Obama Blasts Netanyahu For Abandoning Two-State Solution, Making Anti-Arab Remarks

[Fred Sanders]

Source: Think Progress/Huffington Post

March 21 5:26 EDT

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has jeopardized future negotiations for peace with the Palestinians by abandoning the two state solution and demonizing Arab voters, President Barack Obama said on Friday in an interview with the Huffington Post’s Sam Stein.

In his first public comments about the Israeli election, in which Netanyahu’s Likud party almost certainly won enough seats to secure Netanyahu a fourth-term as prime minister, Obama criticized Netanyahu for fomenting fear of Arab-Israelis. On election day, as he appeared to be losing at the polls, Netanyahu told supporters, “The right-wing government is in danger. Arab voters are going en masse to the polls. Left-wing NGOs are bringing them on buses.”

“We indicated that that kind of rhetoric was contrary to what is the best of Israel’s traditions,” Obama told the Huffington Post. “That although Israel was founded based on the historic Jewish homeland and the need to have a Jewish homeland, Israeli democracy has been premised on everybody in the country being treated equally and fairly. And I think that that is what’s best about Israeli democracy. If that is lost, then I think that not only does it give ammunition to folks who don’t believe in a Jewish state, but it also I think starts to erode the name of democracy in the country.”

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/world/2015/03/21/3637253/obama-blasts-netanyahu-abandoning-two-state-solution-anti-arab-remarks/

---

Go get 'em President Obama - the liars, woo pushers, corrupt puppets, religious zealots, opportunists and general purpose fact deniers everywhere are not near as loved as you.

[Unvanguard]

1. What's the end game for this?

All Netanyahu has to do is wait Obama out. I hope the Administration has some ideas for making progress in the mean time.

[karynnj]

4. progress on what?

If you mean a 2 state solution, why waste our time. Tell him to call us when HE wants to have negotiations and bring his proposed borders.

Seriously, the US is in the BEST of times simply a moderator here. Obama had two good faith attempts by strong diplomats - George Mitchell and John Kerry. It was not for lack of effort or creativity on our side.

All Netanyahu did was continue to build settlements.

[Unvanguard]

5. Giving up seems like giving Netanyahu what he wants.

He gets all the benefits of US support without any of the pressure to make peace.

[geek tragedy]

7. He is losing the benefit of US diplomatic support. nt

[Unvanguard]

8. What does that mean in concrete terms?

Doesn't seem like the US is going to cut off aid, or go along with Abbas's push for unilateral recognition.

[Fred Sanders]

10. International economic and military sanctions.....like on Iran. Pressure to do the right thing.

[Unvanguard]

11. Not a chance. Definitely not with US participation. n/t

[leveymg]

18. HRC is right with Bibi on rejecting the 2 State Solution. She even said as much last August>

See, http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026396255

[geek tragedy]

26. The US will stop going to bat for Israel with Europe etc. nt

[karynnj]

13. The pressure will come from the rest of the world, that we might join

in a resolution in favor of a Palestinian state. We can and should internationally stand with those against the lack of a Palestinian state.

The US has repeatedly said that we are willing to help in a peace process, but what would you have the US do. Netanyahu has to PROVE Obama is wrong when he says that he does not believe Netanyahu wants a 2 state solution. How does he do that?- to me the obvious thing is that he proposes a plan. The ball is really in his court.

[Unvanguard]

14. I think the US should cut off aid and recognize Palestine.

Or at least threaten it to get Netanyahu to meaningfully participate in negotiations. My frustration is that the Obama Administration seems very unlikely to do either of those things. So they are in a bind; they have very little leverage here.

[Fred Sanders]

17. This post is contradicting your earlier post.

[Unvanguard]

20. ? Not sure how. n/t

[Fred Sanders]

22. America will not join in UN sanctioned international sanctions...but should do it alone?

[Unvanguard]

24. The US should cut off aid. Sanctions are a separate issue.

I'm not saying trade ties should be cut. Even Europe is pretty far from that point anyway.

[kelliekat44]

30. Well, talk to the evangelical RW zealots.

And never forget, especially students of the Bible...Israel was as nations born of deceit, deception, and lies...(from Abraham on) and shaped in iniquity up to today. Bibi is a perfect example of such deceit and duplicity. Why should we trust anything that he says or does. He helped sway the US into the Iraqi invasion and occupation with lies and deceit on "yellow cake." And I will never forget how our own Congress would rather suck up to this charlatan rather than support our own President's efforts and those of our real allies to shape a peace nuke deal with Iran. Shame on them!

[mountain grammy]

31. Yes, shame on all of them..

[Iliyah]

33. Israel is important to Christian RWers because of the "End of Times" scenario.

Ya think these so called Christians care about Israel or the Jewish people. Nope. I'm pretty sure they are telling BiBi and the other far right Jewish conservative some BS, including, Adelson who probably believes these RW Christians love and respect them but in my eyes they are using them. Come judgment day, these far right so called "Christians" will only care about their f-up version of Christians (cha ching) and screw everybody else.

[StoneCarver]

34. King David and Israel... ...the story appears to be BS.

We are defending a mythical story at our own peril.

"The tour guide is a former archaeology student of hers. She's heard how he brings tourists to this spot and informs them that this is NOT the palace of David and that all the archaeological work at the City of David is a way for right-wing Israelis to expand the country's territorial claims and displace Palestinians."
snip...
"That narrative is familiar to any student of the Bible. A young shepherd named David from the tribe of Judah slays the giant Goliath from the enemy tribe of the Philistines, is elevated to king of Judah following the death of Saul at the close of the 11th century B.C., conquers Jerusalem, unites the people of Judah with the disparate Israelite tribes to the north, and thereupon amasses a royal dynasty that continues with Solomon well into the tenth century B.C. But while the Bible says David and Solomon built the kingdom of Israel into a powerful and prestigious empire stretching from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River, from Damascus to the Negev, there's a slight problem—namely, that despite decades of searching, archaeologists had found no solid evidence that David or Solomon ever built anything." -They appear to be as mythical as King Arthur!
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/12/david-and-solomon/draper-text

I realize this upsets people but these are facts, and we must deal with them as such.
Stonecarver

[Unvanguard]

35. What exactly do you mean by

"Israel was as nations born of deceit, deception, and lies...(from Abraham on) and shaped in iniquity up to today."?

[kelliekat44]

38. Read Genesis nt

[Unvanguard]

39. Genesis (which is not grounded in historical fact) ends with the Israelites in Egypt

And there's a pretty large gap in time between that and Netanyahu.

[Thinkingabout]

2. Who knows what Netanyahu wants or thinks. Hecwould be classified as a flip flopper in tbe US.

If he could be in charge he would like to be the leader even if it is Iran.

[Scootaloo]

3. A sad statement of our sycophantry that THIS pablum is considered "blasting."

[Fred Sanders]

12. True. Headline editors have to go with what draws the clicks...Obama is always calm, we know that.

When Obama does "blast" anyone for real they will call it "a very angry....black man"...what the media wants is general purpose, childish, boring, everyday poutrage and outrage....excellent fodder to feed the black hat/white hat thinkers.

Obama is not giving them what they want....an excellent general strategy, easily remembered and deployed, is not to give opponents what they want.

[Scootaloo]

15. That was a little more than calm, it was pandering and ass-kissing

Sorry mr. president, but Benyamin Netanyahu is not an aberration of Israeli politics and culture, he is a textbook example of it.

[Unvanguard]

19. Sounds like your problem is less with the use of the word "blast"

and more with the fact that Obama's objection is to Netanyahu rather than Israel as such.

[Fred Sanders]

21. Netanyahu "speaks for all Jews", as he himself says, remember? Make Bibi wear his own clothes.

[Unvanguard]

23. Netanyahu speaks for himself and for the people who support him. n/t

[Fred Sanders]

25. Bibi just won an election...like Obama...both speak for the entire nation on foreign affairs.

It is just the way it is and always was.

[Scootaloo]

27. Not quite, but kind of in the ballpark.

This statement:

“We indicated that that kind of rhetoric was contrary to what is the best of Israel’s traditions,” Obama told the Huffington Post. “That although Israel was founded based on the historic Jewish homeland and the need to have a Jewish homeland, Israeli democracy has been premised on everybody in the country being treated equally and fairly. And I think that that is what’s best about Israeli democracy. If that is lost, then I think that not only does it give ammunition to folks who don’t believe in a Jewish state, but it also I think starts to erode the name of democracy in the country.”

Implies that if only it weren't for Netanyahu, things in Israel would be right as rain. The problem is, that's simply not true at all. I don't know if the president is buying or selling mythology here, but either way, it's mythology. Obama is saying some things that sound nice, and don't ruffle feathers, but that are ultimately just not true.

[Unvanguard]

28. I think it's the same dynamic you have in this country.

There is the ideal, of equal justice under law, and there is the reality, of systematic structural inequality. Both are real and both are "traditional." So, sure, you're right in a sense, Obama is appealing to an ideal that has never been realized (and, indeed, has been violated pretty grossly), but I don't think it's inappropriate to appeal to an ideal to resist a right-wing politician's project of moving Israel's reality even further away from that ideal.

[Scootaloo]

29. However, one can go after Netanyahu without selling the BS of everything being hunky-dory otherwise

I'm not saying the president should "go after" Israel as a whole. It might be refreshing to me to see an american president give the situation the bluntness it deserves, but it's not something I ever expect to see. One does not have to sell the idea of Israel being some grand democracy in order to also make clear the problem of one of its current leaders' statements.

Especially if you're going to end up inadvertently contradicting yourself while doing so.

[geek tragedy]

6. Obama to AIPAC: drop dead. nt

[BillZBubb]

36. It would be wonderful if he and the Democratic party en masse said that.

But neither will happen.

[mahannah]

9. Now do it here.

[DonCoquixote]

16. this is the sort of thign Obama could only say in the second term

and rest assured,whoever runs in 2016 will promise to undo this and kiss bibi's butt.

[Jefferson23]

32. Interesting. Obama is not letting Bibi walk it back.

“We take him at his word when he said that it wouldn’t happen during his prime ministership, and so that’s why we’ve got to evaluate what other options are available to make sure that we don’t see a chaotic situation in the region,” Obama said.

Bibi fomenting fear of Israeli Arabs, and the administration has hinted that it could start working through multilateral organizations like the United Nations or the International Criminal Court (ICC). It is reportedly considering introducing or backing a U.N. resolution that establishes the parameters and definitions for a two-state solution, a move that will be mightily opposed by the Israeli government and Republicans in Congress.

Considering the history, this is the most public confrontational call out I have ever seen on this conflict.
for Obama.

[BillZBubb]

37. I'm pretty happy about it.

This was a necessary FIRST step. Let's see what the follow up will be.

The Democrats need to rethink the propaganda based, kneejerk assumption that Israel is in any way our ally. Israel is a separate country with its own agenda and that agenda in many ways is harmful to the US.

[Cha]

42. I know, huh, Jefferson? That's the heart of the matter right there. Obama's not

playin.

I join you.. for the O Admin

[Jefferson23]

44. No, he is not playing. I don't know what happens next, but I do believe there will be a deal

with Iran and avoiding war essential to Obama. I have always believed during the
primaries that he was the one who would not ever bomb nor invade Iran..and I
still believe that. He tried it the status quo way and learned sanctions did not work,
Iran adjusted..not to suggest they don't want them lifted, they certainly do. But they
are not stupid, they learned the hard way of our decades old policies when we
interfered in their government. Obama has been going out on a political limb and the
interference has been great against him..that disgusts me as there is no credible evidence to
indicate Iran is a country of suicidal maniacs. The idea of another war is unacceptable
to Obama.

How this translates to the Palestinians and Bibi for a viable state, I don't know, but I have never
seen anything like it on this conflict..so we'll see. No question that the Republicans
and Netanyahu brought this rift on themselves and it looks like they expected
to screw around with this president and he was going to take it.

I noticed the Sunday morning news shows were pinch hitting for Bibi. It was
almost comical..one guy on CBS news said, hey..Bibi took it back! So come on,
let him! lol I think they're worried, they know they screwed up and they are
dealing with Obama who does not have to be re-elected for anything and I
don't see that he will let them write his legacy for him.

More power to him and I hope more Americans voice their support for
Obama right now by contacting their reps and the White House on
this issue.

Always good to converse with you..stay well.

[Cha]

45. I bet they were "pinch hitting on the Sunday shows for Bibi".. the President is on his

own with Democratic Party that does not want war on Iran. US corpmedia would rather pump voices like tom cotton and mccain like they did leading up to the war on Iraq than have any voices of reason and peace be heard from their airwaves(why I cancelled all of that out of my life in Nov 2002).

Thought you'd like to see this, Jefferson.. speaking of them "bringing it on themselves.."

Joe Cirincione @Cirincione
Follow
“Israel has marginalized itself,” on #IranTalks says French official, calling Likud position “unrealistic.” http://www.timesofisrael.com/french-envoy-israels-stance-on-iran-unrealistic/ …
12:10 PM - 22 Mar 2015

Israeli officials in France for last-ditch bid to sway Iran talks

Paris has been more hawkish than US ahead of nuclear deadline, but senior French source says Israel’s stances ‘unrealistic’
The Times of Israel @TimesofIsrael
39 Retweets 23 favorites

You stay well, too.

[Jefferson23]

46. Since 2002? I can understand that, there is not much they report on that is worthwhile nor reliable.

There was no counter point, unless you believe a Politico rep saying well, maybe what
Obama will do is, hey..let up on Iran and I'll let up on your no state two state solution
statements is considered sound analysis.

I believe we are seeing a push back on neocon foreign policy like never before, which
is outstanding. imho.

Thank you for the message from France, Obama is reportedly not too happy
they're voicing their concerns in a public way about Iran, but I imagine the
WH is pleased about the part where France is labeling Bibi with unrealistic goals. I think France
is being kind, as the demands are unrealistic by design..they want no deal, just more
punitive measures that will lead to conflict.

You may find these two OP's from Peter Beinart of interest...one from March 2014
and one since the recent election..they encapsulate the issues quite well, I feel.
The first one is before the rift the Republicans and Bibi initiated, so we'll see
what transpires next, or I should say what may possibly transpire as a result of
their outrageous conduct.

Tthis may be the time when the Palestinians have an opportunity
to rally for themselves..the climate has shifted..quite extraordinary.

Why John Kerry’s peace mission should worry liberal Zionists
There’s mounting evidence that Kerry is pushing a framework that gives Palestinians less
than they were offered by Bill Clinton and Ehud Olmert.

By Peter Beinart | Mar. 12, 2014

As John Kerry’s bid to broker Israeli-Palestinian peace approaches its moment of truth, you can sense the desperation among liberal Zionists. “Kerry’s mission is the last train to a negotiated two-state solution,” declared Thomas Friedman in January.

“This is a watershed moment after which Israel will face a completely different situation - one which will be governed by new realities much less favorable than those Israel faces today,” argued the philanthropist S. Daniel Abraham that same month. Kerry himself has said that, “If we do not succeed now, we may not get another chance.”

I get it. You have to be blind not to see that liberal Zionists—those of us who believe in the legitimacy of a state dedicated to Jewish self-protection and the illegitimacy of Israel’s unjust, undemocratic control of the West Bank—are losing ground to one-staters at both ends. Kerry’s failure, which might spell the end of the American-led peace process itself, could turn that retreat into a rout.

But there’s a problem with being desperate for a deal: You lose your leverage over its content. Kerry and the rest of the Obama foreign policy team know that if they present a framework that Benjamin Netanyahu dislikes, he and the right-leaning American Jewish establishment will make their lives miserable. If, on the other hand, they present a framework that tilts against the Palestinians, the resulting Palestinian outrage will be far easier to withstand. That’s partly because Palestinians wield little influence in Washington. And it’s partly because we liberal Zionists—desperate to see Kerry succeed—have given every indication that we’ll support whatever he serves up, the particulars be damned.
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.579441

When Bibi Won, AIPAC Lost
Israel is set to become even more polarizing in American politics.

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/03/when-bibi-won-aipac-lost/388203/


In solidarity, for a just peace.

[Cha]

47. Mahalo for the articles, Jefferson.. we'll see what actually happens. Like you said..

"In solidarity, for a just peace."

[Reter]

40. What sucks is the next President will go right back to kissing Yahoo and Israel's ass

It might be Hillary. It might be Bush. It may even be Cristy or Walker. But all are Benji boot-lickers. Obama deserves praise for standing strong.

[Pauldg47]

41. That would be Hillary......

[Cha]

43. “Israel has marginalized itself,” on #IranTalks says French official, calling Likud position

“unrealistic.”

Joe Cirincione @Cirincione
Follow
“Israel has marginalized itself,” on #IranTalks says French official, calling Likud position “unrealistic.” http://www.timesofisrael.com/french-envoy-israels-stance-on-iran-unrealistic/ …
12:10 PM - 22 Mar 2015

Israeli officials in France for last-ditch bid to sway Iran talks

Paris has been more hawkish than US ahead of nuclear deadline, but senior French source says Israel’s stances ‘unrealistic’
The Times of Israel @TimesofIsrael

39 Retweets 23 favorites