Hillary's Claptrap

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright March 13, 2010
All Rights Reserved.                                

            Blasting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, gave the 60-year old MIT graduate a tongue-lashing for embarrassing Vice President Joe Biden during his recent peace mission to Jewish State.  While Biden professed his love for Israel and offered to restart peace talks with Palestinians, Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yashi announced March 10 plans to build 1,600 more homes in Arab-controlled East Jerusalem—the expected capital of an eventual Palestinian state.  “The announcement of the settlements on the very day that the vice president was there was insulting,” said Clinton, telling Netanyahu that Yashi’s announcement damaged U.S.-Israeli ties.  Hoping that her PR stunt was believed by Palestinians, Clinton pandered the Arab street hoping for more balance from the Obama administration.  Few Arabs believe such grandstanding.

            U.S.-Israeli relations are joined at the hip in the Middle East, where Israel serves as a friendly listening post and base to the U.S. military.  Arab countries know that the U.S. uses Israel as a 51st state, pretending Israel’s sovereignty and independence of U.S. foreign policy.  Publicly chastising Israel perpetuates the illusion that the U.S. is an “honest” broker to settle the perennial Arab-Israeli conflict.  Unlike the Bush administration that gave Israel a green light in the wake of Sept. 11, the Obama White House has sought force Israeli compliance in an arbitrary peace process.  Yashi’s announcement of Israeli building plans in East Jerusalem upended Biden’s peace overture, prompting Palestinian protests.  Clinton’s harsh words were designed to show U.S. impartiality, when the Arab street knows that the U.S. has inseparable political relationship with Israel.

            Clinton’s harsh words antagonized the U.S. conservatives, questioning U.S. peace overtures at a time when Palestinians remain divided between Hamas-controlled Gaza and Palestinian Authority-controlled West Bank.  “We think the burden is on the Israelis to do something that could restore confidence in the process and restore confidence in the relationship with the United States,” said an unnamed State Dept. official.  While Hillary points fingers at Israel, she hasn’t explained how Israel is supposed to discuss or negotiate a peace deal with half the Palestinians people, divided between Gaza and the West Bank.  Clinton knows the Gazans remain at war with Israel, refusing to accept any prior U.N. resolution supporting Israel’s right to exist.  Clinton assumes incorrectly—like the Bush administration—that West Bank Leader Mahmoud Abbas can make peace for all Palestinians.  

            Biden’s ballyhooed peace trip to Israel is just another smokescreen from the administration’s political quicksand, where its current obsession with health care could have grave consequences for Democrats’ in the midterm elections and beyond.  Biden knows that peace gestures play well in the press, despite the Palestinian civil war that makes peace impossible.  Blasting Israel for daring to announce new settlements in Israeli land won during the 1967 war repeats past mistakes of administrations before the Bush years.  Before Yasser Arafat’s suspicious death Nov. 11, 2004, U.S. administrations often blamed Israel for ignoring Palestinian rights, despite facing ongoing terrorism supported by Arafat.  When Sept. 11 hit, the Bush White House severed ties with Arafat due his close relationship to Hamas, Hezbollah, and, yes, Saddam Hussein, who supported Palestinian suicide bombers.

            Hillary’s strong condemnation reflects not U.S. embarrassment over Biden’s trip but another phony attempt to win Palestinian sympathies and establish the U.S. as an impartial peace broker.  “I mean, it was just really a very unfortunate and difficult moment for everyone—the United States, our vice president who had gone to reassert our strong support for Israeli security—and I regret deeply that that occurred and made that known,” said Clinton, acting as if Israel torpedoed an active peace process.  Hillary knows that Palestinians must resolve their civil war before Israel should make any overtures toward a peace deal, including promises about suspending settlement or building activity in any land won during the Six-Day War.  Discussing the future of Jerusalem or any other issue shouldn’t be on the table until the Palestinians resolve their civil war.

            Hillary’s harsh response toward Israel belies the Obama administration’s problems with its foreign and domestic policy.  Showing she has little leverage to stop Iran from enriching uranium and building its first A-bomb, Clinton finds herself making little progress in the U.N. Security Council.  When you add to that Obama’s problems passing health care reform or dealing with Guantanamo Bay detainees, it’s tempting to divert attention on Israel.  Clinton knows that only Israel would supply the intel and support U.S. action to stop Iran’s nuclear program.  She knows Israeli politics about concessions with Palestinians, especially responding to demands to open up a future peace process.  Instead of blaming Israel, Clinton should provide more help to Abbas to resolve the current impasse with Hamas.  Upbraiding Netanyahu does little to advance the peace process.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.