Washington – Gaza has had “very negative impact” on US-Israel relations, said Martin Indyk, former US special envoy to the Middle East process, in an interview published this week.
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“It’s very hard to make the argument that America now has a strategic interest in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” he said.
“The personal relationship between the president and the prime minister has been fraught for some time and it’s become more complicated by recent events.” Peace talks ended in April without any progress after Kerry and Indyk forged an aggressive effort first for a comprehensive peace accord, and later for a framework for the continuation of negotiations, which the US never published.
Speaking extensively on US relations with Israel since the end of the latest round of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians last April, and throughout Operation Protective Edge, a candid Indyk said at times US President Barack Obama has become “enraged” at the Israeli government, both for its actions and for its treatment of his chief diplomat, US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Some of that criticism, targeted at Kerry during his efforts to forge a ceasefire with Hamas through Qatar last month, “enraged” the president, Indyk asserted.
“The United States will do fine without a resolution of this particular conflict. As time goes on and other issues come to dominate our agenda and our interests shift, really the only reason we have left to pursue a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is because of our concern about Israel’s future,” Indyk said.
The former ambassador, a veteran of the conflict for enmeshed in its politics for over forty years, said that Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu’s standard for an end to hostilities with Hamas— a prescribed return to quiet for quiet— “is not a victory and probably isn’t going to be attainable.”
Palestinians are taking notice of the effectiveness of extremist, violent resistance movements against the governments of Israel and Iraq, says Martin Indyk, former US special envoy to the Middle East process, in an interview published this week.
Palestinians both in Gaza and the West Bank “see Hamas resisting Israel and they see ISIS [the Islamic State] using violence to establish its Islamic State over in Iraq, and all Abu Mazen has to offer is negotiations as the way to achieve Palestinian statehood. And negotiations don’t have any credibility anymore, 20 years after Oslo and with over 300,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank,” Indyk said. Responding to the interview, the State Department— Indyk’s former employer— said that Indyk is now a private citizen who speaks for himself.
Before resigning his post, Indyk gave a speech to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy chiding both sides for their unwillingness to make political concessions. Israelis and Palestinians alike said that Indyk, and his team, shared in the blame, often contributing to a toxic environment for negotiators.
In the interview with Foreign Policy magazine, Indyk characterizes harsh Israeli criticism from its political right “hubris,” contributing to a “bubble of illusion” that the Jewish state is not reliant on the US.
But “if Israel becomes a partisan issue in American politics, the US-Israel relationship will then be weaker as a resul
Obama and his pro arab state dept has no interest in Israel, but if Israel isn’t of strategic interest to the US mulitarily
It’s OK. Netanyahu’s popularity in the US is 25 percentage points above Obama’s.
Indyk is just mad that Israel achieved a truce without US assistance. Sour grapes.
Obama will be out in 29 months.
US negotiators failed because they were setting up Israel for extinction. Israel has conceded more than any country on Earth, and the murderous terrorists just pressed for more. Hamas and the rest of the Muslim terror groups were given confirmation by the Obama administration that they would never be asked to concede anything, and maybe even get billions in aid from US and other countries. It was win-win for terror, and lose-lose for Israel. Obama lied when he said he had Israel’s back. He shares a belief system with the worst of the Muslim terror groups, the total annihilation of Israel. He only hesitates to state that more openly because Israel is officially an ally.
Oh, Obama and Netanyahu share mutual, personal dislike. So our ego hungry leader will sell Israel down the river for that? Is that leadership, or presidential.
Obama started his first term pledging his allegiance to Islam, and continually stabbed Israel at every opportunity. He needs to be recorded in history as the first terror lover in the White House. How could Kerry, Indyk, or anyone else disobey their boss?
That’s our golus. Israel has to be alone (but with Hashem). Answer – Moshiach.
This is the best news since Nixon told Kissinger (another self-hating “jew”) to go” jump in the lake” during the 1973 war!!
Israel does not need Obehama,it only needs Congress,and not for long at that.
Now the arabs will not be able to put pressure on the US to step in and block Israel from any conclusive victory, during every conflict!!
I cant believe the amateurism floating around this discussion !
The punch line here
Is
The strategy here in the current
Regime in washington
Is simply
To up islam
Throughout the west east north and south !
And he is executing hiss demonic vision flawlessly
And we take it
So how are we to suggest stupidly
That us has no strategy?
Could someone pls enlighten me?
If the U.S. never lets Israel finish the job once and for all, the conflict will continue. Simple.