The search for Syria motivations is silly
Here they are:
Benjamin Netanyahu is doing these peace negotiations as a favor to his strongest ally and international protector. He just ran on, and won, a term as Prime Minister mostly on the basis that the status quo with the Palestinians was fine and the peace process was not a major priority for Israel.
He doesn't have to keep doing these negotiations if he doesn't want to. And since these negotiations cover very delicate areas he's got a reason to walk away from them at pretty much any time he wants.
For reason I laid out in my last diary, the Israelis have no real choice but to bomb Assad. They are doing Obama (and by extension all Americans) a huge favor by letting us delay the bombing. And it will cost Obama (and thus everyone) by making the peace talks tricky.
BTW, peaceniks who think Assad-not-being-bombed could actually happen, what do you base this on? Israel has an Air Force. They don't think the evidence against Assad is ambiguous because they supplied it. They know Hezbollah is a threat, that Hezbollah is moving closer to Assad with every battle, and that Assad has no scruple against gassing hundreds of innocent people. They are not known for taking the "let's not sweat it," view on threats to Jewish life. In what universe do they not conclude that Hezbollah is like 10 minutes from gassing hundreds of little Jewish children, and decide to use their Air Force to vaporize Damascus?
An Israeli government official says Israel has issued a complaint to the U.S. about Palestinian officials leaking classified details about ongoing peace negotiations.
Israeli and Palestinian negotiators had pledged to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry they would not speak publicly about the content of their talks. But a Palestinian official who spoke to The Associated Press offered the first detailed peek at the renewed peace negotiations.
The anonymous Palestinian official said Israel proposes leaving dozens of settlements and military bases in the West Bank and seeks a Palestinian state in provisional borders.
The Israeli official said Sunday some of the information the Palestinians have leaked is incorrect or distorted. He refused to elaborate. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as both sides said they wouldn't brief the media.
Benjamin Netanyahu is doing these peace negotiations as a favor to his strongest ally and international protector. He just ran on, and won, a term as Prime Minister mostly on the basis that the status quo with the Palestinians was fine and the peace process was not a major priority for Israel.
He doesn't have to keep doing these negotiations if he doesn't want to. And since these negotiations cover very delicate areas he's got a reason to walk away from them at pretty much any time he wants.
For reason I laid out in my last diary, the Israelis have no real choice but to bomb Assad. They are doing Obama (and by extension all Americans) a huge favor by letting us delay the bombing. And it will cost Obama (and thus everyone) by making the peace talks tricky.
BTW, peaceniks who think Assad-not-being-bombed could actually happen, what do you base this on? Israel has an Air Force. They don't think the evidence against Assad is ambiguous because they supplied it. They know Hezbollah is a threat, that Hezbollah is moving closer to Assad with every battle, and that Assad has no scruple against gassing hundreds of innocent people. They are not known for taking the "let's not sweat it," view on threats to Jewish life. In what universe do they not conclude that Hezbollah is like 10 minutes from gassing hundreds of little Jewish children, and decide to use their Air Force to vaporize Damascus?
posted by Nick Benjamin at
8:43 AM
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