Washington – Israel’s ambassador to Washington Michael Oren convened Foreign Ministry consuls for an emergency briefing, and told them the crisis between Israel and the US is the worst since 1975, Army Radio reported.
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Oren was referring to a crisis that evolved when Israel refused to sign a treaty to withdraw forces from Sinai in 1975.
In an unusual move, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) made a public call on the White House to tone down the rhetoric. The lobby said statements made by senior officials in US President Barack Obama’s administration were “very worrying.”
The crisis erupted late last week when the Interior Ministry announced the building of 1,600 housing units in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo, while US Vice President Joe Biden was visiting Israel.
The US administration refused to let go of the issue, even after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu apologized to Biden and Biden said the apology was accepted.
AIPAC said the White House should avoid public demands and unilaterally setting a timetable for Israel to follow.
In his briefing to consuls, Oren said the crisis with the US is of “historic” proportions.
The US reportedly wants Israel to announce that it’s cancelling the Ramat Shlomo project, investigate how the project came to be announced when Biden was here, and make gestures towards the Palestinian Authority. The US also reportedly demands that Israel publicly announce that all core issues will be discussed during negotiations.
On Sunday, Anti Defamation League National Director Abe Foxman said the US criticism was “especially troubling” because Netanyahu had offered clear explanations of the announcement mishap both publicly and privately.
“US Vice President Joe Biden accepted the prime minister’s apology,” Foxman said. “Therefore, to raise the issue again in this way is a gross overreaction to a point of policy difference among friends.
“We cannot remember an instance when such harsh language was directed at a friend and ally of the United States,” the statement continued. “One can only wonder how far the US is prepared to go in distancing itself from Israel in order to placate the Palestinians in the hope they see it is in their interest to return to the negotiating table.”
What do expected we have a left wing radical in the whitehouse far worse then Carter. Vote the Dems out in Nov, wake up people stop obmam.
What a big big chetzpah from the Israelis to spit in the face of the us vice president thay can wait with this until the vice president go home
“gestures towards the Palestinian Authority.” what gestures do the palestinians make toward isreal why is isreal always being told to make gestures, its a two way street it takes two to tango ? as well why doesn’t the pres. hassle the palestinians to what the heck are they doing with all the money they get from the u.s. and other countiers? and its has nothing to do with the blockade they have a fine time smugggling in weapons to kill isrealis.
Bil’am said it a long time ago: Am levadad yishkon – the Jews are a people that dwell alone and are not reckoned among the nations. Many times the history of the world parallels that of our people, but then there are times when it doesn’t. We have a different mission.
They attempt to keep the Jews down, whether it is in the form of anti-Semitic diatribe or being anti the Jewish homeland (they are not bothered by the niceties of reishit tzemichat or middle of golus). The bottom line is that we are Jews, and it is important to have the maximum achdus that we can in the face of this brazen onslaught.
The sad thing today is that the Arabists fill not only the State Dept., they infest the White House – and with Jewish advisers there we need rachmei shamayim big time!
I think Israel should make it up to the Vice President by naming the new settlement Biden Village.
All of it looks bad from all sides. Natanyahu is at fault for hiring bagel heads in his administration starting from Lieberman for foreign ministry post. Michael Oren is too ideologically driven to be a diplomat. His passion doesn’t let him to be cool minded with his conduct and words.
U.S. feels very insulted for a direct “F–You” America that a Vice President received and on other occasions when visiting U.S. politicians were not greeted well because they were not sent by AIPAC. The “worst crisis” could have been avoided if Israel stops playing brazen diplomacy because at the end of the day, it needs friends that are harder to find in the world and not the other way around. AIPAC and ADL won’t be there to successfully lobby for Israel ALL the time.
The difference between Carter and Obama is simple. Carter lacked knowledge and experience in foreign policy. His ideas were immature and often utterly foolish. Obama, who similarly lacks the experience, approaches his role in foreign policy with intentions that anti-Israel. This translates into evil.
The mid east pece process, roadmap, Oslo, whatever you call it, is dead. It wont move again until the Palestinians are pushed to do so by the US, EUrope and the Arab states. Even then, they will need pushing because this is their livelihood. After peace, what will they do>? TO whom will they beg for money? Who will listen to them on the world stage? They have no interest in peace. Peace pays nothing. A state of war can always bring great riches even if its just 1 in 100,000 chance. They got Gaza. Why wouldnt they get the West Bank and eventually Tel Aviv? They enough babies being produced to take over Israel in 25 years. France and the UK will also have Muslim populations of 35-50% by then. Why settle for crumbs today?
I must admit, from the point of strictly American interests in the region, Obama is right. However, WE (yidden) have our own interests which are fundamentally different from the US.
Every President has made attempts at this “peace” thing. Every President failed.
Those who run to the xians who claim to love Israel better wake up and realize that they are PRAYING for a big war in Israel. They believe that if the Jews hold out long enough it will lead to an “end-of-days” war between Jews and Muslims… eventually killing off both. Again, their interests are not the same as ours either. THEY WANT TO SEE YIDDEN DYING IN THE STREET. Don’t think for one second that their interests are with us either.
We stand alone. That’s what it boils down to. The US has its own interests as does the xian world. We must realize that QUICKLY. Israel should have kept the “settlement” quiet. They instigated the response that they got. However, there is no need to apologize for doing it.
Ramot shlomo is not a disputed area. It wasn’t even one of the demands of the Palestinians to stop building there. All this belittling of Israel is just an excuse. No contracts or agreements were broken.
The whole issue is a bunch of nonsence!
you can kick a U.S. Administration as much as you feel necessary but not if you received military assistance in amount given presently. Use your zeichel. The art is to tell someone ‘gei mitn kop in drerd” and he says thank you
The crisis didn’t start now. The crisis started the day Community Organizer was elected to be President of the USA.
Well Obama should remember election time is rolling around soon.
The US under the presidency of this extreme marxist jihadist loving revolutionary,has turned into a third world bannana republic and has become the laughing stock of the whole world,Hussein Obama will destroy his own country before he has a chance to hurt israel .
Hussein Obama,yemach shemo ‘is a much bigger threat to his own country than to Israel
we should all call the White House comments line 202-456-1111
to voice our complaint against the president.
Thank you, fellow Jews and bagel brains for helping put this antisemite in office.
A liitle bit of “buyer’s remorse” settling in? STOP VOTING DEMONRAT
Apparently we never learn. Before Hillary was a NY senator and kissed and hugged Arafat’s wife right after she said Israeli’s were poisoning Palestinean water, we rewarded her by electing her senator. Now that she no longer is senator and doesn’t need our votes, she once again is spewing her anti-Israel venom regarding building in Jerusalem. But, if she should run again in NY or nationally, I guarantee we’ll be drooling again and vote for her.
We live in the USA, this is our country. Move to Israel is you don’t like it here.
Remember what Nixon told Golda Meir.
It was bound to happen. The man who was best friends with Bill Ayers who dedicated a book to sirhan sirhan, RFK’s murderer; who was a congregant of rev “the chickens have come home to roost”wright; who was a fan of minster ‘hitler was a great man” farrakhan; who promised the electronic intifada that he would champion palestinian causes once elected; who was a social friend of edward ‘the colunbia intifada’ said; who spoke at a testimonial for rashid ‘Jews give an F in my course” khalidi.
Who should be suprised that the man who was schooled in Indonesia, mentored by the saul alinsky (communists) organizers, and vetted by the inner thirld world Chicago ward tammany hall operations is a rabid anti-Israel antagonist.
Better now than later, before Israel makes more concessions.
Double the building permits in Yerusholaim NOW!!!
Everyone hated Carter and they still do. But the Egyptian-Israeli peace, for all the coldness, has freed up Israel from huge military expenditures on the Sinai.
Of course, though he was tough, Begin was a statesmen. Once he started with Sadat he treated him with Kavod. Lieberman would have given Sadat a carpet with holes and a short chair. Netanyahu is known to his allies as someone whose word is good for very little.
Netanyahu is either unable to control the government or he is a fantastic tippesh for thinking he can give the US VP a frask in punim and not pay. People here can minimise all they want. Israelis are convinced that Netanyahu is violating Ben Gurion’s cardinal rule for Israeli survival. Always have a solid reationship with at least 1 superpower. When he met JFK he was willing to surrender the nuclear program if it was demanded. But JFK blinked first. When Israel decided to strike pre-emptively in 67, DeGaulle warned them not to. But Israel was convinced that the US would take its place.
Oiy, Netanyahu is dumb!
Now, if Netanyahu the oberchacham plans to get rid of the US, does he have any other candidates to take its place. Is he planning on Russia or China?
RE; to # 26. I think no .24. refers to the following quote by Mr. Nixon : It may be they have a death wish that has beenthe problem with our Jewish friends for centuries “
There is so much here that is not transparent. Who knows what’s going on behind the scenes with these politicians? But as far as public relations with ordinary US citizens is concerned, Netanyahu’s actions can have long-term deleterious effects. It looks like Netanyahu is playing political chess with 4 knights and no bishops, taking unpredictable jumps and not moving in straight lines. .
This vicious picture of Obama says it all – well chosen for this article
House minority leader bohener sure got it right today when he pointdly said that if obama really wants peace in the middle east,he should put his focus on stoping iran go nuclear.