"Standing up to Washington"

Submitted by Marian Hennings (United States), Apr 19, 2010 at 19:30

If what Netanyahu just did is "standing up to Washington," I believe all he achieved was to annoy Obama and Clinton and embarrass and inconvenience Biden. Biden has been a loyal backer of Israel so I cannot see the point in discomfiting him. The settlement policy is wrongheaded for demographic reasons. If Israel tries to hang onto all of Palestine they will soon be outnumbered by the Arab Palestinians.

I do not think the Muslims have a legitimate claim to Jerusalem other than that they conquered it many centuries ago. Now, the Jews have conquered it back. If Assad Sr. hadn't made the intemperate remarks he did about never making peace with Israel Syria might have gotten the Golan back - now the Israelis may never return it. I feel bad for the Palestinians who lost property in the 1948 war and since, but this always happens in war, and the victors almost never give back the land. Why should the Israelis be different than any other country in this regard?

Of course, if Israel wants to be considered like any other country, it cannot make higher moral claims for itself. If they no longer are, good for their honesty and I wish them well; but, they should be able to do without billions of U.S. dollars in aid every year. The Israelis are big now and can manage on their own except possibly in case of emergency. Ongoing aid, however, no longer appears to be needed or appreciated by the Israeli government, and the U.S. could use that money itself to alleviate some domestic problems of our own.

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