JERUSALEM (AP) — Eager to reassure an anxious ally, President Barack Obama on Wednesday promised to work closely with Israel and do whatever is necessary to keep Iran from obtaining nuclear arms, ‘‘the world’s worst weapons.’’ He also pledged to investigate whether chemical weapons were used this week in neighboring Syria’s two-year-old civil war.
Obama, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his first visit to the Jewish state as president, said of Iran’s nuclear ambitions: ‘‘We prefer to resolve this diplomatically and there is still time to do so.’’ But he added that ‘‘all options are on the table’’ if diplomacy falls short.
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Let’s face it; this trip is simply for US domestic politics. The Republicans are trying to pick off Jewish support from the Democrats as they have done with Catholics. Obama is doing the international equivalent of taking his campaign to an ethnic restaurant and eating a well-known dish. There will never be any peace initiative because, as US politician learned a long time ago, providing free land to your constituants is popular.
Greatest bond? I think most Americans feel England, France, Germany, etc. are far better allies than Israel. Like the whole Mideast duplicity comes to mind. Friends yes but mostly based on their needs and their terms.
Don't forget the USS Liberty. With friends like this...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Liberty_incident
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Our greatest friend? I wouldn't trust the Israeli govt. anymore than I'd trust the Saudi's. But then I'm a pragmatist I don't trust anybody. Make the trip. Do the speeches. The people who hate muslim's will love it. The folks who are anti-Israeli will whine, the rest of us will yawn.
It is after all Israel. They of course have no blame in current ME difficulties. The treatment of the Arab world historically by the west also has no impact. Nor does the capacity for long term memories on all parties involved. Let's keep things simple so we don't have to work to hard it. These are the good guys, these are the bad guys. I think most folks would be happy if we could black hats on the bad guys, but that won't happen. So pick a side and have fun folks.
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Also don't forget Israel spying on the U.S. (Jonanthan Pollard and many others) or selling our high tech weapon secrets to the communist block and China. No small wonder Israel is an international outcast.
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According to a report in the Jerusalem Post, Israel does not have the conventional weapons to knock out Iranian nuclear facilities. Does this mean that their threats to attack Iran unilaterally will include the use of Israel's nuclear weapons?
http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=285495
Unfortunately, what Barry seems to think needs to be done is "bowing to the mullah"...
Really. I didn't hear that in the press confrence or in any of the comments by Bebe or Obama. Oh well, you always hear things the rest of us don't hear.
Israel is the only place in the Middle East that is democratic. It is the only place where women have equal rights and where gays are safe. Israel is producing some of the most advanced environmental and information technologies in the world. Twenty percent of Israelis are Arab whereas Jews have been almost eliminated from the rest of the region. I hope that Pres. Obama means what he says. Israel is our friend and deserves our support.
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Hmmmmm......chemical weapons in Syria. I wonder where they came from?
Everyone in the SF community knows they were smuggled out of Iraq while the UN fiddled and diddled.
Let's see, Obama says "Israel should return to its 1967 borders" Obama lets Ahmadinijad ridicule and threaten Israel on the UN floor in 2012, Obama leaves plenty of Iran sanctions loopholes, Obama puts Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Morsi in power and gives him 20 fighter bombers, he nominates anti Israel Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense, Obama slashes the Defense dept budget..And Iran's mullahs know that when Obama says "All options are on the table, I'm not bluffing", Obama IS bluffing.