Who’s America’s top ally in the Middle East? Whose intelligence agency helps the US keep tabs on Iran and Syria? Whose military is willing to intervene to stop terrorists when the Americans can’t or won’t? The answers are: Israel, Israel and Israel.
So who is getting threatened by the US if they don’t compromise on their own security and hand over more territory to their unstable neighbor? Israel. Confused? You should be.
Israeli news website Ynet unveiled some of the secrets to the Israel-Palestinian “peace talks” and things aren’t going well. The Palestinians want to carve out a state from what has been Israeli-controlled territory for decades. Not surprisingly, Israel is worried about their security and want provisions to ensure their safety. That includes control of more territory so as to keep terrorists away from Israeli cities. But the Palestinians aren’t liking the offer.
That puts the nine month timeline for a deal in jeopardy. And the Ynet report said that US Secretary of State John Kerry has been heard saying the US won’t be able to stop the Palestinians from joining the International Criminal Court if there’s no deal by the deadline next year.
That would be very bad for Israel, because global groups like the Court tend to be biased against Israel. The Palestinians could bring piles of frivolous, one-sided claims to a court that could hurt the Israeli economy or even convince European nations to put sanctions on Israel.
That could tie the hands of America’s top ally.
So the US wants a deal. And the Palestinians aren’t happy with the Israeli offer on borders thus far. Therefore, US pressure on Israel to reach a deal doubtless includes pressure to compromise on their borders offer further.
But that Israeli offer is based on a security fence that has helped secure Israel from suicide bombers for years. That unofficial border has worked well, but the Palestinians won’t let the Israelis keep it.
So Israel is stuck between bad and worse right now, again. The current US government sure knows how to take of their friends, don’t they?
(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, November 5, 2013)