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U.S. Anger Over East Jerusalem Row Is Excessive

(Ha'aretz) Avi Issacharoff - America's response to the government's approval of 1,600 new housing units in Ramat Shlomo in northeast Jerusalem is excessive. While it extends a hand to Iran, which continues in its effort to acquire a nuclear bomb; and reaches out to Syria as it arms Hizbullah with advanced weapons, it seems the Obama administration has made a conscious decision to aggravate a diplomatic crisis with the Netanyahu government. The majority of Israelis wholly oppose halting construction in east Jerusalem. They may be angry over the timing of the announcement - but most want building to continue. So I am not at all sure that America's opposition to a democratic decision by Israel's citizens will damage Netanyahu's standing at home. As far as anyone can tell, Netanyahu was unaware of the Regional Planning Council's decision, as was Eli Yishai, the interior minister. Local councils don't usually apprise ministers - let alone the prime minister - of their decisions. President Obama would hardly be expected to approve personally plans for a new neighborhood in Washington, D.C. With this in mind, Washington conspiracy theorists' claims of an Israeli ruse are misplaced. It is fair to assume that the Obama administration made a calculated decision to attack Netanyahu, based partly on the presumption of support from the Israeli public. However, whatever Israeli journalists might say to undermine the position of their prime minister does not necessarily give foreign officials the right to say the same. It smacks of intervention. Attempts to imply that Israeli policy is endangering the lives of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, and even Iraq, verge on an insult to the intelligence. Afghans don't care about Ramat Shlomo, or about the Palestinians and Netanyahu. As far as extremist Islamists are concerned, the seven-year presence of American forces on Iraqi soil is a good enough excuse to attack Americans. Efforts by Obama's senior adviser, David Axelrod, to imply otherwise in television interviews are dishonest. Palestinians see the Obama administration's decision to attack Israel as an invitation to adopt a more confrontational line. The PA has smelled blood. So why not start a riot and blame the Israelis, especially when the U.S. government is doing the same.
2010-03-16 09:31:54
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