Magox Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 When I heard this yesterday, for some reason it didn't quite register with me. Imagine this for a second, you are the VP of the U.S, you are visiting Israel to talk about peace in the middle east, and on the day you arrive the Israelis announce that they are going to expand the building of more settlements in the disputed territories. Ouch http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international...7sq2aoC22EnGocI Israel humiliated visiting Vice President Joe Biden yesterday with a surprise announcement of Jewish settlement plans that pulled the rug out from under a long-awaited US peace push -- and drew a scathing response from the embarrassed veep. Biden, on a five-day trip to the Mideast, had just wound up praising Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for limiting new settlement construction when the government announced it would build 1,600 homes for Jews in East Jerusalem, where the Palestinians hope to establish their capital. Stung by the surprise, Biden later issued a statement blasting "the substance and timing" of the move. The vice president also appeared to retaliate by showing up more than 90 minutes late to a dinner with Netanyahu at the prime minister's residence before issuing the statement. Biden's trip, the highest-ranking official US visit to Israel in two years, was designed to repair relations with the hawkish Netanyahu and to kick off the peace talks that the Obama administration has been promising since Inauguration Day. The talks were supposed to start last year, but Palestinians rejected face-to-face negotiations because of Netanyahu's refusal to freeze all construction on land captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. After Israel announced a partial moratorium in November, the United States talked the Palestinians into indirect negotiations, due to start this month through American mediator George Mitchell. To set the stage for Mitchell's shuttle diplomacy, Biden met with Netanyahu for two hours yesterday. In a joint appearance afterward, Biden said they had been "personal friends for almost three decades." "You're getting older, Bibi," he joked, then heaped praise on Netanyahu. "A peace agreement will require both parties to make some historically bold commitments," he said. "You have done it before, and I am confident for world peace you will do it again." But after the meeting, the Israeli Interior Ministry shocked US officials by announcing approval of 1,600 new homes in a neighborhood for Orthodox Jews in predominantly Arab East Jerusalem. US and Israeli officials have repeatedly vowed not to surprise one another on major issues. Interior Ministry officials said yesterday's timing was purely coincidental. But Meir Margalit, a member of the leftist Meretz Party on the Jerusalem City Council, said the move was designed by hawks in Netanyahu's coalition government "to sabotage" the peace initiative. The Palestinians stopped just short of calling off the Mitchell talks. "With such an announcement, how can you build trust?" Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat asked. That's what you get when you piss off our greatest ally in the middle east, and it also shows the level of respect they have for the Obama administration. Btw, check out the face on Biden in the picture in the link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 Btw, check out the face on Biden in the picture in the link That is Caption The Photo thread quality Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fastback Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 That is Caption The Photo thread quality "Joe Biden, in his armor plated short bus, licks the windows to keep them clean." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IDBillzFan Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 That is Caption The Photo thread quality I'm sure there's an Eric Massa groping joke in there somewhere. Something I don't understand; doesn't the Sec. of State usually make these kind of trips? Shouldn't Isreal be a Hillary gig? Or is Biden there because he and Netanyahu are such close "personal friends" for decades? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RkFast Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 Obama is like Boss Tweed in Scorses's "Gangs of New York." He tries to play the middle so much, all he does is wind up pissing EVERYBODY off. WRT the Israelis, this move is pretty lowbrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VABills Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 I'm sure there's an Eric Massa groping joke in there somewhere. Something I don't understand; doesn't the Sec. of State usually make these kind of trips? Shouldn't Isreal be a Hillary gig? Or is Biden there because he and Netanyahu are such close "personal friends" for decades? I thought Biden said the VP doesn't do anything? Maybe he should stick with that, he seems to be better at doing nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepthefaith Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 I thought Biden said the VP doesn't do anything? Maybe he should stick with that, he seems to be better at doing nothing. For sure the Israeli's and the rest of the world for that matter have done their homework and know that Biden is considered a dope in this country. They won't take him seriously especially with the conditions for peace being crummy with the Palestinians and much of the Middle East. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 Obama is like Boss Tweed in Scorses's "Gangs of New York." He tries to play the middle so much, all he does is wind up pissing EVERYBODY off. WRT the Israelis, this move is pretty lowbrow. The Israelis' move is lowbrow when viewed from a US foreign policy standpoint. But from internal Israeli standpoint, this was a very calculated move by the hard right to send a signal that they will not bow to anyone's demands and they still have a big voting block. Which gets back to the OP - you cannot conduct foreign policy with feel good statements and ignorance of the internal politics of the countries you're trying to cajole into your line of thinking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magox Posted March 15, 2010 Author Share Posted March 15, 2010 Obama the Uniter. Israel's ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, has told the country's diplomats there that U.S.-Israeli relations face their worst crisis in 35 years, despite attempts by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office to project a sense of "business as usual." Oren was speaking to the Israeli consuls general in a conference call on Saturday night. On Sunday, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee condemned recent statements by the U.S. government regarding its ties with Israel, amid tensions over Israel's recent announcement of its plan to build 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem. "The Obama Administration's recent statements regarding the U.S. relationship with Israel are a matter of serious concern," said AIPAC in a statement issued on Sunday. AIPAC is considered the most influential pro-Israel pressure group in the United States. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barack Obama Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 That is Caption The Photo thread quality Let me be clear. That picture was taken out of context. It was movie night at the White House. Tommy Hanks, Stevie Speilberg, Uncle Joey, and myself were playing a movie quote game. Uncle Joey had "Office Space" and showed us his "O Face" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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