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FinalCall.com News
World News
Netanyahu reckons with ‘Obama message'
By Jerrold Kessel and Pierre Klochendler
Updated Jun 29, 2009 - 10:13:02 AM
JERUSALEM (IPS/GIN) - Right-wing Israeli influences and the force and diffusion of Barack Obama's policies are making it harder for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ignore the Obama message, though he has not converted—yet.
Mr. Netanyahu's response to President Obama's landmark Cairo University address was minimalist, and he remains reluctant to meet Mr. Obama's demand for a total freeze on Israeli settlements.
It's a mighty challenge for Mr. Netanyahu to counter, especially since he roots his political strategy in an exclusivist vision of what suits only a small percentage of Israelis, the 300,000 settlers in the West Bank, and in a policy that insists on Israel being allowed to build more homes in Palestinian territory.
The depth of Mr. Netanyahu's distress is in direct proportion to the breadth of Mr. Obama's vision for the Middle East, and its spillover into global relations between the U.S. and the Muslim world. But the lack of inspiration shown thus far by the Israeli leader and his ministers can hardly conceal their understanding that the Obama challenge won't be easily shrugged off.
Mr. Netanyahu announced at his June 7 weekly cabinet meeting that he will give what he defined as “a major policy speech” at Bar Ilan University, a Jewish religious university in Tel Aviv, when he would map out Israel's “principles for achieving peace and security.”
What Mr. Netanyahu has to say will have to take into account a major development beyond Israel's borders—the victory in Lebanese parliamentary elections of the pro-western alliance over the pro-Iranian, pro-Syrian, Hezbollah-led coalition.
“After many years of radical forces gaining ground in the Arab world, perhaps this represents a total turnabout and the resurgence of the pragmatic elements,” Tzahi Hanegbi told IPS. Mr. Hanegbi is a leading figure in the center-right Kadima opposition party, but is known to be a close confidant of Mr. Netanyahu.
An Israeli government source added, “We understand that what happened in Lebanon is a clear indication that the Obama effect has already begun to influence domestic national politics all over the region.”
Mr. Netanyahu is also under pressure from his defense minister Ehud Barak to take a conciliatory stance on the two-state solution, and to reiterate his commitment to the principles of the road map, the U.S.-backed 2003 plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace.
Mr. Barak has told Mr. Netanyahu that in recent meetings in Washington, U.S. officials gave him “the distinct impression” that if Mr. Netanyahu removes his opposition to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, that would make it easier for Israel and the U.S. to reach an agreement over the bitter dispute on settlements.
Mr. Barak has also instructed security officials to reassess the tight Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip. This comes after President Obama, in his Cairo address, criticized the “continuing humanitarian crisis” in Gaza and the devastating effect of the Israeli blockade on Palestinian families which, the president stressed, does not serve Israel's security interests.
On the other hand, Mr. Netanyahu is subject to counter pressure from hardliners within his coalition. They are urging him not just to stand pat on Israel's “right” to go on with more settlement building, but to allocate additional funding to the settlers to ensure Israel consolidates its hold on the area.
Related links:
Obama Reaches Out to Muslims Worldwide (June 22, 2009)
President Obama Lost a Battle to Israel Lobby (FCN, April 18, 2009)
Pro-Israel lobby dictates U.S. policy, study charges (FCN, 04-05-2006)
