13 November 2012 By Stephen
Lendman Neither leader says they're
sorry. Netanyahu bet on the wrong candidate. Relations
with Obama have been strained for months. Both clearly
dislike each other and show it. Political necessity requires
getting along. They'll find a way. Israeli elections
are in January. Netanyahu's stuck with Obama for four
years. His own political prospects are on the line. On November 8, both leaders spoke
by phone. Netanyahu offered congratulations. "This was a vote of confidence in
your leadership," he said. "We will continue
collectively fighting the challenges faced by both the
US and Israel, and promote peace and security in the
region." Earlier on Thursday, he rejected
accusations of strained US/Israeli relations. He
denied pro-Romney bias. Former Israeli prime minister
Ehud Olmert accused him of hurting US/Israeli ties by
trying to undermine Obama's reelection chances and
offending him. In damage control mode, Netanyahu
told Obama: "This was a vote of confidence in
your leadership. We will continue collectively
fighting the challenges faced by both the U.S. and
Israel, and promote peace and security in the
region." "We we have a strategic
partnership (with America). We cooperate in all
fields, but most of all in security, where the
cooperation is deep, wide and firm." On November 9, Haaretz headlined
"Betting on the wrong horse: The night Benjamin
Netanyahu will not soon forget," saying: Obama's reelection caught him off
guard. He expected Romney to win. Close political
advisor Arthur Finkelstein gave him bad advice. He
predicted Romney by 4% in the popular vote and
victories in all swing states. Netanyahu was swayed. "In private
conversations, he ridiculed anyone who advised him not
to rule out a scenario in which" Obama would win. He
did so despite most polls predicting it. "For Netanyahu, (Finkelstein's)
word is sacred." He also predicts Netanyahu's
reelection. Maybe he's telling his boss what he wants
to hear. He may end up making another "meta-mistake." Post-election, Netanyahu was in
battle mode. He told cabinet members not to talk about
Obama. Close associates rebuffed allegations that he
tried to undermine the US president. They and Netanyahu strained to
explain why Romney was warmly welcomed on his summer
Israeli visit. Their explanation fell flat. For months, Netanyahu criticized
Obama on Iran. He went out of his way to tell American
Jews that a second Obama term for would be bad for
Israel. They didn't believe it. Don't expect Obama to
forget it. "Netanyahu will remember the
night between November 6 and 7, 2012 as" nightmarish.
His former chief of staff, Naftali Bennett, was
elected Habayit Hayehudi (HH) chairman. In November 2008, he formed the
right-wing religious party. Netanyahu hoped opposition
HH candidate Zevulun Orlev would win. Netanyahu associate Natan Eshel
intervened in party politics to help him. He failed.
If Netanyahu wins in January, he'll need Bennett's
help to form a coalition government. They'll both work together but
not comfortably. When Netanyahu led Israel's
opposition, he dumped Bennett for political
disagreements. What happened before can happen again. Haaretz contributor Aluf Benn
believes Bibi can relax. Obama won't punish him.
Strategic US/Israeli ties matter more than personal
feelings. Washington's foreign policy won't change.
Nor will Israel's. Both sides will work with each
other like always. Nuance differences only reflect
relations between both countries depending on who
rules either at any point in time. Obama and Netanyahu have similar
agendas. They'll cooperate on regional issues. Expect
nothing positive to emerge for Palestinians, relations
with Iran, or Syrians enduring months of protracted
conflict. Both leaders deplore peace.
Settlement expansion continues unabated. Over half a
million West Bank and East Jerusalem settlers exclude
a two-state solution. Whatever might have been
possible earlier isn't now. Adherents ignore reality by
supporting it. So does Abbas knowing it's impossible.
He, like others, know the only solution is one state
comprised of Israel and the Territories. Nothing else
will work. PA leaders call current
conditions unsustainable. They're right. They
identified the problem, not the solution. "The
international community and Palestinians together need
to exercise all possible efforts to preserve the
viability of the two-state solution - or consider the
alternatives," they say. How? They're right saying "the
only viable solution….is bringing an end to Israel's
(45 year) occupation." They stop short of explaining
how. Netanyahu and Obama also pretend
what neither leader supports or knows is viable as the
only way forward. So do analysts who know better. Gideon Levy thinks Obama and
Netanyahu may prove a "winning duo, the ones who bring
about an agreement with the Palestinians." He doesn't
understand that both leaders demand Palestinian
surrender, not justice. It's been that way for decades
and won't change now. If it was viable, it would have
happened long ago under more conciliatory leaders on
both sides. It didn't and won't now. Palestinians are on their own to
end occupation and live free. They won't be helped by
Israel, America, or all Western states that matter.
Friendly rhetoric substitutes for supportive policies
with teeth. None are forthcoming or planned
longer-term. Levy is misguided thinking Obama
"will translate his anger against Netanyahu into
pressure on Israel to finally end the occupation." "And those who know Obama
personally have testified that his heart is in the
Palestinian problem." In fact, he doesn't give a damn
and never did. He spurns equity, justice, and popular
needs at home and abroad. He supports plutocratic
governance and imperial wars for global dominance.
He's waging war on Islam. He exceeded Bush's
ruthlessness. Levy thinks Obama first
concentrated on political survival. Lame duck status
frees him to do things he didn't try in term one. He's
misguided saying: "….Obama (now) is expected to
have greater self-confidence and be less concerned
with considerations of survival. This is where the
great opportunity lies." "It is difficult to believe that
Obama will capitulate in his second term as well. It
is difficult to believe he will forgive the behavior
of an Israel that talks about two states for two
peoples but refuses even to freeze construction in the
settlements." "This mask must be pulled from
Israel's face, and no one can do it better than a
furious and moral president in his second term of
office." Obama is both con man and moral
coward. He'll do nothing more for Palestinians now
than earlier. He'll ignore Israel's worst crimes of
war and against humanity. He won't demand occupation
harshness end. He'll let settlement expansions steal
all valued Judea and Summaria areas. He'll continue
providing billions of dollars annually in military
aid. It helps Israel maintain control
Palestine, keep Gaza besieged, bomb, shell, or invade
with impunity, imprison resisters in gulag hell, and
attack neighbors like Lebanon. Levy calls Obama's second term
the "last chance to (end) the curse of the
occupation." American anger is vital to force it, he
believes. Israel won't act on its own. True enough, but expect
pro-Israeli pressure to remain strong no matter who's
in charge in Washington. The entire Senate and nearly all
House members provide one-sided Israeli support. They
express it vocally, in legislation, and nonbinding
sense of the Congress resolutions. There's no ambiguity. Palestine
has no friend in Washington. Levy should visit
sometime to see firsthand. His view would change
markedly. Congressional members for
Palestine are ruthlessly targeted for defeat. Cynthia
McKinney experienced it twice. She also faced threats
and still does now. Others also had their political
careers cut short. The Israeli Lobby is Washington's
strongest. It's ruthless. It plays dirty to get its
way. It takes no prisoners. It's willing to do
practically anything to see what Israel wants it gets.
It usually prevails. Levy thinks Obama will be more
motivated to be Palestinian friendly if Netanyahu and
Lieberman prevail in January elections. He believes
he'll be "inflame(d)" to act. He says it's less likely if more
moderate Israeli leaders gain power. He doesn't
understand that US policy stays firm no matter who
runs either country. It's been that way for decades
and won't change now. Obama has "a well-developed sense
of justice and a sophisticated sense of history,"
claims Levy. He won't "miss the last chance" to
achieve something positive. It's hard imagining why someone
who knows better would believe what patently isn't so.
Throughout his Illinois, Senate, and presidential
career, Obama supported wealth, power and privilege.
Nothing else mattered earlier or now. In America, grand bargain
betrayal looms. Democrats agreed with Republicans to
cut $4 trillion or more in largely social programs
over the next decade. Ordinary people most in need,
seniors, and the disabled will be hit hardest. Obama insists this be done. It's
the centerpiece of his second term agenda. He
announced it on election night. His reward for
supporters is greater human deprivation. Programs Americans most value and
need will be curtailed sharply en route to eliminating
them altogether. Republicans on their own can't do it.
They never could even when in power. They need
Democrat support for what they'd never try on their
own. Stealing from ordinary people and
the poor for the rich reflects degenerate leadership.
It defines Obama's entire political career. He'll be
more hardline in term two than one. On election night,
he announced it, saying: "Last year, I worked with
Democrats and Republicans to cut a trillion dollars
worth of spending." "I intend to work with both
parties to do more, and that includes making reforms
that will bring down the cost of health care, so we
can strengthen programs like Medicaid and Medicare for
the long haul." Strengthen is code language for
wrecking. So-called fiscal cliff cuts assure it.
Neoliberal harshness is policy. It's been true in
Israel since the 1980s. Each country supports the
worst of the other's agenda. Expect it to be hardened
ahead, not softened. Levy and others like him should
acquaint themselves with how Washington works. Harry
Truman described it saying if you want a friend there,
get a dog. It's not rocket science. It's the
same in Israel. Wealth, power, and privilege alone
matter. Ordinary people are used and abused for that
purpose. Obama's second term will harden
policies. He'll be sworn in on January 21. In America,
it's Martin Luther King day. If alive today, he wouldn't be
pleased about a Black or White president supporting
policies he opposed. Inaugurating Obama on his day
adds greater insult to injury. On the same day, Netanyahu seeks
reelection in Israel. The irony won't go unnoticed. If
he prevails as expected, both leaders will ignore
personal feelings and likely bouts of ingestion to get
along. It won't be easy but expect it.
Close ties and policies won't change. At the same
time, rhetoric and body language by both leaders bear
watching. It's never easy working with someone not
trusted or liked. US voters weren't wise enough to
vote independent and dispatch America's duopoly.
Israeli ones still have a chance. Don't expect them to
be wiser. Stephen Lendman lives in
Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces
America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and
Class War"
http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html Visit his
blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to
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