in Haaretz he says:
"Israel is arguably standing before the opportunity of a lifetime, yet there is not even a hint of real public debate. The town square is empty - for years it has been devoid of demonstrations and protests, neither for nor against, completely empty. The frightening indifference dragged us into wars, and the no-less horrifying indifference could lead us to miss a rare opportunity for peace.
Barack Obama has made Israel an offer it cannot - and must not - refuse, yet Israel fails to wake up. Where are those 57 percent of Israelis who said in the latest Haaretz poll that they support a two-state solution? What do they think? That this solution, which they allegedly support, will fall from the sky, without lifting a finger, without making waves among the depths of society, waves that will put such a grandiose process in motion? Where are the protests against the anti-peace position of our elected prime minister, who continues with his hackneyed we-will-not-divide-Jerusalem and we-will-not-come-down-from-the-Golan?"
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