Thanks for this Michele. You make a very good point – one which much of the mainstream media has ignored.

As soon as Israel finds its monetary and weapons support from the United States drying up unless they come to the negotiating table, I think you’ll see a rapid change in attitude.
It’s funny how rooting against Bush was un-American. Apparently rooting for Obama to fail is just good, clean conservative fun.

JPL, it certainly didn’t stop liberals from hoping that Bush would fail. We are familiar with the left’s double standard.

“The new Israeli government will not move ahead on the core issues of peace talks with the Palestinians until it sees progress in U.S. efforts to stop Iran’s suspected pursuit of a nuclear weapon and limit Tehran’s rising influence in the region, according to top government officials familiar with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s developing policy on the issue.”
Oh come now (shaking my head)_who’s “playin” who?_LOL!
As IF Israeli Zionists_Netanyahu in particular_was EVER really interested in reaching a “Peace” agreement with the Palestinians!?!
“Man! Even Israel is trying to roll Obama! That says something about how the world views him. Obamanites, you wanted a change in how the world views us and I think you got your way. We went from cowboys to punks.”
Yeah riiight (shaking my head again)_lol.
So umm_then I assume Israel won’t mind going it ALONE from here on? I mean, Israel wouldn’t dare call up a “punk” for any further U.S. “assistance” with future Israeli “endeavors” now would they?
Naaaah. They wouldn’t think of it_SMH.

MzEllen: “JPL, it certainly didn’t stop liberals from hoping that Bush would fail. We are familiar with the left’s double standard.”
And in duplicating it what you are really saying is that you are no better than those you criticize. Nice…thanks for clarifying that for us.

really? okie dokie.

“It certainly didn’t stop liberals from hoping that Bush would fail.”
Well we probably didn’t hope he’d succeed wildly and launch a generation of conservative leaders but we certainly didn’t hope or even conceive he could fail as completely and spectacularly as he did.
As for Israel being our “ally”, “parasite” is closer to the case.
I see McGinty is still the weasel she used to be. Pity.

I certainly comprehend the inability of some liberals here to interact without flinging personal insults at their host. Yes I do.

Uberhawk Netanyahu finds the Iranian nuke issue a convenient hook to try to discontinue the peace process that would lead to two states. He would have done the same with Bush. Has anyone stopped to consider a couple of realities about the Iranian nuclear threat? First, Israel is WAY ahead in the development of nuclear weapons and delivery systems. They have subs with nuclear cruise missiles that would escape even the most annihilating Iranian attack, and which would level Iranian cities and refineries. Second, if Iran is going to claim that such an attack is justified based on the need to liberate the Palestinians, it should be noted that a nuclear attack would slaughter most of them and leave their lands uninhabitable for decades. They live too close to each other to avoid such a result. And then Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt would all get quite a dose of fallout in the process. The assumption behind this Iranina threat against Israel is that Iran and the Palestinians all have a collective death wish. While there is a lunatic fringe of suifice bombers…you don’t see the bulk of Iranians or Palestinians rushing to blow themselves up.

Robert, does the really need to be a collective death wish? Or would it be sufficient for the few people in charge of the nukes to have that death wish? Or even on leader with a hatred of Israel so deep that rendering the area inhabitable for all is preferable to leaving the Israeli regime in place?
Why on earth should Israel be concerned about Iran having nukes? It’s not as if the Iranian leader has said anything about wanting to wipe Israel off the map or anything…
Ahmadinejad didn’t exactly say “Israel”…he said “the regime in Jerusalem…and he didn’t exactly say “wiped off”…he said “erased”…and he didn’t exactly say face of the map”, he said, “the pages of time.
Israel has a neighbor whose leader said that the Israeli regime in Jerusalem should be erased from the pages of time…
what do they have to worry about?
(That being said, it is difficult for me to justify telling Iran that they shouldn’t have nukes because Israel doesn’t want them to have nukes, even though Israel has nukes.)

And why would it be the US’s problem if Iran has nukes? They are far less likely to pass them on to terrorists than Pakistan. I can see Israel worrying and perhaps Europe but we forged on through the Cold War at imminent risk of being nuked. I see no reason why we should get more involved in the Middle East when we’ve inherited so many problems of our own, some because of our one-sided involvement in the Middle East.

The reality is that nuclear weapons are not so eaisly released by a lone nut, even at the highest level.
There would have to be a chain of command, and a lot of folks would have to sign off on using a weapons that would ultimately lead to a catastrophic counterstrike.
It’s not at all likely that the gurrent looneytoon running Iran could just give the order on a whim or because he had a vision, and everyone would say, “Sure, why not? We’re not doing anything better today!”

Palestine and Israel: one-state or two-state solution
The success or failure of the administration of President Obama with Israel would determine the nature of future stability for the Middle East.
Any rational and humanistic resolution of Palestinian dilemma has been non-starter with Israel. The problems of Palestinian subjugation to Israel occupation are the seeds for an unstable world including the Middle East. Many expect, as previously stated by Iran and many Arab counties, that they would not reject a reasonable break through between Washington and Israel over the Palestinians home state or a Federal State for both people.
The Palestinian issue, over 40 years of waffling by Israel throwing one excuse after another to derail any prospect, is independent of any other world concern for the US administration. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton should not allow Israel to dictate the foreign policy of the United States. Israel has used Iran as diversion away from creation of an independent Palestinian state.
What are the options for Palestinian and Israeli people? Among those mostly discussed are: a two-state models for Palestine and Israel, or a Federal State of Israel-Palestine.
The two-state models for Palestinian and Israeli is not acceptable with Israel. Many experts on the Middle Eastern politics and people would suggest that a two-state solution in not viable model. We have struggled with it for nearly 60 years. Should we be looking at the region as a Federal States with one government elected by all of the people? This model may have a much better chance of survival as a solution for both Israeli and Arabs.
USA can’t afford war after war to support failed attempts to stabilize the region. Palestinians have paid a high price for failed attempts to consider the human side of the Palestinians struggle for peaceful life.
Many suggest that only as one nation, Federal State of Israel-Palestine, the peace may endure. We, Americans, have failed to recognize that Palestinians and Jews both are Semitic people, they have common historical and religious heritage.
The advocates for one-state solution stress that under a two-state solution, Jerusalem can not be the capital of Israel. This city is religious holy city belonging to Jews, Muslims and Christians. This city should not be controlled by a theocratic Jewish state; in that case, it should be an open international city.

I have a different take on these issues. I believe both Israel and Iran recognize the value of keeping the West frightened. In times past the US has paid off Israel, up to $14 billion, not to take certain military actions. I don’t put it past the Israelis to be collaborating behind the scenes with the Iranians, and vice versa, to play the rest of the world by keeping them understandably on edge. As for Netanyahu, if he didn’t have Iran and Hezbollah, he’d have to invent them. The fear of Arabs and Persians unites Israelis who don’t care for each other, either.

Hey Israel,
No $14 Billion this year from the U.S. unless you stop Iran from aquiring nukes.

israel has no leverage to threaten the u.s.
on the contrary, they only hurt themselves by prolonging the aggression between themselves and arab states.
who’s really the punk? it’s not the u.s., that’s for sure.
“flinging personal insults at their host”
i guess if the glass slipper fits, she wears it proudly, ellen. i see that you’ve done nothing to curb your double standards. not surprising.

“israel has no leverage to threaten the u.s.”
Of course they do. They have 300 nukes and subs to deliver them. They could attack the United States as easily as they could attack Iran. And don’t suppose for a minute that reality does not figure into US military planning.

Murderous Netanyahu finds yet another excuse to continue the bloodshed.
Quelle Suprise!
*yawn*
Par for the course for the most oppressive “western” nation on the planet.
May they reap what they sow.

Anonymous Reincarnate: whatever.
Robert, interesting take…is there any evidence of what you suspect (it would not surprise me at bit if what you suspect is the case, only wondering what grounds you have)

Let’s get something clear here, Ellen, you tiresome sycophant:
Beliefnet is the host. Michelle is just some shill they pay to spew nonsense to attract viewers.
Mission accomplished.
If you don’t like the tone of the posts here, stop reading them. Michelle could just as easily stop posting as if she were somehow morally and emotionally stunted, but she chooses, instead, to post the most ridiculous items she can in order to bump up the reader count.
Welcome to the Internets. Take your nannying elsewhere.

“Of course they do. They have 300 nukes and subs to deliver them. They could attack the United States as easily as they could attack Iran. And don’t suppose for a minute that reality does not figure into US military planning.”
well, in that, you are partly correct – they do, and they could, though i disagree with the “just as easily” part. and it certainly wouldn’t be as painless as attacking iran. but, israel the next aggressor to the u.s. in cold war ii? i just don’t see it happening. their influence here is stronger with the use of their pro-israel lobby groups than any threat of a nuclear launch against the u.s. and their existence in the world is still reliant on keeping the u.s. as their big brother on their side.
we have the leverage, if only we had the balls to use it.