19 mar 2015
Despite PM's attempt to backtrack from Palestinian state opposition, Washington says it is clear Netanyahu walked back from previous commitment to two-state approach.
Despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's attempts to backtrack from hard-line statements against the establishment of a Palestinian state, the White House on Thursday pointedly raised the prospect of withdrawing crucial diplomatic cover for Israel at the United Nations.
Earlier Thursday, Netanyahu denied he had abandoned his commitment to creating a Palestinian state, but said current political conditions made that possibility more remote.
"I don't want a one-state solution. I want a sustainable, peaceful two-state solution. But for that, circumstances have to change," Netanyahu said in an interview on MSNBC, appearing to back away from comments he made during the Israeli election campaign that drew heavy US criticism.
"Steps that the United States has taken at the United Nations had been predicated on this idea that the two-state solution is the best outcome, said spokesman Josh Earnest.
"Now our ally in these talks has said that they are no longer committed to that solution. That means we need to reevaluate our position in this matter, and that is what we will do moving forward."
White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters it is clear that Netanyahu during his campaign walked back from his previous commitment to a two-state solution with Palestinians.
Earnest said, however, that the US remains committed to continuing cooperation on military intelligence and security with Israel.
In the interview, Netanyahu said: "I haven't changed my policy. I never retracted my speech in Bar-Ilan University six years ago calling for a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state."
The prime minister also pointed to the presence of hostile Islamic groups across the region and said that any captured territory handed over to Abbas would be taken over by militants. Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, shortly after Israeli withdrew.
A day before the election Netanyahu told the nrg news website that a Palestinian state would not be established on his watch because of the current climate in the region.
"Whoever ignores that is burying his head in the sand. The left is doing that, burying its head in the sand time after time," he said in the video interview. When asked if that means a Palestinian state will not be established if he is elected, Netanyahu replied, "Indeed."
In another signal that the US administration is looking to turn up the heat on Netanyahu, the White House is sending Obama's chief of staff, Denis McDonough, to address the liberal pro-Israel U.S.-based group J Street on Monday. The group, a proponent of two states side by side, opposed Netanyahu in the election campaign.
"US-Israel ties remain strong"
The prime minister made attempts to affirm his country's strong ties with the United States on Thursday after tensions in the run-up to his election victory, saying Israel has "no greater ally."
"There are so many areas where we must work together with the United States," Netanyahu said in an interview with NBC. "America has no greater ally than Israel and Israel has no greater ally than the United States."
Netanyahu won a bitterly contested Israeli election this week after shifting to the right in the final days of campaigning. "We can have differences, but we have so many things that unite us. We have a situation in the Middle East that is very dangerous, that presents a common challenge," Netanyahu told the network.
In the NBC interview, Netanyahu dismissed allegations he was racist, after he said during Election Day that the high Arab voter turnout was endangering his right wing party's dominance. "I'm not," he said. Netanyahu said he had not yet spoken to US President Barack Obama, but he was sure they would speak soon, according to NBC.
Secretary of State John Kerry called Netanyahu on Wednesday to congratulate him. Obama will follow suit "in coming days," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. He said that after previous elections Obama had waited a similar amount of time, holding off until Netanyahu was formally given the go-ahead to form a coalition.
Netanyahu’s insistence that there will be no Palestinian state while he holds office, seen as a maneuver to mobilize his right-wing base, angered the Palestinians and drew criticism from the United Nations and European governments. Chances for restarting long-stalled peace moves already had been low.
US lawmakers were divided on Netanyahu's hardened stance.
"It was remarkable to back-track so significantly on a two-state solution," said Democratic US Senator Chris Murphy, adding it could make Washington's effort to mediate more difficult.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said he hoped the United States and Israel would see the election as "an opportunity to start over." But he said: "A two-state solution is impossible as long as Hamas exists and runs Gaza."
Despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's attempts to backtrack from hard-line statements against the establishment of a Palestinian state, the White House on Thursday pointedly raised the prospect of withdrawing crucial diplomatic cover for Israel at the United Nations.
Earlier Thursday, Netanyahu denied he had abandoned his commitment to creating a Palestinian state, but said current political conditions made that possibility more remote.
"I don't want a one-state solution. I want a sustainable, peaceful two-state solution. But for that, circumstances have to change," Netanyahu said in an interview on MSNBC, appearing to back away from comments he made during the Israeli election campaign that drew heavy US criticism.
"Steps that the United States has taken at the United Nations had been predicated on this idea that the two-state solution is the best outcome, said spokesman Josh Earnest.
"Now our ally in these talks has said that they are no longer committed to that solution. That means we need to reevaluate our position in this matter, and that is what we will do moving forward."
White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters it is clear that Netanyahu during his campaign walked back from his previous commitment to a two-state solution with Palestinians.
Earnest said, however, that the US remains committed to continuing cooperation on military intelligence and security with Israel.
In the interview, Netanyahu said: "I haven't changed my policy. I never retracted my speech in Bar-Ilan University six years ago calling for a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state."
The prime minister also pointed to the presence of hostile Islamic groups across the region and said that any captured territory handed over to Abbas would be taken over by militants. Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, shortly after Israeli withdrew.
A day before the election Netanyahu told the nrg news website that a Palestinian state would not be established on his watch because of the current climate in the region.
"Whoever ignores that is burying his head in the sand. The left is doing that, burying its head in the sand time after time," he said in the video interview. When asked if that means a Palestinian state will not be established if he is elected, Netanyahu replied, "Indeed."
In another signal that the US administration is looking to turn up the heat on Netanyahu, the White House is sending Obama's chief of staff, Denis McDonough, to address the liberal pro-Israel U.S.-based group J Street on Monday. The group, a proponent of two states side by side, opposed Netanyahu in the election campaign.
"US-Israel ties remain strong"
The prime minister made attempts to affirm his country's strong ties with the United States on Thursday after tensions in the run-up to his election victory, saying Israel has "no greater ally."
"There are so many areas where we must work together with the United States," Netanyahu said in an interview with NBC. "America has no greater ally than Israel and Israel has no greater ally than the United States."
Netanyahu won a bitterly contested Israeli election this week after shifting to the right in the final days of campaigning. "We can have differences, but we have so many things that unite us. We have a situation in the Middle East that is very dangerous, that presents a common challenge," Netanyahu told the network.
In the NBC interview, Netanyahu dismissed allegations he was racist, after he said during Election Day that the high Arab voter turnout was endangering his right wing party's dominance. "I'm not," he said. Netanyahu said he had not yet spoken to US President Barack Obama, but he was sure they would speak soon, according to NBC.
Secretary of State John Kerry called Netanyahu on Wednesday to congratulate him. Obama will follow suit "in coming days," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. He said that after previous elections Obama had waited a similar amount of time, holding off until Netanyahu was formally given the go-ahead to form a coalition.
Netanyahu’s insistence that there will be no Palestinian state while he holds office, seen as a maneuver to mobilize his right-wing base, angered the Palestinians and drew criticism from the United Nations and European governments. Chances for restarting long-stalled peace moves already had been low.
US lawmakers were divided on Netanyahu's hardened stance.
"It was remarkable to back-track so significantly on a two-state solution," said Democratic US Senator Chris Murphy, adding it could make Washington's effort to mediate more difficult.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said he hoped the United States and Israel would see the election as "an opportunity to start over." But he said: "A two-state solution is impossible as long as Hamas exists and runs Gaza."
18 mar 2015
The appointment of Robert Malley as White House Coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf Region is not considered a sufficient indicator that there will be any radical change in U.S. strategy despite the campaign launched against the U.S. by the Zionists due to its openness to Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, Syria and Iran.
On 6 March, President Barack Obama's administration appointed Robert Malley, the former senior director of the National Security Council who dealt with the Iraqi, Iranian, and Gulf issues, and a member of the delegation negotiating the Iranian nuclear programme, as the Special White House Coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa and Gulf region. Malley is scheduled to assume his new position on 6 April, succeeding Philip Gordon.
Edward Abington, former U.S. consul general in occupied Jerusalem, described the lawyer specialised in "conflict resolution" as being an "American Jewish" and that his appointment is a "positive development". He was also described by U.S. national security adviser Susan Rice as "one of our country's most respected experts on the Middle East, since February 2014 Rob has played a critical role in forming our policy on Iran, Iraq, Syria and the Gulf."
However, the Zionist Organisation of America (ZOA) opposed the appointment of Malley for several reasons, stating that Malley is an "Israel-basher, advocate of U.S. recognition of major, unreconstructed terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah, and proponent of containment of Iran (i.e., not preventing them from attaining nuclear weapons) and proponent of negotiating with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad (i.e. not changing his regime)."
He also believes that working with the Muslim Brotherhood is "not a bad idea" and called Israel's settlements located in the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 "colonies". He also called for abandoning the Road Map for Peace approved by the international Quartet in 2003 and replacing it with a comprehensive settlement plan to be imposed on the parties with the backing of the international community, including Arab and Muslim states. He did so before the Foreign Relations Committee in the U.S. Senate in 2004. He also continues to urge the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Fatah, Palestinian Authority and Hamas "to unite".
Malley also called for "involving" Hamas in the PLO's negotiations with the occupation, explaining his statement by saying that the PLO must include Hamas because it has become "antiquated, worn out, barely functioning, and is no longer considered the Palestinian people's sole legitimate representative." He also called for the resumption of negotiations between the Arabs and Israel "on all levels on the basis of the Arab peace initiative."
The ZOA did not fail to mention his father, Simon Malley who was born and worked in Egypt as a journalist for Al-Goumhouria newspaper before moving with his family to France and founding Afrique-Asie magazine. The ZOA said that Simon Malley was "a virulently anti-Israel member of the Egyptian Communist Party, a close confidante of Yasser Arafat, and an enthusiast for violent Third World 'liberation' movements." As for his mother, Barbara Malley, she worked with the United Nations delegation of the National Liberation Front (NLF), the Algerian independence group.
Robert Malley was Barack Obama's colleague at Harvard Law School and a Middle East affairs adviser for his 2008 campaign. However, Obama was forced to cast him aside due to the Zionist campaign against both of them after Britain's the Times revealed that Malley had been in contact with Hamas.
In his media interviews Malley explained that the contacts were part of his work with the International Crisis Group, saying: "My job with the International Crisis Group is to meet with all sorts of savoury and unsavoury people and report on what they say. I've never denied whom I meet with; that's what I do."
He added that he used to inform the State Department about his meetings beforehand and briefs them afterward. During the same year, London's Al-Hayat newspaper quoted deputy head of the political bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, and Hamas official Dr Ahmed Yousef as saying: "We were in contact with a number of Obama's aides through the internet, and later met with some of them in Gaza, but they advised us not to come out with any statements, as they may have a negative effect on his election campaign."
Before this, Malley, who was a member of the U.S. negotiating team in the 2000 Arafat-Barak-Clinton summit at Camp David, was the target of an Israeli-Zionist campaign because he held all three leaders responsible for the failure of the summit, and not only the late Palestinian leader, who was repeatedly accused by Bill Clinton, Ehud Barak and their team of negotiators of causing the failure.
Morton A. Klein, president of the Zionist Organisation of America, said: "How exactly does someone, who is dropped as an adviser because he advocates recognition of, and meets with, the genocidally-inclined terrorist organisation Hamas, now became a senior adviser to the president, unless President Obama has all along agreed with much of what Malley thinks and advocates?"
Due to the fact that the appointment of Malley coincided with the crisis in relations between the U.S. and Israel, caused by the recent speech made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the U.S. Congress behind Obama's back and without his approval, analysts have begun to talk about "changes in the U.S. role in the Middle East" in the context of the Israeli media outlets and its Zionist and Jewish arms abroad.
They have also predicted that "there will be no doubt that the U.S. policy will be focused exclusively on pressuring Israel over the course of the last 22 months of Obama's term," as written by Jonathan S. Tobin in America's Commentary magazine on 10 March.
During this time, Obama will be "free of electoral pressure" so the Obama administration's treatment of the Palestinian issue is about to take on a much more aggressive attitude over the next two years. This will allow Obama to "invest the little political credit he has left in 'bringing world peace'," as written by Alex Fishman in the Israeli daily the Yedioth Ahronoth.
In Fishman's view, there are now two courses of work on the White House's agenda. First, it can follow the path of the "European Initiative" which proposes issuing a UN Security Council resolution for a "lasting solution in the Middle East", while the second path involves waiting for the results of the Israeli elections this week, as it is a "renewal of the American peace initiative, which will have behind it a very skilled, determined person, who isn't very fond of the current government: The president's new man in the Middle East," Robert Malley.
It is clear that these courses of action, the appointment of Malley and his record will undoubtedly breathe life into the PLO's negotiating team, especially since President Abbas repeatedly says that going to the UN and international organisations, as well as the latest PLO's Central Council recommendations, do not necessarily mean that negotiations will be abandoned.
These negotiations can also be considered new material used by the American camp in the Arab League to justify its on-going pressure on the PLO to continue to rely on the United States.
The appointment of Malley indicates one conclusion: that the U.S. is heading towards a new initiative to resume negotiations between the PLO and the Israeli occupying power without making any changes to its references. If the PLO interacts and deals with the "European initiative" then it is likely to deal and interact with any new U.S. initiative, according to all indications in this regard.
In this case, the PLO's recent diplomatic actions not related to the negotiations and the United States has merely been "playing on borrowed time" while waiting for the results of the Israeli elections.
However, these actions can still be built upon in order to completely depart from the American vision for the "resolution of the conflict" in the event that Netanyahu is re-elected as prime minister.
On the other hand, Hamas should not be fooled by Robert Malley's positions towards the movement, despite its importance, as it is an attempt to contain the movement and drag it into "negotiations" between the PLO and Israel based on the same references rejected and opposed by Hamas thus far.
As for Malley's performance in Iran, Iraq, Syria and the Gulf, over the past year, which was praised by Susan Rice, it has had catastrophic consequences on the ground that speak for themselves. Malley's openness to Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, Iran and Syria is nothing more than tactical dealings in order to serve the unchanged U.S. strategy with forces that have proved their presence.
Appointing Robert Malley as White House Coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf Region is not a sufficient indicator of any radical change in the U.S. strategy that is on the verge of tearing the Arab world apart, along with its Islamic surroundings, unless it is deterred. This is true despite the Zionist campaign opposing his openness towards Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, Syria and Iran.
Nicola Nasser is a veteran Arab journalist based in Birzeit, West Bank of the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories (../[email protected]).
This article was translated from Arabic and first published by the "Middle East Monitor".
On 6 March, President Barack Obama's administration appointed Robert Malley, the former senior director of the National Security Council who dealt with the Iraqi, Iranian, and Gulf issues, and a member of the delegation negotiating the Iranian nuclear programme, as the Special White House Coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa and Gulf region. Malley is scheduled to assume his new position on 6 April, succeeding Philip Gordon.
Edward Abington, former U.S. consul general in occupied Jerusalem, described the lawyer specialised in "conflict resolution" as being an "American Jewish" and that his appointment is a "positive development". He was also described by U.S. national security adviser Susan Rice as "one of our country's most respected experts on the Middle East, since February 2014 Rob has played a critical role in forming our policy on Iran, Iraq, Syria and the Gulf."
However, the Zionist Organisation of America (ZOA) opposed the appointment of Malley for several reasons, stating that Malley is an "Israel-basher, advocate of U.S. recognition of major, unreconstructed terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah, and proponent of containment of Iran (i.e., not preventing them from attaining nuclear weapons) and proponent of negotiating with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad (i.e. not changing his regime)."
He also believes that working with the Muslim Brotherhood is "not a bad idea" and called Israel's settlements located in the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 "colonies". He also called for abandoning the Road Map for Peace approved by the international Quartet in 2003 and replacing it with a comprehensive settlement plan to be imposed on the parties with the backing of the international community, including Arab and Muslim states. He did so before the Foreign Relations Committee in the U.S. Senate in 2004. He also continues to urge the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Fatah, Palestinian Authority and Hamas "to unite".
Malley also called for "involving" Hamas in the PLO's negotiations with the occupation, explaining his statement by saying that the PLO must include Hamas because it has become "antiquated, worn out, barely functioning, and is no longer considered the Palestinian people's sole legitimate representative." He also called for the resumption of negotiations between the Arabs and Israel "on all levels on the basis of the Arab peace initiative."
The ZOA did not fail to mention his father, Simon Malley who was born and worked in Egypt as a journalist for Al-Goumhouria newspaper before moving with his family to France and founding Afrique-Asie magazine. The ZOA said that Simon Malley was "a virulently anti-Israel member of the Egyptian Communist Party, a close confidante of Yasser Arafat, and an enthusiast for violent Third World 'liberation' movements." As for his mother, Barbara Malley, she worked with the United Nations delegation of the National Liberation Front (NLF), the Algerian independence group.
Robert Malley was Barack Obama's colleague at Harvard Law School and a Middle East affairs adviser for his 2008 campaign. However, Obama was forced to cast him aside due to the Zionist campaign against both of them after Britain's the Times revealed that Malley had been in contact with Hamas.
In his media interviews Malley explained that the contacts were part of his work with the International Crisis Group, saying: "My job with the International Crisis Group is to meet with all sorts of savoury and unsavoury people and report on what they say. I've never denied whom I meet with; that's what I do."
He added that he used to inform the State Department about his meetings beforehand and briefs them afterward. During the same year, London's Al-Hayat newspaper quoted deputy head of the political bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, and Hamas official Dr Ahmed Yousef as saying: "We were in contact with a number of Obama's aides through the internet, and later met with some of them in Gaza, but they advised us not to come out with any statements, as they may have a negative effect on his election campaign."
Before this, Malley, who was a member of the U.S. negotiating team in the 2000 Arafat-Barak-Clinton summit at Camp David, was the target of an Israeli-Zionist campaign because he held all three leaders responsible for the failure of the summit, and not only the late Palestinian leader, who was repeatedly accused by Bill Clinton, Ehud Barak and their team of negotiators of causing the failure.
Morton A. Klein, president of the Zionist Organisation of America, said: "How exactly does someone, who is dropped as an adviser because he advocates recognition of, and meets with, the genocidally-inclined terrorist organisation Hamas, now became a senior adviser to the president, unless President Obama has all along agreed with much of what Malley thinks and advocates?"
Due to the fact that the appointment of Malley coincided with the crisis in relations between the U.S. and Israel, caused by the recent speech made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the U.S. Congress behind Obama's back and without his approval, analysts have begun to talk about "changes in the U.S. role in the Middle East" in the context of the Israeli media outlets and its Zionist and Jewish arms abroad.
They have also predicted that "there will be no doubt that the U.S. policy will be focused exclusively on pressuring Israel over the course of the last 22 months of Obama's term," as written by Jonathan S. Tobin in America's Commentary magazine on 10 March.
During this time, Obama will be "free of electoral pressure" so the Obama administration's treatment of the Palestinian issue is about to take on a much more aggressive attitude over the next two years. This will allow Obama to "invest the little political credit he has left in 'bringing world peace'," as written by Alex Fishman in the Israeli daily the Yedioth Ahronoth.
In Fishman's view, there are now two courses of work on the White House's agenda. First, it can follow the path of the "European Initiative" which proposes issuing a UN Security Council resolution for a "lasting solution in the Middle East", while the second path involves waiting for the results of the Israeli elections this week, as it is a "renewal of the American peace initiative, which will have behind it a very skilled, determined person, who isn't very fond of the current government: The president's new man in the Middle East," Robert Malley.
It is clear that these courses of action, the appointment of Malley and his record will undoubtedly breathe life into the PLO's negotiating team, especially since President Abbas repeatedly says that going to the UN and international organisations, as well as the latest PLO's Central Council recommendations, do not necessarily mean that negotiations will be abandoned.
These negotiations can also be considered new material used by the American camp in the Arab League to justify its on-going pressure on the PLO to continue to rely on the United States.
The appointment of Malley indicates one conclusion: that the U.S. is heading towards a new initiative to resume negotiations between the PLO and the Israeli occupying power without making any changes to its references. If the PLO interacts and deals with the "European initiative" then it is likely to deal and interact with any new U.S. initiative, according to all indications in this regard.
In this case, the PLO's recent diplomatic actions not related to the negotiations and the United States has merely been "playing on borrowed time" while waiting for the results of the Israeli elections.
However, these actions can still be built upon in order to completely depart from the American vision for the "resolution of the conflict" in the event that Netanyahu is re-elected as prime minister.
On the other hand, Hamas should not be fooled by Robert Malley's positions towards the movement, despite its importance, as it is an attempt to contain the movement and drag it into "negotiations" between the PLO and Israel based on the same references rejected and opposed by Hamas thus far.
As for Malley's performance in Iran, Iraq, Syria and the Gulf, over the past year, which was praised by Susan Rice, it has had catastrophic consequences on the ground that speak for themselves. Malley's openness to Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, Iran and Syria is nothing more than tactical dealings in order to serve the unchanged U.S. strategy with forces that have proved their presence.
Appointing Robert Malley as White House Coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf Region is not a sufficient indicator of any radical change in the U.S. strategy that is on the verge of tearing the Arab world apart, along with its Islamic surroundings, unless it is deterred. This is true despite the Zionist campaign opposing his openness towards Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, Syria and Iran.
Nicola Nasser is a veteran Arab journalist based in Birzeit, West Bank of the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories (../[email protected]).
This article was translated from Arabic and first published by the "Middle East Monitor".
14 mar 2015
A US federal court on Thursday sentenced Palestinian activist Rasmiya Odeh to 18 months in prison on a charge that she had been an ex-detainee in an Israeli jail.
The district court judge in Detroit stated in his verdict that Odeh, 67, obtained US citizenship illegally when she applied for a visa without mentioning that she had been a former prisoner in Israel on a charge of her involvement in "terror attacks" that killed two Israelis in 1967.
The judge then charged the Palestinian activist with immigration fraud and ordered her deportation once she completed her sentence, but he said that she was free on bail pending a scheduled appeal.
Decades ago, Odeh was jailed for life by the Israeli occupation on allegations of her involvement in two bombings in Jerusalem, including one that killed two Israeli settlers in a market.
10 years later, Israel released her along with 75 other Palestinian prisoners as part of a swap deal.
Odeh, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, was born in 1948 in Lifta village, west of occupied Jerusalem.
In 1995, she migrated to Jordan and then to the US, where she became a citizen long years ago before she was recently arrested by the authorities in the country following frenzied media incitement by Zionist groups.
The district court judge in Detroit stated in his verdict that Odeh, 67, obtained US citizenship illegally when she applied for a visa without mentioning that she had been a former prisoner in Israel on a charge of her involvement in "terror attacks" that killed two Israelis in 1967.
The judge then charged the Palestinian activist with immigration fraud and ordered her deportation once she completed her sentence, but he said that she was free on bail pending a scheduled appeal.
Decades ago, Odeh was jailed for life by the Israeli occupation on allegations of her involvement in two bombings in Jerusalem, including one that killed two Israeli settlers in a market.
10 years later, Israel released her along with 75 other Palestinian prisoners as part of a swap deal.
Odeh, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, was born in 1948 in Lifta village, west of occupied Jerusalem.
In 1995, she migrated to Jordan and then to the US, where she became a citizen long years ago before she was recently arrested by the authorities in the country following frenzied media incitement by Zionist groups.
2 mar 2015
WATCH: Speaking to AIPAC ahead of Congress speech, PM devotes most of address to stressing that 'friendship between US and Israel grows stronger and stronger.'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the America Israel Public Affairs Commitee annual conference in Washington DC on Monday, in the first of two major speeches during his visit to the US. "Reports of the demise of Israel-US relations are not just premature, they're wrong," he told the assembled delegates.
"You're here to tell the world that our alliance is stronger than ever," Netanyahu added and said that the relationship between the two countries "is going to get even stronger in the coming years."
"My Congress speech not intended to show disrespect to Obama or the office that he holds," the prime minister said, in response to criticism of his US visit two weeks before the Israeli elections.
He emphasized that "America and Israel are more than friends, we are like a family. Disagreements in the family are always uncomfortable but we must always remember that we are family."
As the leader of the Jewish State, Netanyahu claimed he had a duty to warn of threats to the Jewish people. "The days in which Jewish people are passive in the face of those who want to annihilate us are over."
"Today, we are no longer silenced, today we have a voice, and tomorrow as prime minister of the one and only Jewish state, I plan to use that voice. American leaders worry about the security of their country, Israeli leaders worry about the survival of their country. I think that encapsulates the difference," Netanyahu said.
The second, and more controversial, is his speech Tuesday to Congress, in which he will decry the agreement currently being formulated between Iran and the world powers over the former's nuclear aspirations.
"Despite occasional disagreements the friendship between the US and Israel grows stronger and stronger, decade after decade, and our friendship will weather the current disagreement as well. Because we share the same dreams, because we pray, hope and aspire to that same better world," Netanyahu told the AIPAC delegates.
The speech to a joint session of Congress, following an invitation issued by Republican House Speaker John Boehner, was planned without notifying the White House, something seen as a major breach of protocol.
Critics have accused Netanyahu of seizing the opportunity to boost his own chances in the on March 17 elections in Israel, and indeed a Likud MK said Sunday that the party was hoping the speech would have a positive impact domestically. Netanyahu has also come under fire for further straining an already tense relationship with the American president, at a time when Israel is facing increased international isolation.
The Obama administration, known to have tense ties with the Netanyahu government responded coolly to the plan. President Barack Obama said he would not meet with Netanyahu during his time in Washington, citing the proximity to the Israeli elections, while Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry are out of the country.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the America Israel Public Affairs Commitee annual conference in Washington DC on Monday, in the first of two major speeches during his visit to the US. "Reports of the demise of Israel-US relations are not just premature, they're wrong," he told the assembled delegates.
"You're here to tell the world that our alliance is stronger than ever," Netanyahu added and said that the relationship between the two countries "is going to get even stronger in the coming years."
"My Congress speech not intended to show disrespect to Obama or the office that he holds," the prime minister said, in response to criticism of his US visit two weeks before the Israeli elections.
He emphasized that "America and Israel are more than friends, we are like a family. Disagreements in the family are always uncomfortable but we must always remember that we are family."
As the leader of the Jewish State, Netanyahu claimed he had a duty to warn of threats to the Jewish people. "The days in which Jewish people are passive in the face of those who want to annihilate us are over."
"Today, we are no longer silenced, today we have a voice, and tomorrow as prime minister of the one and only Jewish state, I plan to use that voice. American leaders worry about the security of their country, Israeli leaders worry about the survival of their country. I think that encapsulates the difference," Netanyahu said.
The second, and more controversial, is his speech Tuesday to Congress, in which he will decry the agreement currently being formulated between Iran and the world powers over the former's nuclear aspirations.
"Despite occasional disagreements the friendship between the US and Israel grows stronger and stronger, decade after decade, and our friendship will weather the current disagreement as well. Because we share the same dreams, because we pray, hope and aspire to that same better world," Netanyahu told the AIPAC delegates.
The speech to a joint session of Congress, following an invitation issued by Republican House Speaker John Boehner, was planned without notifying the White House, something seen as a major breach of protocol.
Critics have accused Netanyahu of seizing the opportunity to boost his own chances in the on March 17 elections in Israel, and indeed a Likud MK said Sunday that the party was hoping the speech would have a positive impact domestically. Netanyahu has also come under fire for further straining an already tense relationship with the American president, at a time when Israel is facing increased international isolation.
The Obama administration, known to have tense ties with the Netanyahu government responded coolly to the plan. President Barack Obama said he would not meet with Netanyahu during his time in Washington, citing the proximity to the Israeli elections, while Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry are out of the country.
27 feb 2015
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22 feb 2015
As a reaction to the highly unanticipated speech of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Congress, next month, the White House is reportedly planning a series of procedures in reaction to the unwelcome visit.
A source in the White House reported to the Associated Press that one of the possible procedures being considered is a boycott of the pro-Israel lobby, AIPAC, which is holding its annual meeting while Netanyahu is in Washington.
The procedures, PNN reports, could also involve a presidential interview with a prominent journalist known for coverage of the rift between Obama and Netanyahu, and multiple Sunday show television appearances by senior national security officials to talk about the US stance on Iran's nuclear program.
The White House is also considering stiff strategies, including dispatching Cabinet members out of the country and sending a lower-ranking official to represent the administration at the annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Netanyahu's plan for a March 3 address to a joint meeting of Congress has further strained already tense ties between the US and Israel. Congressional Republicans orchestrated Netanyahu's visit without consulting the White House or State Department, a move the Obama administration blasted as a break in diplomatic protocol. Some Democratic lawmakers say they will boycott the speech.
Iranian Vice President Ali Akbar Saleh will meet Ernest Moniz, United States Secretary of Energy in Geneva, where discussion between Iranian and American experts about the Iranian nuclear program will take place for two days.
Iranian and American Foreign Ministers Mohammad Jawad Thareef and John Kerry will join the meeting in Geneva, on Sunday.
A source in the White House reported to the Associated Press that one of the possible procedures being considered is a boycott of the pro-Israel lobby, AIPAC, which is holding its annual meeting while Netanyahu is in Washington.
The procedures, PNN reports, could also involve a presidential interview with a prominent journalist known for coverage of the rift between Obama and Netanyahu, and multiple Sunday show television appearances by senior national security officials to talk about the US stance on Iran's nuclear program.
The White House is also considering stiff strategies, including dispatching Cabinet members out of the country and sending a lower-ranking official to represent the administration at the annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Netanyahu's plan for a March 3 address to a joint meeting of Congress has further strained already tense ties between the US and Israel. Congressional Republicans orchestrated Netanyahu's visit without consulting the White House or State Department, a move the Obama administration blasted as a break in diplomatic protocol. Some Democratic lawmakers say they will boycott the speech.
Iranian Vice President Ali Akbar Saleh will meet Ernest Moniz, United States Secretary of Energy in Geneva, where discussion between Iranian and American experts about the Iranian nuclear program will take place for two days.
Iranian and American Foreign Ministers Mohammad Jawad Thareef and John Kerry will join the meeting in Geneva, on Sunday.