US Secretary of State John Kerry and Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul, April 7, 2013. Photo: Reuters
Kerry's whirlwind trip to Turkey and then, to Israel has left many Israelis feeling they just underwent a "shock and awe" attack from their best "friends", the United States. To Kerry's statements made during his visit in Israel, one Israeli official responded, “What country is he talking about? I’m afraid the State Department did not show the secretary of state the press reports from Turkey following the apology.” (To read more, see The Jerusalem Post's article "Claim of Turkish ‘sensitivity’ astonishes Israelis")
And, while it was not April Fool's Day, another unbelievable report from The Jewish Press:
Kerry Wants Pro-Hamas Turkey to Fix Israel’s Peace with FatahSec. of Foggy Bottom Kerry is chock full of ideas, such as selling pro-Hamas Turkey as a quick fix for the beloved peace process. Two Problems: Israel and the Palestinian Authority don’t buy it.Do you get the feeling our State Department is not rowing with both paddles? Something is seriously missing and I would say it's either a great lack of understanding of the Middle East and its "players", or an on-going agenda to undermine the State of Israel. Whatever Kerry's "mission" was during his visit, he did not win the hearts and minds of the Israelis.
And now, we come to Carl in Jerusalem/Israel Matzav:article:
Israel rejects Kerry proposal for resuming talks with 'Palestinians'
Israel has rejected a proposal put forward by US Secretary of State John FN Kerry for resuming talks with the 'Palestinians.'
A senior Israeli official, who was involved in the talks Kerry held in Jerusalem, said that Israel opposes Kerry's proposal to resume negotiations on the basis of discussing border and security issues alone.
Kerry has approached the Israeli-Palestinian issue with much enthusiasm, and is pressuring both sides to implement confidence-building measures and agree on a draft outline for resumption of talks. However, after his second visit to the region this week, it seems that the Secretary of State did not correctly assess just how frozen the standstill over the peace process is, and how rigid both sides' positions are. This is what Kerry was referring to when he left Israel saying that he himself, and the two sides, have a lot of homework to do.
A senior Israeli official, who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the subject, expressed considerable skepticism regarding Kerry's steps, and made cynical, slightly scornful comments regarding his attitude. "Kerry believes that he can bring about the solution, the treaty and the salvation," he said. "He thinks that the conflict is primarily over territory…and that is wrong."That sounds just like Obama four years ago... except that Obama is Kerry's boss and if that's what Kerry is putting forward, it's likely that Obama still believes that too.
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Americans, have you heard any news on the main stream media about Kerry's trip to Israel, just weeks after President Obama's visit? Of course not! Why? Wouldn't this be of interest to everyone following this administration's foreign policies? Perhaps you haven't heard a "word" is due to the fact that once again, the Obama administration's attempt to force Israel to make decisions that cut their ability to defend their sovereign nation has failed.
When Emperor's without clothes come knocking on your door, it is good to know we're not all incapable of separating lies from the truth.
Bee Sting
Americans Stand with Israel
April 11, 2013 - Thursday