Obama’s Failed Foreign Policy Has Everyone Spinning

There’s a mountain of activity, editorials, blog posts, opinion pieces & think tank rhetoric exploding outward this week regarding Iran. With Obama’s signature foreign policy of engagement crashing & burning, and no direction in sight the spinners are out in force at every level.

American envoys, like Admiral Mullen, Kerry, even VP Biden are & have been shuttling to Israel to hold off any Israeli strike. Sec. Clinton jetted off to Latin America, doing whatever it is she does to unsuccessfully rally for sanctions. On the media front, articles galore delegitimizing strikes as a possible solution..

None of it is on the level

If it were, there would be a credible strategy put forth to counter the military option. But as we’ve seen, the refined fuel blockade combined with IRGC sanctions are nowhere to be found, if anything deadlines which passed months ago are only pointing to sanctions many more months away. Those sanctions are neither a given nor are the odds very good either.

Clearly, the Obama administration is stalling for time, waiting for the Iranian nuclear bomb to become a reality because the President like so many before me have claimed, is rather weak. He was weak on tough engagement, weak on supporting regime change in Iran, and now he’s weak on stopping the Iranian nuclear drive. If he weren’t, the multiple US House & Senate resolutions for fuel sanctions now sitting in drawers nearly a year would have been long ago realities, instead they are blocked by the Administration at every turn..

There are basically three courses open to the Obama administration with respect to Iran. It can do the Full Leverett (drop all pretense of hostility toward Iran and engage them on all issues in the hopes of a grand bargain); it can pursue the course it’s on now, a slow roll of diplomacy towards possible sanctions and international condemnation of Iran that probably won’t alter their nuclear progress; or it can start a war with Iran, which may or may not fully stop their nuclear program but would open the door to a host of consequences, most of them negative.

In contrast to their neoconservative critics, the Obama administration, including senior figures in the military, apparently sees the “hard realities of the world” as mitigating against starting a third war in the Greater Middle East – even if it means conceding some nuclear weapons capability to Iran. Of course, the administration can’t publicly acknowledge this, and so they have pursued the diplomatic and sanctions track, to demonstrate that they are least trying to address the problem.

“Hard Realities of the World”

That above is ‘realism school of thought’ euphemism for weakling, its testament to the overblown Iranian rhetoric. In reality Iran is the weak link, a regime forced to beat its own peoples to remain in power who’s unending glorious pronouncements of strength do little to buttress the fact that the only outlet they have is terror. So far so good, they seem to have terrorized the Obama administration into submission. Unfortunately for him, the American public is a different story..

“Do not even think about bombing Iran,” wrote Michael O’Hanlon and Bruce Reidel in yesterday’s Financial Times.  Pointing out that the US has two unpopular and unfinished wars in the region already, and that the damage from any military strikes on the Islamic Republic would be unlikely to do enough damage to its nuclear program to justify the military and political cost, and also that Iran would have many opportunities to retaliate against US interests in the region, they urge President Obama to take this option off the table completely.  Living with a nuclear Iran won’t be fun, but it’s better than the alternatives, so let’s start making plans for the inevitable.

I actually agree with O’Hanlon and Reid that military strikes against the Iranian nuclear program aren’t likely to get us anywhere good, but that doesn’t mean we can stop thinking about them. Sixty-one percent of Americans asked called Iran’s strength a ‘critical threat’ in a Gallup poll last month;  an additional 29 percent said the Iranian threat was ‘important.’  With 90 percent of the public feeling threatened by Iran — at a moment when nothing special was happening — it’s not clear to me that domestic politics will allow the Obama administration to steer clear of hostilities with Iran even if it wants to. [...]

The Israel Factor

It is worth noting that many of those advocating strategies of retreat are the same people who so boisterously argued for engagement, their track record leaves much to be desired. They argued for shelving the military option before engagement, that worked well as we’ve seen. Now they argue for shelving the military option after engagement.. One begins to suspect their true goal is not solving the Iranian nuclear riddle – But merely shelving the military option at all costs. Good luck with that.

All these pundits may want to stack the shelves & put things in drawers, but those same ‘Hard Realities of the World’ are also in operation in Israel. Here those realities tend to be even harsher than they appear in the local American think tank, filled with lazy chairs & academic tenures. Obama may be trying to stall, his advisers may even think he’s succeeding. Kerry quipped in Israel this week how the US & Israel are on the same page. But he was speaking in the language of fuel sanctions which Israelis understand.. So far, it’s a dialect Obama seems to be unable to comprehend.

A War of Choice or Necessity?

So are we all really on the same page? It doesn’t look like it, but sooner rather than later we are all going to find out. I suspect those flimsy locks on the military engagement drawers won’t stop Israel from doing whatever it deems necessary. Therein lies the rub, those opposed to using every tool in the arsenal cast this as a war of choice, just like Iraq they might argue.

Sadly they are gravely mistaken in my opinion. Here in Israel where the threat is seen a existential in every way – Stopping Iran’s drive for nuclear weapons is a war of necessity, not choice. If Obama keeps stalling and we start shooting, the Iranians themselves will force the President to quickly realize just how wrong many of his advisers often are. With American support for Israel at record highs, and anathema for Iran in similar territory - He may not have that luxury of choice, if or when Iran attacks American interests.

Then the question inevitably becomes – Does America want to strike on its terms, or Iran’s?

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EU, World will be shocked to learn Israel is a Democracy

The Peace Process is being endangered by appeasement. The Palestinians have rejected every peace deal to ever grace their plate, now they refuse to even negotiate. Putting aside for a moment the fact they clearly don’t desire a state so much as the destruction of ours, one begins to wonder why some are so eager to appease them endlessly?

The list is long..

• Israeli Governments of the right & left
• The EU
• American Presidents
• Donor countries pumping in billions per annum in cash
• The UN
• Liberals, NGOs..

It’s practically a party! There are however two entities that are decidedly less keen on appeasing Palestinians. They consist of the Arab world & the Israeli public.

Picking up the Peaces

The Arabs refuse to appease the Palestinians because they’ve been employing them as pawns to bludgeon Israel for over 40 years now. Why ruin the gravy train? No one gives the Palestinians less money, less rights, less land or lesser dreams for a better future then their own Arab brethren, Lebanon is a prime example.

The Israeli public on the other hand, which has given the Palestinians more money, more rights, more land & more hopes for a better future than any Arab nation on earth now refuses to do much more. Out of patience, because this same public has inevitably paid the price of being the pawns sacrificed by the rest of the appeasing world in the name of Palestinian violence, terror, and intransigence. Here in Israel much of that public has simply had enough. That includes incidentally Arab residents of East Jerusalem whom themselves want no part of a PA state it seems.

The dangerous cycle of appeasement has now come to the point where the PA is not even negotiating for Peace. They want all their demands met, they want a state, they want the billions in aid, they want to be courted as players – and in return they offer nothing. Peace is not even on their table.

It’s not land for peace, its now land for appeasement.

The attempt by Sweden, the UK & others this week to pre-determine final status issues when the Palestinians themselves refuse even to negotiate smacks of the most sickening appeasement we’ve seen to date.  These moves rejected by Israel, rejected by the US, and opposed by EU member states including new Europe, Italy & France smack of a form of psychosis removed from all reality. Well reality will come crashing in soon enough.

1st IDF Paratroopers arrive at Western Wall after liberating the old city from Jordan in 1967

The Referendum Bill

The bill 1st tabled under the Olmert Kadima government, passed 1st reading then but was put aside due to elections. It is now tabled again & headed to 2nd & 3rd reading & probable passage. The rest of world may choose to play pretend, but Israel annexed East Jerusalem & the Golan Heights after the defensive 67 war. International actors may think they can pre-determine reality, but they will come up against an inconvenient truth – Israeli democracy & Israeli law, both of which trump pitiful international declarations.

As early as Wednesday, the Golan Heights and Jerusalem Referendum Bill could return to the Knesset plenum for a key vote, after a late-night decision Tuesday by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation ensured coalition support for the controversial bill. [...]

“We must safeguard the Land of Israel and accelerate the legislative process, in order to prevent a future possibility of retreat against the will of the people,” said Science and Technology Minister Daniel Herschkowitz, shortly after the committee’s vote.

Indeed, Jerusalem & the Golan belong to the people of Israel, annexed. We control the land - This also is an ‘inconvenient truth’. Our governments, our allies, our ‘Palestinians friends’ can huff & they can puff but when push comes to shove reality can prove to be a cruel mistress. Our current Prime Minister as opposed to previous clowns in the post knows this well..

Netanyahu backs referendum bill, wants public’s support for withdrawals

Knesset expected to pass ‘continuity law’ that allows body to continue legislative discussions on bill obligating national referendum on withdrawals. ‘Any historic peace agreement I bring will be based on support from majority of public,’ PM says. [...]

We hold all the cards.

Any deal must be based in reality, palatable to the Israeli electorate. We are much more crucial to the process than Abbas or his crooked thieving cronies. EU officials would be wise to embrace reality instead of living in an unelected tax payer funded dream consisting of caviar, limos, jets, and unbackable feel good pronouncements designed to tickle Abbas’ testicles. Here in Israel we live in the real world. The threats are grave, the will of the people here is strong & the Democracy will have its say – Whether the EU likes it, or not.

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Update:  Booyah! – Knesset votes in favor at JPOST

The Knesset voted Wednesday afternoon in favor of continuing legislative work on the Golan Heights and Jerusalem Referendum Bill, by an overwhelming majority of 68 to 22, with one abstention. [...] The vote crossed coalition-opposition lines, with over one-third of Kadima MKs supporting the bill, but with the majority of Labor ministers conspicuously absent from the vote.

Livni voted NAY <– After negotiating in total secrecy with PA, nearly selling the farm.. Leader of Kadima doesn’t feel its necessary to consult the public on issues that will affect Israelis for generations. Epic fail.

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Ally Jstreet Tacks Right while APN declares ‘Principled Lunacy’

The long cold dark winter – Iran has mocked the entire world (but most of all Obama) with its play for time tactics, rejecting every single generous offer from the West regarding its nuclear weapons program. Pretty much everyone involved now realizes this, there are however holdouts. The 1st house of cards to tumble was Jstreet which this week has reversed itself on the Iran Sanctions Act now making its way through the US government.

Goldfarb in the Standard writes..

Spencer Ackerman interviews J Street chief Jeremy Ben-Ami on that group’s announcement that it will now back sanctions to cut Iran off from its supply of refined petroleum products. Earlier today Ackerman offered one possible explanation for the move: “The attacks on J Street have worked.” I think that’s probably right. The shift is not confined to sanctions legislation — J Street has moved right on Goldstone (though their position is still way out of step with mainstream Jewish opinion) and Ben-Ami has made a number of other statements that seemed designed to appease the group’s critics, and antagonize its most left-wing supporters (denouncing Walt and Mearsheimer and taking U.S. aid to Israel off the table are the two most obvious examples). But Ben-Ami offers another explanation to Ackerman: 

TWI: Is it too wily to think that you’re doing this in order to basically signal your stand with the rest of the pro-Israel community in this country while saving the harder battles for things like Jerusalem, the two-state solution and so forth?

Ben-Ami: Well look, those are issues where we are definitely not in line with most of the other organizations. For us, we’ve always said that is the issue. The real existential threat to a Jewish democratic Israel is the failure to reach a two-state solution. There is a threat from a nuclear-armed Iran. But the real existential threat that we’re focused on is that we have got to reach a two-state solution now or else we’re going to lose Israel.

 So, according to Ben-Ami, by disagreeing with J Street, Israel is a greater threat to itself than a nuclear-armed Iran. This, I suspect, is not a widely held view in the Jewish community here or in Israel — and it is certainly not a widely-held view among Americans in general [...]

Ben-Ami can contort & wrap this up in whatever flag he likes, at the end of the day Jstreet felt the pain of being so radically far out from the mainstream of the American Jewish community. Truth is they go where Obama goes, and El Presidente has himself felt the pain of his initial radical positions - Embarrassingly so.

We already know both groups (Jstreet & APN) are really nothing more than sycophantic blocking backs for Obama, Jstreet even gleefully openly stated as much in the NY Times. With Israel having pulled its settlement freeze, and with Obama now coming around to the realization he has erred on both Iran & Middle East Peace in general - Jstreet reads the tea leaves & like the dutiful soldier tacks right with him, no surprises there sayeth Rosner

Zealots at APN

But where does that leave Americans for Peace Now? Out in the cold, and still rejecting US sanctions. Why pray tell? because they don’t empower Emperor Obama enough or something like that. I skipped past all the Zealotry & righteous BS because one line says it all..

[...] we support legislation that genuinely strengthens the US President in his efforts to deal with the challenge of Iran – not legislation that undermines his authority and forces his hand.

There you have it. We can safely ignore both Houses of Congress, the American people as polled themselves etc. What do they know anyway? As soon as Obama himself declares the Sanctions Acts good.. like Gd himself on the 6th day – You can expect the last remaining Obami, those Zealots willing to fall on his sword to do so as well.

Like Masada, only different!

This time we’re supporting the Roman hordes & pagans. Iran has once again taken to beating its people, censoring media, shutting down internet access in the last 24 hours etc. Iran has declared it needs 20 more brand new nuclear enrichment plants, but it’s no cause for concern. It’s ‘Empowerment’. None of it really matters when you are on the fringe in any case!

APN is all about empowering the weak, be it the Palestinians, the Iranians.. or even the American President. It’s highly principled stuff once you muck through all the BS & Soros funding.

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UPD: I forgot the link to Goldfarb’s quote.. That’s pretty embarrassing for a blogger going on 4yrs lol. My thanks to a reader for pointing this out. Omission, most certainly not derision.

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Sorta reminds me of Robert Gibbs’ Job Creation math

Mohamed El-Baradei is finishing up his crowning achievement after providing a decade’s worth of cover for rogue regime illicit nuclear programs. It’s sure to be touted as almost messianic by Obama’s all too eager sycophantic media cheerleaders. Too bad in reality the deal stinks.

The draft agreement between the great powers and Iran celebrated by International Atomic Energy Agency Chief Mohamed ElBaradei is no more than confirmation of the proposal submitted by Iranian representative Saeed Jalili in the first round of talks with the Security Council’s five permanent members and Germany.

The proposal constitutes a clever Iranian move: According to the deal, Tehran will sacrifice roughly 1,400 kilograms (about 3,000 pounds) of the low-grade enriched uranium (that is, 3-5%) produced at its enrichment plant in Natanz in exchange for Western recognition in principle of Iran’s right to enrich uranium on its own soil.

We should also note that we are talking about Iran giving up only 75% of the uranium quantity it already enriched (at least as far as the IAEA knows.) [...]

It was clear that Obama had waffled entirely on this point months ago, and the goal was now to get a deal, any deal – As opposed to stopping the Iranians. Anything to proudly tout as an accomplishment from the WH podium amid endless failures that seemingly all point to the fact that the entire Obama platform is one big bust.

We have learned that this deal has involved direct negotiations between the US & Iran stemming all the way back to June. Which explains why Obama was so non-chalant about propping up the Islamic regime while it was busy murdering & raping Iranian citizens and stealing elections. El Presidente had to be cautious, lest he tip his engagement boat which was already out to sea – Charming!

Smart Power

Doing the negotiation math, we can quickly calculate that this deal has been 5 months in the making from June until now. Sadly, the payoff is not all it is cracked up to be.

This is a modest step forward, at best.  “We are buying something like seven to 10 months,” a nameless insider told the Christian Science Monitor. And even that short timeline might be an overstatement.

There are at least 50 cascades of 164 centrifuges each now installed at at the Natanz enrichment facility, although many were still under vacuum in August. According to Alexander Glaser, a single cascade of 164 IR-1 centrifuges could be expected to produce up to 113 kilograms of 3.5% low enriched uranium (LEU) per year. Discount the efficiency of operations somewhat (Geoff Forden suggests 85% based on past performance at Natanz), and Iran could recreate 1,200 kilograms of LEU in a shade over four months using 36 cascades. With 54 cascades going, it would take less than three months.

(HT / Goldfarb)

Wooohoo!

So in return for granting total legitimacy to Iran to continue enriching Uranium. In return for dropping the number one red line set out by the west.. After 5 months of ‘negotiation’ Obama & the western powers are going to help Iran enrich their current stock even higher to 20%, then return the nuclear fuel rods and in the mean Iran will make even more enriched Uranium – Replacing the quantity sold to the west in approximately 3-7 months..

Carry the two, divide by 8.. disregard the exponent & voilà!! Fuzzy math!

That, my friend is worthy of a Peace Prize!

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UPDATE Oct 22: Hello? Where is everybody?

Been sorta scratching my head wondering where official reaction to the draft deal was!? It’s been over 24 hours now and I felt like I was hanging out on a limb. Sometimes this happens in blogging, usually when you screw up big time. I even went back to double check stories on the draft deal in case I missed something.. Because Israel, the blogs & press have been pretty silent.

Never fear, must have just been caution. Barak at the Israeli President’s Conference confirms the major beef with this very very bad deal for Israel:

Barak: Deal could give Iran legitimacy to enrich uranium.

This is now the lead at JPOST, YNET & Haaretz thankfully..

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Thanks.. But No Thanks

Plenty of action on the rogue regime front this week, with Iran delivering what it calls a ‘new proposal’ to the p5+1 for “Negotiations”. There are a number of interesting aspects to this proposal.

Chiefly among them is the fact that Iran has flatly refused to discuss or cease its nuclear program, or table uranium enrichment issues which constitutes the number one demand from the West.

Clearly, this is a stalling & delay tactic. But the Iranians in charge over there in Iranistan are a clever bunch. They’ve zeroed in specifically on comments made by the Obama administration, and used them to their own advantage in order to build on some unlikely allies – The hard left in the US and even within Obama’s own administration. The proposal has been leaked and within we can glean some interesting insight into Iran’s squeeze play..

The proposal, submitted by Teheran on Wednesday to representatives of the P5+1 group of nations – - the US, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia – says Iran is prepared to enter into dialog and negotiation in order to lay the ground for lasting peace. It lists a wide range of issues for discussion, including nuclear disarmament, trade and investment and protecting human dignity.

Although the proposal makes no mention of Israel, it calls for “joint efforts and interactions to help the people of Palestine draw up a comprehensive, democratic and equitable plan in order to help the people of Palestine to achieve all-embracing peace, lasting security and to secure their fundamental rights.”

It also calls for “promoting the universality of the Non-Proliferation Treaty,” and “putting into action real and fundamental programs toward complete disarmament and preventing the development and proliferation of nuclear chemical and microbial weapons.” [...]

Iran seizes on issues publicly declared by Obama as priorities, cynically portends to be champions of these issues while attempting to replace itself in the hot seat with Israel. The complete disarmament mentioned is in regards to ALL nuclear weapons on the planet, a stated (somewhat absurd) pet project of President Obama himself, and a clear call to focus on Israel’s own nuclear capabilities. The innocent Iranian regime playing international moral leader.

Even more classic, this is exactly what apologists for the Iranian regime want to hear. Iran is clearly banking on those same apologists to be champions in their delay tactics. Lacking any credibility internationally whatsoever of late, the hard left & those that champion engagement with no real end game are Iran’s only outlet. So Iran lays it on mighty thick just for them, with ample bait to the softies in the Obama administration to boot!

Apparently in some quarters it is already working..

According to the document, “The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that within the framework of principles of justice, democracy and multilateralism, a wide range of security, political, economic and cultural issues at regional and global levels could be included in these negotiations with a view of fostering constructive cooperation for advancement of nations and promotion of peace and stability in the region and the world.”

The US and Russia were at odds on Thursday over Teheran’s proposals, with American officials saying they fall short of satisfying international demands, and the Russians saying there was something to talk about. [...]

Justice, Democracy MULTILATERALISM. All the buzzwords and music to engagement eager grand bargainers ears are hear.  In return for some appeasement everything can be magically solved! Security, political, economic problems, cultural issues.. PEACE ON EARTH!!!

This is some pretty devious & clever stuff. Iran delays for 8 months after previously delaying in talks for 6 years, and just as things look ugly for them sanction wise they pull the steak off the table entirely, while baiting the biggest suckers with all the trimmings instead.

All the while the not so subtle offering of a juicy dessert for Iran & its proponents – the focus on Israel in particular, in combination with a cynical play on Obama’s own declared sensitivities regarding nuclear weapons, disarmament and overall Hope & Change. This US Admin already lit a fire under the Israel nuclear pot this spring, Iran is just stepping up & stirring it. After all, how could they disregard that very large Obama gift? Instead they’ve wrapped it in a pretty hope & change bow & re-gifted it right back.

Obama’s Administration is vulnerable

In a normal world we could dismiss it all out of hand, but so far US foreign policy is not operating in a normal world. Months of engagement failure have only now just barely begun to contain Obama’s hope & delusion. Most of that reality slowly creeping in is as a result of Congressional & European displeasure, not any overt acknowledgment that the policy is naive despite the protestations of Denis Ross.

The door is still wide open, and even the September deadline is already slipping back to 2010 in regards to implementing any sanctions. If Iran’s play can whip up enough support in the ‘US engagement at all costs community’ with their little switcheroo – We could be right back at square one, and Iran will be pleased as punch along with having the ability to deliver a nuclear one.

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Enough time wasted.. Time to step up to the plate Mr President.

We heard about the Obama engagement plan all throughout the never ending campaign, more than a year & a half’s worth of buildup by the progressive wing of the American Democratic party. In January 2009, Obama was sworn in. He took a fair allotment of time to prepare his administration to implement his ideas through an Iranian policy review, no problem. By March Israel’s new government was beginning to do the same.

During the 1st & only meeting between PM Netanyahu & President Obama we learned that the US was coming to agreement with the consensus feeling in both Israel and old Europe that engagement could not be open ended, as this would allow Iran opportunity to simply stall for time under a cloak of ‘engagement’ while developing nuclear capabilities. The time frame laid out by Obama was end of 2008 to begin review of the engagement process.

Engage!…

Obama meanwhile punted, under the claim that until Iranian early summer elections elections no engagement was possible. Unfortunately for him, the Iranian people and the world, we all witnessed the brutality and criminality of the Iranian theocracy close up in those ‘elections’. Despite a state of denial by the American administration to ‘push forward’ with the illegitimate regime regardless, Europe was somewhat more appalled.

S. 908 ready since April

As a result of the brutality and clear path to failure with engagement Sarkozy, Merkel, and Israel were more inclined to speed things up. A consensus was reached at the Italian G8 Summit that discussion & determination of what action to take re Iran would come at the UN General Assembly in September, now 3 weeks away where the P5+1 / G8 members will be present. In the US Senate, a refined fuel sanctions bill is long on the table awaiting the White House ok. The Honorables Evan Bayh & Senator Lieberman have about 70 senate votes & about 300 house members prepared to support the new sanctions proposed by S. 908. (see below)

D-Day

The time for dilly dally is up, now is the time for pressure, sanctions, and isolation. It is likely Israel will come to some form of agreement on peace talks & settlements to placate envoy Mitchell & President Obama, so that the path will be clear for the American administration to live up to its pledge on alternatives to friendly Obama charm based ’engagement’ - Which has now failed. The UN session will begin on the 15th, will we see the P5+1 push for international pressure? Will we see S. 908 become law? Will American foreign policy finally take some form?

Just as crucial, what kind of distraction, mayhem, or terror is Iran perhaps planning to deflect attention and consensus on these matters? The last time we saw an important crossroads like this Hezbollah was instructed by Iran to create distraction. They assaulted Israel in terrorist action to kidnap Israeli soldiers, resulting in a month long war in Lebanon. By the same token, any failure to move forward internationally led by the USA on Iran now puts Israel in a ready mode, prepared to jump out of the blocks and sprint to a military solution..

Netanyahu is already traveling Europe preparing the ground work for the UN Assembly, if he announces he is planning to address the world in New York we’ll know just how serious efforts to box in Iran are. President Obama is going to have to hawk up, pass sanctions and prepare a possible blockade for early 2009. Will he?

7 months gone, 7 months wasted.. 7 months closer to Iranian nuclear weapons. Time for countries & international petroleum companies to choose. Whom do they want to transact with, America or Iran?

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Official Summary of S. 908

A bill to amend the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 to enhance United States diplomatic efforts with respect to Iran by expanding economic sanctions against Iran.

4/28/2009–Introduced.

Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act – Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should continue to support diplomatic efforts in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the U.N. Security Council to end Iran’s illicit nuclear activities;

(2) diplomatic efforts with Iran are more likely to be effective if the President is empowered with the explicit authority to impose additional sanctions on the government of Iran;

(3) it should be U.S. policy to encourage foreign governments to direct state-owned and private entities to cease all investment in, and support of, Iran’s energy sector and all exports of refined petroleum products to Iran;

(4) the President is urged to impose sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran and any other Iranian financial institution engaged in proliferation activities or support of terrorist groups;

(5) the Department of the Treasury should continue to work with allies to protect the international financial system from deceptive and illicit practices by Iranian financial institutions involved in proliferation activities or support of terrorist groups;
(more…)

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Sunlight is the best disinfectant

We all know that the UN’s various ‘Human Rights’ bodies are shams, this is not a secret. Many western nations refuse to participate in the UN bodies because actual human rights abuses are totally ignored, instead the worst violators of even the most basic fundamental human rights sit as judges & juries in a farcical game of Israel hatred. For months & years resolution after resolution condemning Israel is mock debated and then passed, no other issue even gets tabled. An international mockery that is rightly recognized as so, international cover for hatred of Israel & Jews.

Human Rights Watch’s neutrality eviscerated

But now the NGOs on the periphery of the UN are bleeding credibility as well. Here in Israel our government is already debating how to deal with the fact that foreign governments in the EU are actively funding agenda driven organizations like Peace Now, Btselem and other pro Palestinian entities who’s goals are to smear the State of Israel under the guise of ‘neutrality’ & ‘Human Rights’, with bias filled reports eagerly lapped up by Israel haters everywhere.

Human Right Watch, already reeling from recent disclosures of actively seeking funds in Saudi Arabia of all places (where Human Rights are non existent) by openly appealing to the Saudi money men to help fund & bash Israel under the same guise of neutrality, is further under the microscope and the results aren’t pretty..

Pollak over at Contentions summarizes some interesting information on key HRW staffers & directors. Not surprisingly, they are all serial Israel haters with padded resumes of Pro Palestinian ACTIVISM! A real death blow for so called ‘neutral organizations’..

Over on the Volokh blog, David Bernstein has been conducting admirable work on Human Rights Watch and its obsession with Israel. Yesterday he profiled Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW’s Middle East director, who, it turns out, is not just a Norman Finkelstein admirer but was deeply involved in anti-Israel activism when she was hired. She is in good company at HRW with people like Joe Stork, HRW’s deputy Middle East director, who used to edit the viciously anti-Israel Middle East Report. Another is Lucy Mair, the Israel/Palestinian-territories researcher until 2007, who used to write for Electronic Intifada, the pro-terrorism website.

You cannot be a ‘neutral’ & an ‘activist’ by very definition..

ac⋅tiv⋅ism – noun

1. the doctrine or practice of vigorous action or involvement as a means of achieving political or other goals, sometimes by demonstrations, protests, etc.

Uh Oh. As usual whenever criticism surfaces, HRW quickly dumps out a banal statement or report, and goes through the motions of trying to balance out its horrificly anti-Israel tipped scales by talking about Hamas & war crimes. They did the exact same thing a full year + after the Lebanon war II by finally acknowledging in a lame report what was evident to all – That Hezbollah was engaged in War Crimes rocketing Israel.

Now they do the same with a focus on the 3 week Gaza conflict to lamely cover their own asses which are directly in the fire, it’s cynical, comical and a fairly transparent effort. Pretty much the definition of Human Rights Watch itself these days now that the mask is fully off and their credibility is in the toilet. Three years ago I looked at an HRW report, and tore it apart. I’ve never bothered reading another one since, why waste my time? We already know what HRW is all about.. Pro Palestinian, Pro-Terrorist, Pro-Arab activism designed to attack and damage Israel under an absurd cover of ‘neutrality’ that is anything but.

At least I am open about my own shameless activism, I don’t cover and shield myself as a ‘Human Rights crusader’, apparently all those jobs are already filled.

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Hashmonean Confession: I don’t like you either.

Mr. EU, multilateral King of uselessness Javier Solana has decided that it is nearing the time for the UN to ‘impose’ on Israel & the Palestinians, stressing the Israel part..

“After a fixed deadline, a UN Security Council resolution should proclaim the adoption of the two-state solution,” Solana was quoted as saying, adding that such a move should include resolutions regarding borders, the refugee problem, the issue of Jerusalem and security arrangements.

“It would accept the Palestinian state as a full member of the UN, and set a calendar for implementation. It would mandate the resolution of other remaining territorial disputes and legitimize the end of claims,” Solana was quoted by Reuters as saying.

“If the parties are not able to stick to [the timetable], then a solution backed by the international community should be put on the table,” he said.

I’m particularly enamored by the way Javier has taken it upon himself to determine issues involving Israel’s Capital Jerusalem. By simply declaring a Palestinian State at the UN and imposing UN determined ’solutions’  for all final status issues, one gets the impression the entire peace process is no longer legitimate. After all, if the goal is land for peace but we remove the peace part entirely from the equation as seemingly suggested by Solana, what are we left with? A multi billion dollar foreign aid supported nanny terror state with UN legitimacy as far as I can tell.. Wonderful, I say we establish that Palestinian entity in Belgium, preferably as close to Solana’s apartment there as possible.

Mr EU, the unelected foreign policy dictator of the Union has a long history of malevolence toward Israel. Ariel Sharon initially refused to meet with him while he was PM. Curiously enough, Solana has had a major hand in the formulation of the Quartet & the Road Map to Peace.. Now he apparently seems to want to scrap that entirely, as his suggestions are contrary to the plan’s own texts with these calls for imposed ’solutions’.

Meanwhile, the Syrians sensing the overall welling of hatred of Israel now pervasive in general at the EU are piling on.. Calling for the EU too also ‘impose’ their will on Israel for being an obstacle to peace with Syria, conveniently leaving out their support for Hamas, terror groups and Hezbollah. Why not? It’s working for the Palestinians. When inciters of violence, supporters of terrorism, dictators, and despots play the victim card to a more than willing EU by lambasting the one party actually making efforts for peace – You know the world has truly turned upside down on its head.

October 2009, the month Solana will finally hang up his crown as Mr EU. I for one can’t wait to celebrate his retirement..

LINK UPDATE
Meanwhile, Tony Blair former UK PM and now special envoy the to Middle East in charge of Palestinian economic development, feels somewhat differently it seems. He has been a supporter of Bibi’s plan to develop a basis for peace through economic development, and seems to think that us big bad Israelis are not getting enough credit for all the peace building moves we have initiated thus far to improve the Palestinians lives.

Careful Tony, this doesn’t fit the meme the Palestinians, Syrians, Mr. EU or the White House have been trying to spread until now. We wouldn’t want to rupture the space time continuum, who knows what might happen. It could result in *gasp* – Peace.

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