NOVANEWS
In Monday’s State Department press briefing, spokesperson Jen Psaki, dismissed hopes of US efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Psaki emphasized the administration’s disapproval and frustration with Israel’s counterproductive action to begin construction of more Jewish settlements in east Jerusalem.
“It would be unfortunate at this sensitive time that, after the unequivocal and unanimous position last week of the United States and others in the international community opposing construction in east Jerusalem… Israeli authorities would actively seek to move these plans forward,”
Psaki’s comments are just the latest sign that the Obama administration appears to be disengaging with Israel. After a long time coming, deteriorating US-Israeli relations have reached an all-time low. The root cause of the increased tension can be attributed to the long-time, snobbish Israeli attitude towards US relations. Late Israeli politician and popular military leader, Moshe Dayan, famously stated,
“Our American friends offer us money, arms, and advice. We take the money, we take the arms, and we decline the advice.”
Simply put, to the Obama administration, the cost-benefit trade-off with Israel isn’t worth it. Contrary to popular belief, the US has many allies and options in the Middle East, many of which could replace Israel’s role, and save American taxpayers over $30 billion dollars in the next decade.
Americans are fed up with Israel’s unwillingness to make concessions to reach a lasting peace with the Palestinians. Israel’s destructive actions, contrary to American appeals to stop illegal settlement construction, are the primary reason for the failed peace talks. Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has inflicted irreversible damage to American moral credibility on the world stage. Controversy sparked up last Wednesday, after an Obama administration official told journalist Jeffery Goldberg, that Netanyahu is essentially worthless to the United States if he won’t make peace with the Palestinians. The anonymous official went on to call Netanyahu’s bluff, calling him “chickenshit,” and adding that he doesn’t have the “nerve” of Begin, Rabin, or Sharon.
A photo of President Obama him poking his finger in Netanyahu’s chest captured the atmosphere.
The White House has stated for years that the instability in the region is not caused by Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but by Israeli settlements. Most recently, John Kerry stated that it’s the lack of progress between Jerusalem and Ramallah that destabilizes the region. Kerry even went on to say that the “stalled” Arab-Israeli peace process is what gave rise to the Islamic State.
From a strategic perspective for the United States, Israel is the source of regional instability, which was likely the motive for renewed US-Iran relations. Antagonistic to Israel, Iran plays a key role in stabilizing the Middle East. Of even more benefit to the US, Iran’s Quds Force commander, Qassem Suleimani, is in charge of the anti-ISIS military tactics in four Arab capitals. US-Iran shared interests to stop ISIS, and restore regional stability make for a strategically indispensable alliance. Weighing out the cost-benefit trade-off, leads to a simple decision, ditch Israel and stabilize the region with Iran. What has Israel done for the US lately? Nothing would be a generous answer.
