Disastorour foreign policy on all fronts from Richard baehr

The Obama foreign policy disaster plays out on all fronts. The Administration came to office pressuring Israel for a complete settlement freeze, including natural growth,and including Jerusalem. To use one of the Obama team's favorite words, these were unprecedented demands. Israelis across the political spectrum rejected the demands. The US asked the Palestinians and our Arab allies to make a few face saving gestures towards Israel so that the Administration would appear to be balanced- making demands on both sides. The Palestinians and the Arabs gave nothing. But the Administration continued to pressure Israel. In response, Netanayahu got his Cabinet to approve a ten month freeze on new construction in the West Bank, but not including Jerusalem. No other Israeli government had ever made such a concession. Knowing Obama's original demands for a total freeze, Bibi's concessions were naturally unacceptable to the PA and the Arab states. If Obama demands X, why should the Arabs accept less than X? Of course, the Obama team never conducted any of this diplomatic pressuring, diplomatically, in other words, quietly. Instead a collection of Administration figures, from Clinton to Emanuel. made public demands on Israel. After Bibi's concessions, the Administration made a few statements, in essence, confirming prior policy on what a settlement between Israel and the Palestinians would entail (territorial exchanges). The PA's new policy is that without a complete settlement freeze, they will not resume talks. Of course, the whole idea that final status talks could occur, when the PA does not even control Gaza, is ridiculous. The PA has instead embarked on a new policy- legal war- through pushing the Goldstone Report, and getting its collaborationist partners in Europe ,led by Sweden, to enshrine a Palestinian state in the pre 67 borders, with Jerusalem as it capitol. The lesson for Israel of course is that no good deed gets rewarded. Rather concessions and the appearance of weakness , inspire further assaults. Bibi made a conscious decision to try to salvage the US Israel relationship, which has been badly damaged by the Obama team's incompetence and hostility. Turning over strategic policy to political hacks like Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod, is no way to run a foreign policy. But Obama knows nothing but politics. . And when it comes to Israel , his politics have never been friendly , despite all the liberal Jews who covered for him during the campaign. The President believes the US has been too friendly to Israel, and needs to be more even handed, more like Europe. And Europeans and Arab have seen in this new American attitude, an opening to step us their pressure on Israel even more. All in all, a disaster has occurred, and Israel's international standing is at a new low.
The EU's new gambit: http://tinyurl.com/yjg3d9v
Europe's blind spot: http://tinyurl.com/ykamg4j
Barry Rubin on The Obama team's huge mistakes: http://tinyurl.com/yhb2zwb
Caroline Glick on Bibi's bad week: http://tinyurl.com/yfp4bqa
The United Nations passed the partition resolution in 1947 which within six months led to the creation of the state of Israel. Now the UN meets to mourn that decision and celebrate Palestinian suffering. http://tinyurl.com/yjoyz5o
Daniel Greenfield, AKA Sultan Knish, on the dead end search for peace: http://tinyurl.com/yaowdue
Alan Dershowitz challenges the Goldstone Report. 20% of Democrats in the US House abstained, or voted against directing the Administration to vigorously challenge the report's conclusions and any actions against Israel based on the report . http://tinyurl.com/yhzbclc

3. On Iran, the story is the same. China and Russia will not go along with new sanctions. Iran sticks its finger in Obama' eye and announces it will start ten new enrichment sites and withdraw from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. But Barack Obama has not given up on engaging.
Nyet from Russia and China: http://tinyurl.com/yb94lqk
Is Ahmadinejad a loon, a religious armageddon seeking zealot, or a calculating politician. Read this and then decide: http://tinyurl.com/yckwt4q