US officials bash Bibi; Bibi's boys boast of beer with Barack

[Israel Insider]

Senior Israel officials on Wednesday adamantly rejected media speculation about tension between Jerusalem and Washington. "The reception [of Netanyahu in the White House] was cordial and friendly in many aspects, and even included rolling-up sleeves and cracking open beer bottles when necessary, in line with the tradition of coordination between senior Israeli and US officials," National Security Adviser Uzi Arad told Israel Radio from Paris, the latest stop on PM Benjamin Netanyahu's diplomatic junket.

The complexity of the situation is due to the volume of the issues at hand, Arad explained, and does not stem from a rift between the allies. In the talks, Washington expressed its expectations, but the US is aware of Jerusalem's stances, and knows that Israel won't meet all of them, he said. "The US understands that Israel is the authority on the content of its talks with the Palestinians," he suggested, optimistically, perhaps after guzzling a beer too many.

Arad dismissed speculation on the reasons behind what appeared to be a cold American shoulder in the past few days.

"If we look at the media reports - I'll speak as a former member of the intelligence community - there is a plethora of contradictions in the various reports, which goes to show that at least some are very wrong… though some contain truth," Arad said. "Talk is cheap," he said. "Look at the essence, not the wrappings. The lack of a media briefing, which was in accordance to both sides' opinion, was due to reasons that might be possible to explain in the future," he hinted. "Israel is not the problem, but rather a partner" to the US, Arad said.

But an unnamed US diplomat threw oil on the fire Wednesday, suggesting to Army Radio that the feeling in the Administration is that Netanyahu has been trying to maneuver Obama over the past few weeks. The official cited Netanyahu's comments in press briefings, presumably those following meetings with Obama, as evidence of the prime minister's attempt to spin opinion, something that is of course never done in Washington. The White House's chilling conduct in recent days, he said, was an attempt at correction.

In his address to the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America, Netanyahu resisted apparent U.S. pressure to promote the two-state solution. While saying he was committed to two states living side by side, he stressed that the issue of Palestinian refugees returning to Israel would not be on the table. "They must abandon the fantasy of flooding Israel with refugees, give up irredentist claims to the Negev and Galilee, and declare unequivocally that the conflict is finally over," Netanyahu said firmly in his address.

Another unnamed US official expressed dissatisfaction with Netanyahu over what the Israeli leader did not say in his address to the Jewish Federations of North America's annual General Assembly on Monday. "We had an idea that he might bring something out to push the process forward," the Wall Street Journal quoted the official on Tuesday in referral to an Israeli settlement freeze. "But he's kept it in his pocket."

Probably it was hard to pull out, what with the bottle opener for cracking open the beers and all.

[RonaldH]

"We had an idea that he might bring something out to push the process forward," the Wall Street Journal quoted the official on Tuesday in referral to an Israeli settlement freeze. "But he's kept it in his pocket."

There is not a shred of evidence that would suggest that the Palestinians want peace with Israel. Nothing. Why should Israel make concrete sacrifices that present real risks to their population when the Palestinians will give nothing and do not make any pretense of wanting to live in peace with Israel? US policy-makers have to start being a lot more realistic about what is possible or they will get a lot of people killed for no good reason.

[Robert Bernier]

The Jewish state, should not seek to make peace at any price.
There is no hope for the Jewish state surviving in the nastiest neighborhood in the world if it presents itself as inwardly irresolute and unwilling to engage in war. The Arab adversary should always be fully aware that Israel is resolute, steadfast and more ready to wage war than agree to a fraudulent peace. If the Arab and Muslim world rejects Israel, it must live with the consequences of its enmity and become the ultimate loser. A Jewish state, which no longer seeks to make peace at any price will prosper and grow. It will also engender respect from both its friends and its enemies. As to the Palestinians peoplehood:
http://israelagainstterror.blogspot.com/2009/05/is-world-just-plain-stupid_07.html