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In an NPR interview yesterday the President made clear that it is time to be honest - and therefore critical - of "our friend" Israel. As reported by the N. Y. Times
“Part of being a good friend is being honest,” Mr. Obama said in an interview with NPR News. “And I think there have been times where we are not as honest as we should be about the fact that the current direction, the current trajectory, in the region is profoundly negative, not only for Israeli interests but also U.S. interests.
“We do have to retain a constant belief in the possibilities of negotiations that will lead to peace,” he added. “I’ve said that a freeze on settlements is part of that.”
His comments, on the eve of his first trip as president to the Middle East, where he is scheduled to give a speech to the Muslim world in Cairo on Thursday, were made as Israeli officials dug in their heels against a settlement freeze. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said Monday that halting construction in settlements in the West Bank would be equal to “freezing life,” and, therefore, “unreasonable.”
Mr. Obama declined to say what he would do if Israel continued to balk at halting all construction. But he said that Israel needed to hear the truth, as he saw it. He also said that in the past, American officials had not been willing to call things as they saw them. “That’s part of a new dialogue that I’d like to see encouraged in the region,” he said.
I hope Obama means what he says. I hope he finally tells the truth not only to Isral but to the American people. Nothing short of strong action - for example withholding our financial aid and starting sanctions - will convince the Hawkish Netanyahu and his government that Israel will not be allowed to continue its policies of aggression and injustice against the Palestinian people.
Posted June 2nd, 2009 by mattwion
