"Confrontation"

Arlene Kushner

I knew it was going to be ugly. But the bounds of the confrontation we are going to face with Obama's administration transcends what I had expected. We have an enemy in the White House. And we have been let down by large parts of the American Jewish community.

Following here are excerpts from a report that has just come out from Middle East News Line (MENL) -- an exceedingly reliable news and intelligence source. (My emphasis added) "President Barack Obama intends to press Israel to establish a Palestinian state in the West Bank over the next two years.

"Administration sources said the president has relayed messages to American Jewish leaders that the establishment of a Palestinian state would be the priority of his first term in office. The sources said Israeli assistance would determine whether Washington decides to resume efforts to block Iran's nuclear weapons program.

"'The order is first a Palestinian state and then Iran,' an administration source said.

"The sources said the White House has determined that a Palestinian state by 2012 was vital in the formation of any international coalition against Iran and its nuclear weapons program. They said Israel would be pressed to enable Palestinian Authority security forces to deploy throughout the West Bank as well as dismantle Jewish communities.

"'They are systematically setting up the most decisive confrontation that we've ever seen,' former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said.

"...Obviously, we want these [American Jewish] leaders to relay the president's priorities to Israel before the visit of the prime minister,' the source said.

"The sources said Obama has also told European Union leaders that his administration would be more forceful with Israel. They said the Obama message stressed that Israel would not be allowed to sidetrack the international effort to establish a Palestinian state.

"Obama was also said to have reaffirmed his determination for renewed talks for an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights, captured from Syria in the 1967 war. The sources said Obama was convinced that Israel should pursue negotiations with both Syria and the Palestinian Authority over the next year.

"'The president will get very specific in his talks with the Israeli prime minister,' the administration source said. 'The president will discuss specific measures and timetables..'"

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Where to begin in responding to this enraging information?

It's the tone, perhaps most of all, that infuriates: "Israel would not be allowed..." "Obama was convinced that Israel should..." We are a sovereign state and yet Obama believes he can dictate to us.

Or maybe it's the threat that riles: If you want help in taking down Iran's nuclear program, deliver what we want first.

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Then again it might be the collosal, pig-headed stupidity of this approach. I've said it before and I'll say it again here, and as many more times thereafter as is necessary:

Establishment of a Palestinian state and stopping Iran's nuclear ambitions are two different issues that should be handled separately. The linkage being made by Obama is simply not acceptable or reasonable. Supporting our efforts to stop Iran does not DEPEND on anything except Obama's will to act appropriately.

Iran is a threat to the free world, not just to Israel. If it goes nuclear it will certainly undermine all of the genuine interests of the US. So, if Iran does -- G-d forbid -- go nuclear, and US interests are threatened, is Obama going to say, "Gee, I couldn't act because Israel didn't establish a Palestinian state"? He has a responsibility to his nation and to the West on this score and he's evading it.

The moderate Arab states -- most significantly Egypt and Saudi Arabia -- whatever they say publicly, are very much frightened by the prospect of a nuclear Iran and would be pleased to see Iran stopped. What is more, they have no genuine, deep, and abiding interest in a Palestinian state.

As to the European states, Obama has moved to the left of them now with regard to Iran and nations such as France have expressed unease.

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And we have not yet come to the ludicrous or devious parts of this entire line of reasoning:

Obama is saying that we must produce a Palestinian state by 2012 and then he'll act on Iran. But by 2012 Iran would have already gone nuclear and it would be much too late.

Is this Obama's true intention? To let this happen while holding a threat over our heads?

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And finally this: The time is not ripe for a Palestinian state, even if it were a good idea (it's not) to establish one some day.

Actually, the time is so wrong for this that anyone pushing for a state "within two years" has to be acting without concern for the repercussions of its establishment. Consider:

-- Abbas is a weak leader who has not established the solid civic infratructure necessary for the establishment of a stable state.

-- The PA is rife with corruption.

-- Consequently the PA is one large welfare client, which operates on international handouts and has not established a viable economic base.

-- The Palestinian people have not been prepared for peace, as incitement continues in the textbooks and in the press. The most horrendous of terrorists are lauded as martyrs, while school children are taught that jidad is something Allah seeks. But real peace must be built from the bottom up.

-- The PA security forces, even those who have more recently been trained, are not reliable in so far as their will and capacity to take out terrorism is concerned. But then, there is a mixed message from the PA leaders.

-- The PA has grown increasingly radical in recent years and is adamently opposed to any compromise with Israel at all. They want what they want.

-- The PA refuses to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. This is of major import, for if there is to be talk of a "two state solution," the idea is one state for the Jews and one for the Palestinians. Except the Palestinians won't sign on to this. They want to establish their state as Judenrein, and then to send 4.1 million hostile refugees inside our borders, swallowing us up as well.

So, go build a stable, responsible Palestinian state from this that is supposed to lead to "peace."

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And this is just the beginning, for there is also an elephant in the room: Hamas. Obama clearly would prefer not to deal with this, but Hamas won't go away.

Hamas refuses to renounce terrorism, honor past PA agreements with Israel or recognize Israel's right to exist. Hamas is in control of Gaza, which is currently a center for terrorist activities and an area into which ever more weaponry is being smuggled.

What does Obama suggest will happen to Hamas if we sign a deal with Abbas and the PA?

There are two possibilites. One is that the PA will form a unity government with Hamas. In this case, Obama would be expecting us to deal with a government that has a party that still embraces terrorism.

More likely, Hamas will remain independent. It is already on its way to establishing a separate government. (More on this, hopefully tomorrow.) What this means is that we're being asked to live with TWO Palestinian states between the Mediterranean and the Jordan. What is more, Hamas has clearly indicated a desire to take over in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) if the Israeli forces that contain them pull out. This means Palestinian states on both flanks that are overtly terrorist.

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So, what we're seeing is that Obama's bow to the Saudi king was emblematic of his kissing-up-to-the-Muslims intent, which includes a willingness to put Israel on the chopping block.

But we Israelis are not having it.

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Yesterday Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed the AIPAC conference by video. He's playing a difficult game -- the game I wrote about recently: being as conciliatory as possible without stepping over a red line. He spoke about the fact that he is ready to do negotiations with the Palestinians -- on economy, security and political matters. He said that he was sure that it was possible to reach peace. HOWEVER, he refrained from ever referring to either a "two state solution" -- the sacred mantra -- or referring to a "Palestinian state." He has neither in mind.

What is more, he says he will never sacrifice Israel's security. That alone precludes a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria. And he will insist that Israel be recognized by the Palestinians as a Jewish state.

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I would like, then, to return to what I wrote about yesterday. Netanyahu requires the maximum in support from all of us before he heads to the White House. If you have not yet communicated with him, please, do so.

Israelis: Let him know that you are a citizen, and that you support him as he goes to the US. Ask him please to stand strong and to resist pressure to accept a "two state solution." Tell him that this is what his nation needs of him right now, that we need him to speak in the best interests of Israel and to speak out for Israeli rights. Numbers matters, folks!

American citizens can also contact him. But you will need to say something different. From Americans he needs to hear that not everyone in the US wants a two-state solution. Tell him briefly about how you personally work to support Israel from within the US: rallying support via e-mails, holding discussions with people, writing letters to the editor, contacting your Congresspersons or Senators -- or whatever else you do.

Whether here in Israel, or in the US, please share this broadly by forwarding. Remove the "forwarding" data from the subject line and at the head of the message, and, if you wish, add your own introduction.

Note that I've added the proper way to dial from the States and note as well that the e-mail has an underscore after "pm."

Fax: 02-670-5369 (From the US: 011-972-2-5367)

Phone: 03-610-9898 (From the US: 011-972-3-610-9898)

E-mail: pm_eng2@it.pmo.gov.il

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One more word about AIPAC here: The question has been raised in several quarters regarding whether Netanyahu signed off on their "two state" position. This was asked because normally AIPAC, which is a US organization lobbying for Israel, takes its cue from the Israeli government.

It would seem he did not sign off on this, because had he, in his address to AIPAC he would have spoken about his vision of a "two state solution," and instead he studiously avoided this term. But I went further and asked some questions of people in the know, and the best answer is that it is highly unlikely that he did.

What has happened, however, is that AIPAC has now made things more difficult for Netanyahu. There are various theories floating, but why they did what they did is a question to which I have no answer as I write. My bet has something to do with pressure from the White House in one form or another.

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Americans must wake up and understand that what Obama is doing is enormously destructive to America. They must be educated to the realities. And I'm hoping that those of you in the US reading this who are activists and care deeply about the current situation will be on board over the next several months as we mount campaigns to fight this.

I've provided core information to bolster arguments and am available to anyone who seeks more.

Those of you who are Jewish Americans and connected to establishment Jewish organizations must begin to apply serious pressure on the leadership of these organizations, which has let us down -- caving to Obama rather than making the case that needs to be made.

In short order I hope I will be able to have more regarding contact with elected representatives.

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see my website www.ArlenefromIsrael.info