Strong Arm Israel

Yesterday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced direct talks would start in early September between the Palestinians and Israel. The European Union, the United Nations, Russia, Egypt, and Jordan will participate along, of course, with the United States. In the past, Jews have not exactly had a happy history with these non-US parties. They can not be counted on to serve as honest brokers and are certainly not in Israel's corner in the forthcoming negotiations. Heretofore, America typically had Israel's back in any such international forum at least where the Jewish state's survival was in the balance, but can the Obama administration, which has already reflected unprecedented hostility to Israel, be counted upon to do everything possible to assure that the Jewish state's very existence is not placed at stake? Perhaps, Obama is playing a realpolitik game whereby he sees throwing Israel to the wolves as the only means to appease the Arab states and Muslims worldwide. In any event, Israel should not count on Obama the way the Jewish state could implicitly trust George W. Bush and his administration not to compromise Israel's security. Obama might not see the strategic danger of Israel returning to pre-1967 War suicide borders that rob defensible depth, nor may Obama see the re-division of Jerusalem as a reward for terror, but ultimately the decision rests with Israel's leadership to commit national suicide or not. I am convinced the world intends to make Israel the stumbling block and villain at the September conference and I am less than sanguine that Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu will withstand the overwhelming pressure.