| Obama's Address about Israeli Palestine Conflict; Wants return to 1967 Israeli Border | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: May 18 2011, 08:35 PM (4,422 Views) | |
| jewelcove | May 19 2011, 01:04 PM Post #16 |
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http://gatewaypundit.rightnetwork.com/2011/05/jewish-donors-warned-obama-about-his-support-for-israel-this-morning-now-he-just-gave-away-the-temple-mount/
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| jewelcove | May 19 2011, 01:07 PM Post #17 |
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From Obama's 5/19/2011 Middle East speech:
What happens to Jerusalem, especially the Temple Mount? Edited by jewelcove, May 19 2011, 01:10 PM.
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| kbp | May 19 2011, 01:17 PM Post #18 |
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Obama Speech to Test Extent of U.S. Influence in a Fast-Changing Mideast By Nicole Gaouette and Julianna Goldman - May 19, 2011 When President Barack Obama outlines his vision of U.S. policy in the Middle East today, his challenge will be to get people in the region to care. The excitement generated by Obama’s call two years ago for a “new beginning” in U.S.-Arab relations evaporated as people waited for changes that haven’t come, said Robert Danin of the Council on Foreign Relations and others who study the region. As protests have swept the Arab world, toppling some leaders and challenging others, U.S. influence has been diminished by a response seen as cautious and inconsistent, Danin and other analysts said. And the U.S. has suffered some public diplomatic setbacks in dealing with Bahrain, Yemen, Syria, and the Israelis and Palestinians. “It’s not clear what the United States says right now matters to the people of the Middle East,” Danin said. “The people of the Arab world are more interested in seeing what the United States does, not what it has to say.” To be sure, the Obama administration had an impact in urging the Egyptian army leadership not to crush protests and ended up playing a leading role in sending NATO to protect Libyan rebels. Still, analysts said, many in the region are skeptical of U.S. pronouncements at a time when they are taking events into their own hands. People in the region will be listening for what specifics Obama offers on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and on his administration’s position on the Arab Spring, said several analysts. Influence ‘Fading’ “U.S. influence was already fading in a lot of places” before the Arab Spring movement erupted, said Marina Ottaway, Middle East program director at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. “The U.S. has had very limited capacity to determine what was going on inside these countries, and very often it has found itself having to follow the lead of these countries.” [If you start an administration by bowing to everyone, how can you expect them tp follow your lead? The "U.S. influence" is then out the window.] Ghaith al-Omari, a former Palestinian negotiator, said “expectations for this speech in the Arab world are so low.” “Arabs are skeptical about this speech,” he said in a telephone interview. “They do not have their hopes up. More importantly, the U.S. has not figured highly in the Arab revolts.” Aid has long been one lever of influence in the region. Obama will announce a series of economic measures intended to help nations in the Middle East and North Africa, such as Egypt and Tunisia, that are going through a transition to democracy, according to administration officials who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity. $1 Billion The aid for Egypt includes $1 billion in loan guarantees through the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and cancellation of $1 billion in debt, about a third of what Egypt owes the U.S. An additional several billion dollars’ worth of financing for Egypt and Tunisia would come from multilateral development banks, the officials said, without providing details. The new proposal is on top of the $2 billion that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in March pledged through OPIC for the region. The officials said Obama will also reiterate his administration’s support for a U.S.-Egypt Enterprise Fund, which, pending approval by Congress, would be created with $60 million to stimulate private-sector investment and provide businesses with access to low-cost capital. Obama said this week after meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House that it is critical that economic reforms accompany political changes. Seize the Opportunity The assistance is one element of Obama’s speech at the State Department, scheduled for 11:40 a.m. local time, in which he will outline how the U.S. can seize the opportunity from the changes that have swept across the Middle East and North Africa over the past five months. The unrest in the region has sent the Bloomberg GCC 200 Index (BGCC200) of Gulf shares down 2.3 percent this year and helped drive the price of oil up 43 percent the past year on concern that it might spread to major oil producers. Crude for June delivery was at $100.35 a barrel, up 25 cents, in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 12:38 p.m. Sydney time. Obama will outline several areas that form a long-term vision for the region’s economy. The initiatives focus on supporting institutions -- such as non-government organizations and universities -- that contribute to economic policy making; providing international support to modernize and promote the stability of local economies and financial institutions; and creating frameworks for regional and global trade opportunities. [The fella managing the US economy is coming to the rescue of the Mideast economy?] U.S. Setbacks The administration has seen [created] that there are limitations on its influence, as well as opportunities. Longtime ally Saudi Arabia recently signaled its intent to pursue foreign policy goals that at times will go against U.S. interests in the region. In a May 15 opinion article in the Washington Post, former Saudi adviser Nawaf Obaid wrote that the oil-rich kingdom is breaking its lockstep with “misguided” U.S. policy in the region, including its “unconscionable refusal to hold Israel accountable for its illegal settlement building.” [Lets not forget the Saudi call to Obama regarding the Egyptian uprisings!] Bahrain’s Sunni Muslim monarchy has ignored Obama administration calls to respect human rights and negotiate with the Shiite-majority protesters. Instead, it has put doctors and activists on trial and has torn down some Shiite mosques. Defying U.S. warnings against unilateral action, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is intent on a United Nations vote in September to recognize a Palestinian state. In a recent opinion article in the New York Times, Abbas highlighted the U.S. failure to stop Israeli settlement- building, even using political pressure and “promises of rewards.” [Linked in the Palestian wiki thread] Saying ‘No’ Yesterday, Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh rebuffed an appeal by John Brennan, Obama’s top counterterrorism adviser, to step down and implement a political transition agreement. And Syrian President Bashar al-Assad continues to ignore U.S. calls to address the demands of protesters. Another lever of U.S. influence, American military power, has proven disappointing so far to Libyan rebels, as Muammar Qaddafi continues to withstand military attacks and defy U.S. demands that he leave office. The success of the U.S. and NATO involvement in Libya will be “evaluated against the regime’s survival or its collapse,” Obama’s former national security adviser, retired Marine Gen. James Jones, said at the National Press Club on May 16. “That may be unfortunate, but it happens to be the reality.” Ottaway said that one factor in the decline of U.S. influence in the region was the invasion of Iraq, which many in Persian Gulf nations saw as benefiting their rival, Iran. “There was a lot of anger at the United States in the Persian Gulf for changing the balance of power, for serving Iraq to Iran on a platter,” she said. [??????] Inconsistency [I call it uncertainty] Another factor has been the administration’s seeming inconsistency, Ottaway said. While the U.S. and allies bombed Libya in order to protect civilians from attacks by government forces, they have not been nearly as assertive about Syria or Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet. “The reality is that even as freedom is more popular, as individual freedoms and rights are more popular, U.S. direct influence may diminish,” said Robin Wright, a senior fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace, a nonpartisan policy center that serves Congress. That could be inevitable in places like Egypt, where Hosni Mubarak, during his three decades as president, got aid and political support from his alliance with the United States. “If you open up political systems, you clearly are going to have more complicated relationships and possibly less sway because you’re dealing with lots of different parties,” Wright said. “You’ve got to accommodate more than just one man.” Marwan Muasher, a former foreign minister of Jordan, said that if Obama’s approach fails to impress, “the U.S. will lose influence in this process.” “This is a new Arab world, and you cannot address new realities by applying old policies,” he said in a May 17 telephone interview. “People are not looking for a lesson on democracy; people are looking for action.” |
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| kbp | May 19 2011, 01:19 PM Post #19 |
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Obama could be lighting a powder keg for the election, in many ways. I'm not seeing much possibility of his approach helping him at the polls. |
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| kbp | May 19 2011, 01:24 PM Post #20 |
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| Mason | May 19 2011, 01:47 PM Post #21 |
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Parts unknown
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. At this point, I would think Obama would be exposed on this front. Token gestures before election aren't going to change what Obama is championing in the Middle East. |
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| LTC8K6 | May 19 2011, 02:00 PM Post #22 |
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Assistant to The Devil Himself
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Look for boldness on the part of those attacking Israel... They have been given the go-ahead... Edited by LTC8K6, May 19 2011, 02:00 PM.
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| Baldo | May 19 2011, 02:10 PM Post #23 |
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This speech comes at a time when the United Nations General Assembly will be voting on a proposed resolution to admit Palestine as a country in the General Assembly come September. The resolution will give Palestine membership at their 1967 borders. So that is his plan for peace? Take this Israel or we will ostracize you in the world community. Hamas is on the verge of controlling the West Bank if elections were held. Excerpts from THE COVENANT OF THE HAMAS 'Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.' (Preamble) 'The Islamic Resistance Movement is a distinguished Palestinian movement, whose allegiance is to Allah, and whose way of life is Islam. It strives to raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine.' (Article 6) http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/docs/880818a.htm (Note! To Hamas, Palestine means all of the West Bank, Gaza, Jerusalem, and Israel) My interpretation of the Plan for Peace or better known as Obama's Hopey/Changey Peace Plan "Right this way. First you will be taking a nice clean shower to rid yourself of the disease and vermin you have collected on your long journey. Then we can get down to the process of peaceful co-existence each behind their borders. You can trust the religion of Peace" NEVER AGAIN! Edited by Baldo, May 19 2011, 04:01 PM.
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| LTC8K6 | May 19 2011, 02:51 PM Post #24 |
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Assistant to The Devil Himself
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Let's go back to 1967 when Israel held the sinai, the west bank, the golan heights, and the gaza strip... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Six_Day_War_Terrritories_2.png Edited by LTC8K6, May 19 2011, 02:52 PM.
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| Mason | May 19 2011, 03:05 PM Post #25 |
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Parts unknown
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. But, in all probability Jewish-Americans will overwhelmingly support Obama and help fund him too. I think some are asking for Obama to make a gesture to keep the odd defector from bolting. I think that's the truth of it. . |
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| Concerned | May 19 2011, 03:17 PM Post #26 |
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Right wing MKs: Obama is the new Arafat http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=221383 Knesset members on the Right expressed outrage on Thursday night at US President Barack Obama's call for the creation of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps in an exchange of territory for security. They called upon Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to reject Obama's plan when he meets with him on Friday in Washington. Barack Hussein Obama adopted the staged plan for Israel's destruction of Yasser Arafat, and he is trying to force it on our prime minister," said Likud MK Danny Danon. "All that was new in the speech was that he called for Israel to return to 1967 borders without solving the crisis. Netanyahu has only one option: To tell Obama forget about it." National Union MK Michael Ben-Ari also slammed Obama's speech, calling it "a landmine with pretty wrapping." Environment Minister Gilad Erdan, who as a minister close to Netanyahu must be more diplomatic, complained on Channel 2 that according to Obama's approach, the Palestinians would receive their demands on borders before negotiations begin. "Once they have everything from the start, they have no reason to make any concessions,"Erdan said. But opposition leader Tzipi Livni said Obama's plan was clearly in Israel's interests, while the diplomatic stalemate that she believes was brought on by Netanyahu is not. -snip |
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| kbp | May 19 2011, 03:44 PM Post #27 |
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Trying to find a positive view here, I guess it's good the Romans aren't a part of the new negotiations. |
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| Baldo | May 19 2011, 05:31 PM Post #28 |
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I am thoroughly disgusted by Obama's speech of today. Israeli PM Netanyahu is to speak before our Congress and this was a hastily draws speech to counter it. This was to undermine him. All I can say is Go Bibi! Let it rip! BTW we need to boot Obama out of office in 2012. He is causing real damage. Edited by Baldo, May 19 2011, 05:41 PM.
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| retiredLEO | May 19 2011, 05:44 PM Post #29 |
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His actions today is a stimulas package for the Muslim Brotherhood, the destruction of Isreal, let them fend for themselves. He gave the green light for all who want to wipe Isreal off the map. The more I hear him speak, the more I believe, deep down in his heart, he is a Muslim. The man seems to be determined to start WWIII and when Isreal is attacked, that may happen. |
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| Baldo | May 19 2011, 06:09 PM Post #30 |
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Israel Expects Obama to Take Back ‘1967 Lines’ Demand Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was quick on the draw Thursday in voicing clear displeasure with President Barack Obama’s mideast policy speech. “Israel appreciates President Obama’s commitment to peace,” the response began, curtly. “Israel believes that for peace to endure between Israelis and Palestinians, the viability of a Palestinian state cannot come at the expense of the viability of the one and only Jewish state.” “That is why Prime Minister Netanyahu expects to hear a reaffirmation from President Obama of U.S. commitments made to Israel in 2004, which were overwhelmingly supported by both Houses of Congress.” “Among other things,” Netanyahu reminded Obama, “those commitments relate to Israel not having to withdraw to the 1967 lines which are both indefensible and which would leave major Israeli population centers in Judea and Samaria beyond those lines.” “Those commitments also ensure Israel’s well-being as a Jewish state by making clear that Palestinian refugees will settle in a future Palestinian state rather than in Israel.” “Without a solution to the Palestinian refugee problem outside the borders of Israel, no territorial concession will bring peace.” “Equally, the Palestinians, and not just the United States, must recognize Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people, and any peace agreement with them must end all claims against Israel.” “Prime Minister Netanyahu will make clear that the defense of Israel requires an Israeli military presence along the Jordan River.” “Prime Minister Netanyahu will also express his disappointment over the Palestinian Authority’s decision to embrace Hamas, a terror organization committed to Israel’s destruction, as well as over Mahmoud Abbas’s recently expressed views which grossly distort history and make clear that Abbas seeks a Palestinian state in order to continue the conflict with Israel rather than end it.” http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/144338 |
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Still, analysts said, many in the region are skeptical of U.S. pronouncements at a time when they are taking events into their own hands.
7:50 PM Jul 10