The other day I spoke with one of the most important and politically influential Rabbis on the international scene. I asked him if he was going to the AIPAC conference in Washington D.C., March 4-6.
“Sure, I have to,” he said.
“And when President Obama appears are you going to give him a standing ovation?”
“Look, if I don’t the media will get hold of it and use it against us.”
“But how will you feel?”
The Rabbi shook his head and muttered: “Oy, vey.”
Jews and non-Jews who care about Israel view President Obama as a faithful disciple of radical leftism, an ideology that is uniquely hostile to the Jewish State.
And the Jewish State, facing an existential threat from Iran, also views President Obama through this lens and votes no-confidence.
Israeli officials say they won’t warn the U.S. if they decide to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, one U.S. intelligence official familiar with the discussions told the Associated Press. The pronouncement, delivered in a series of private, top-level conversations, sets a tense tone ahead of meetings in the coming days at the White House and Capitol Hill.
Israeli officials said that if they eventually decide a strike is necessary, they would keep the Americans in the dark to decrease the likelihood that the U.S. would be held responsible for failing to stop Israel’s potential attack. The U.S. has been working with the Israelis for months to persuade them that an attack would be only a temporary setback to Iran’s nuclear program.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak delivered the message to a series of top-level U.S. visitors to the country, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the White House national security adviser and the director of national intelligence, and top U.S. lawmakers, all trying to close the trust gap between Israel and the U.S. over how to deal with Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Netanyahu delivered the same message to all the Americans who have traveled to Israel for talks, the U.S. official said.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive strategic negotiations.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment, and the Pentagon and Office of Director of National Intelligence declined to comment, as did the Israeli Embassy.
Iran claims its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but the International Atomic Energy Agency has raised alarms that its uranium enrichment program might be a precursor to building nuclear weapons. The US has said it does not know whether the government has decided to weaponize its nuclear material and put it on a missile or other delivery device.
The secret warning is likely to worry US officials and begin the high level meetings with Israel and the US far apart on how to handle Iran.
But the apparent decision to keep the U.S. in the dark also stems from Israel’s frustration with the White House. After a visit by National Security Adviser Tom Donilon in particular, they became convinced the Americans would neither take military action, nor go along with unilateral action by Israel against Iran. The Israelis concluded they would have to conduct a strike unilaterally — a point they are likely to hammer home in a series of meetings over the next two weeks in Washington, the official said.
Barak will meet with top administration and congressional officials during his visit. Netanyahu arrives in Washington for meetings with President Barack Obama next week.
The behind-the-scenes warning belies the publicly united front the two sides have attempted to craft with the shuttle diplomacy to each other’s capitals.
“It’s unprecedented outreach to Israel to make sure we are working together to develop the plan to deter Iran from developing a nuclear weapon,” and to keep them from exporting terrorism, said Maryland Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee.
He traveled there with the intelligence committee chairman, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., to meet Israel’s prime minister and defense minister, along with other officials.
“We talked about the fact that sanctions are working and they are going to get a lot more aggressive,” Ruppersberger added.
They also discussed talked about presenting a unified front to Iran, to counter the media reports that the two countries are at odds over how and when to attack Iran.
“We have to learn from North Korea. All those (peace) talks and stalling and they developed a nuclear weapon,” he said. “We are going to send a message, enough is enough, the stalling is over. … All options are on the table.”
“I got the sense that Israel is incredibly serious about a strike on their nuclear weapons program,” Rogers told CNN on Monday. “It’s their calculus that the administration … is not serious about a real military consequence to Iran moving forward.
“They believe they’re going to have to make a decision on their own, given the current posture of the United States,” he added.
U.S. intelligence and special operations officials have tried to keep a dialogue going with Israel, despite the high-level impasse, sharing with them options such as allowing Israel to use U.S. bases in the region from which to launch such a strike, as a way to make sure the Israelis give the Americans a heads-up, according to the U.S. official, and a former U.S. official with knowledge of the communications
Cooperation has improved on sharing of intelligence in the region, according to one current and one former U.S. official. Israel is providing key information on Syria for instance, now that the U.S. has closed its embassy and pulled out both its diplomats and intelligence officials stationed there, the U.S. official said.
Source: Fox News
H/T Jake Novak
Ariel Chaim Avrech, ZT'L, May His Righteous Memory be a Blessing.
11 Comments
Dear Robert:
When Hitler annexed the Sudentenland his generals were ready to kill him at the slightest sign of French military response. Germany had no armored vehicles or heavy artillery. Hitler correctly judged that the French lacked the backbone to unleash the worlds largest army on the Germans. When the French failed they doomed forty million people.
The mental disorder of the left is that there is no difference between the inside of your head and the world outside it.
I have the conversation all the time with our fellow Jews, “If talking nice to people who announce that they want to kill Jews worked, wouldn’t we know that now?”
If Iran can construct several nuclear devices many millions will die.
The left hates America because it hates the idea of free people and free markets.
I have persuaded quite a few people to vote for Romney here in Michigan.
Whatever my feelings toward his political ideas, I believe him to be a Man of some character and integrity. The current occupant of 1600 is a leftest thug.
Best Wishes and Regards for a Good Shabbos,
Dovid Fauman
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It is time to get behind Mitt.
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Barry:
Seraphic Secret agrees.
If Conservatives feel uncomfortable with Romney we suggest they ask themselves the following questions:
1. Will Romney appoint more Conservative judges to the Supreme Court?
2. Will Romney be a more Conservative President than Obama?
If the answer is yes to each—or even just one—of these questions then you must vote for Mitt.
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I’ll imagine that one of these mornings we’ll wake up and see all hell’s broken loose in the Middle east.
At times like this I would think “WWRD”
What would Reagan do?
I would think that he wouldn’t have let the situation go this far.
Iran would be frothing amid all the smoke.
But she would have to many problems keeping her own people in check, to be worrying about attacking us.
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Bill:
People forget that Reagan dropped a cluster of bombs on Khaddafi, killed a few members of his family and after that Khaddafi behaved.
There is only one language that works when it comes to Islam and that is the language of force.
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another great piece, Robert. Are the captions on the photo yours ? Brilliant. Eileen and I will NOT be going to the AIPAC conference, as we cannot stomach the thought of seeing our Jewish “leaders” bowing and scraping for Comrade Obama.
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danwohl:
The caption on the photo is not mine. I’m not sure who did it, but if I find out I’ll give them a credit.
Glad to hear that you and Eileen will be spared the dog and pony Obama/AIPAC show.
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“And when President Obama appears are you going to give him a standing ovation?”
“Look, if I don’t the media will get hold of it and use it against us.”
It’s high time to stop the wishful thinking that the (mainstream) media will portray pro-Israel favorably or even neutrally, and start acting and speaking truthfully.
Obama deserves no more respect that he gave to the Dalai Lama and Netanyahu.
Here is an interesting take that explains why Obama is so pro-Muslim;<br><br>
(According to Sharia law, he REALLY is a Muslim! )<br> <br>
http://www.raymondibrahim.com/11263/obama-muslim
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exdem:
I don’t belive that Obama is a Muslim—or a Christian.
He is a radical leftist. Period, end of issue.
And that is why the Republican nominee must not run on just the economy but against the poison of leftism.
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I hope no one in D.C. or Israel really believes the great satan will not be blamed for cooperating with the little satan. Look at how well the numerous apologies have worked in Afghanistan. From Karzai on down to the peasants in the street everyone thinks the U.S. went out of their way to insult muslims by burning their books. Everyone in the ME just knows the Jews can only successfully attack the Arabs with the help of the U.S. The U.S. could go all Helen Keller with Israel and it won’t matter.
It’s understandable why D.C. wouldn’t want Israel to attack the Iranian facilities. Heck, Obama may be out of office in a year and his successor will be stuck having to deal with the Iranian bomb. But sooner or later the music will stop in the game of nuclear musical chairs and Iran will have to be dealt with. The UN will be useless and no one will look at Ecuador or Albania for what to do.
If Obama and Clinton are so smart they should be able to get Russia and China to side with the U.S. against Iran. The glitter twins had all the answers running for office in 2008 so lets see some results of their smart diplomacy and soft power.
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Johnny:
The Israelis will not warn Obama of an attack because they don’t trust this administration on security issues. It has nothing to do with deniability. That’s just a diplospeak for f-you.
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