Several times now I've run
information on Zakkai, a two-year old boy in the States who had to undergo three
surgeries for a fast-growing (albeit benign) tumor against his spine and
lungs. The hope and prayer after the last surgery was that this would be
the end.
But it was not to be, as tiny
nodules that remained on his spine began to grow dangerously again. This
coming week, on February 11, Zakkai will again go under the knife. This time the
tumors will not just be removed, some tissue around them will be excised as
well, right against his spine. His parents, who have several other
children, including a nursing baby, are drained and beside
themselves.
Please, start praying for Zakkai
now, and let's hope that there will be good news in the days after the
surgery:
~~~~~~~~~~
How
lucky can we get? First Kerry will be here, and then Obama. The
president is due, as I understand it, on March 21, although that still seems a
bit uncertain. In addition to visiting Jerusalem, he will be stopping in
Jordan and Ramallah.
Credit:
csmonitor
According to US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, the visit
will be sending a message about the "strong and deep connection between
both countries." That's just lovely. But I want to
understand Obama's motives and goals in visiting
now.
There
are those who suggest that the timing of the announcement -- made while the
coalition is in process of being formed -- is meant to pressure Netanyahu to go
for a more left wing coalition that would be amenable to what Obama is
going to propose regarding negotiations. Perish the thought that our
prime minister should be that readily influenced by the mere prospect of Obama's
visit. This seems a bit blatant to be the
reality.
And in
any event, Netanyahu has already declared intention to form a broad
based "unity" coalition in order to deal with what's coming for us with regard
to Syria and Iran. He has his own logic.
~~~~~~~~~~
That Obama will want to discuss "the two state
solution" and a return to the negotiating table is a near certainty.
Will he come, as some are saying, with a new "plan"? Not sure.
There are denials that this will be so. He would be very foolish to
advance concrete suggestions at this time, when matters are so stagnated.
He may simply be intending to take the pulse of the situation, offer
"encouragement," both here and with Abbas.
~~~~~~~~~~
We
have to hope, and send messages with regard to the expectation, that Netanyahu
will not be unduly swayed by the president's "encouragement." He has got
to stand strong in enunciating our rights in Judea and Samaria and eastern
Jerusalem, and be forthright with regard to the security risks we would incur
were we to pull back.
That
there will be "good will gestures" towards the Palestinian Arabs before
Obama arrives is almost a given. That seems to be the way the game is
played, no matter how deplorable it is, that we should have to offer "gestures"
to an entity that promotes terrorism against us.
Already, the government has decided to release tax
revenues collected for the PA that had been withheld because of its unilateral
action in the UN, to be applied to a huge electric bill severely in
arrears. Whether or not it was yet understood here that Obama was coming,
when this decision was made, it is likely that we already knew Kerry was, and
that the US was going to start talking about the "peace process"
again.
I will
not speculate further here on what other "gestures" we might yet
see.
~~~~~~~~~~
Yet
with all of this said and done, the fact is that there are other matters on
the agenda besides "peace negotiations" between Israel and the PLO -- matters
more urgent.
Primary, is Iran, which is inching closer to nuclear
capacity.
I have
observed several things of late:
In my
last posting, I spoke about how Netanyahu told the Cabinet that Iran will be
using more efficient centrifuges, which bring their ability to go nuclear
closer, and "we cannot live with this." Pretty
definitive.
On the
same day, and surely with the prime minister's sanction, Barak said that, "What
happened in Syria several days ago [is] proof that when we [say]
something we mean it."
And
so, we are inching very close to action on Iran. It seems implicit at
this point.
~~~~~~~~~~
At the
same time, I have observed that we gave the US heads up on our intention to hit
in Syria and took the action with American blessing -- even, news reports said,
blessing for further attacks of a similar nature. After the attack, Clinton's
words were supportive of our position -- there was no hint of criticism.
What
it seemed to me is that while Obama has not the courage to act in Syria, he was
ultimately pleased that Israel is acting -- certainly with regard to chemical
weapons and transfer of weapons to Hezbollah.
So
there may be a good deal to talk about regarding Syria, as Assad comes closer to
falling.
~~~~~~~~~~
Even
more so, talks between the Israeli and American heads of state may be of
critical importance vis-a-vis Iran. Here's where sending a message
about the "strong and deep connection between both countries" becomes
important. And here is where the ikar -- the essence of the
matter -- lies.
My own
take is that the pattern that has been established with our hits on Syria will
continue here.
~~~~~~~~~~
I will
make one purely tentative prediction here: We may see some movement on "peace
negotiations" agreed to by Netanyahu as a quid pro quo for support from Obama on
Iran.
In the
end, I believe that if we do act on Iran, Obama will not criticize and may well
lend some sort of logistical backup. We will do the dirty work.
He'll be clean -- having even offered one-on-one discussions with Iran -- but
will be glad that we did what he should have done but had not the will nor
courage to do.
I
would not find it terribly upsetting, should Netanyahu make some movement
towards negotiations -- as long as nothing of significance were to be
conceded up front. This is, first, because taking out Iran is of
the utmost importance, and two, because whatever we would do would be only a
game: Netanyahu knows full well that the Palestinian Arabs are never going
to strike a deal with us.
What
Netanyahu would be doing would not be cementing a deal with the PA, or even
making significant headway in that direction. He would be giving a gift to
Obama -- lending the impression that the US president had the
diplomatic skills, the clout, have it as you will, to influence Israel to be
more forthcoming on negotiations.
I
could live with this, without finding that my stomach turned upside-down, if a
larger and more important goal were served. As, obviously, could our prime
minister. In fact this is his MO.
Speculation...time will tell.
~~~~~~~~~~
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Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by Arlene Kushner,
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