| | | Got a link to that? 'Vast majority' is a very strong statement.
'Hardly anyone there thinks Obama is going to make the Middle East any safer.'
Got any proof of that?
Although that is not particularly relevant. Israel badly needs the goodwill of and protection of the US. The US doesn't really need Israel except for internal, political reasons. We do tend to favor market-driven democracies. But supporting one who seems to go out of their way to damage our interests and relationships is not particularly bright. Especially one that uses us as a scapegoat in their election processes.
We spent a lot of time and effort to put together a Middle East that Israel could prosper in. While not rock-solid safe, they weren't being periodically being invaded by their neighbors. We supported various dictatorships in the region as long as they went against the wishes of their population to do something about the Palestinian genocide. Heck, we even bribed Egypt for decades to keep peace with Israel.We have taken political damage in the UN and in Europe because we have blocked every attempt to enforce UN resolutions at every turn.
Our tower of cards almost came down during the Arab Spring. Given our history in the region, we had almost zero influence over events. It was starting to look like all of those despotic realms were going to fall in a short period of time. Sort of like what happened to the European monarchies in the wake of the Russian Revolution. But with more violence. Israel got lucky. The best outcome for them was that those countries that got rid of the despots fell into inter-tribal squabbles over power. Otherwise, an Arab government even partially responsive to their people would be taking a hard line against Israel.
Instead of moderating their genocidal behavior, Bibi kowtowed to the ultra-Orthodox and far-right looneys in Israel and doubled down on anti-Palestinian policies within the Occupied Territories and inside of Israel itself. The US media rarely, if ever covers it, but the Europeans are beyond livid. It has only been because the US has twisted arms, legs and every other bodily appendage to keep that from happening. And their citizens aren't happy either.The only thing that has kept a lot of the pressure has been the promise of a Two State Solution. Which has been our official goal, a bipartisan one at that. If Bibi takes it off the table, that means he is the greatest, existential threat to Israel since its founding.
Israel risks being pariah nation like South Africa was during apartheid. It could even lose the US. It pretty much has lost Europe. That sucks for Israel because 1/3 of its trade is with Europe. It isn't really clear how much longer the US can back them, it is way past any rational cost/benefit ratio. So who is left? China? Yeah, China will trade with them. Welcome it in fact. But Israel has no oil. China doesn't care about the genocide, but any relationship they have with Israel is going to be a net benefit to China and not the other way around. They are also not going to be interested in backing Israel against the other Arab countries. If for no other reason, they have oil.
Bibi, like any other sociopath, is only interested in what he can get now. He pays lip-service to the needs of Israel, but that is only to win a proximate election. Did you see how he is Etch-a-Sketching his way away from his panicky, last minute appeals to the far right when he was losing the election? That is the real Bibi. Whatever it takes to get his way. This is why that ex-head of Mossad has labeled Bibi as the biggest threat to Israel. Way ahead of Iran. And is why Mossad opposes Bibi's approach to Iran. Because it is only good for Bibi and threatens Israel long term.
The sad thing is that Rabin understood the threats to Israel and what needed to be done to make it safe. And the far right in Israel assassinated him because of it. With Bibi egging them on until the moment they did it. Then he was all "who could have known that someone would take me seriously when I called Rabin the biggest threat that Israel has ever faced?"...
And you want to trust this man? Even Putin is more trustworthy. |
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