Ettinger- On US-Israel relations, Livni doesn't get it

Yoram Ettinger
Yisrael Hayom
14 August '11

http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=330

Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni, in an interview with The Atlantic magazine, has "endorsed the idea that pressure from President Obama on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a service to Israel."

In the interview, Livni showed a lack of comprehension over how much Israel can maneuver under U.S. pressure, the impact of the Palestinian issue on U.S.-Israel relations, the ideological gap between Barack Obama and the U.S. public and Congress and the fundamentals of the U.S. political system.

According to Livni, the Netanyahu-Obama disagreement "puts [U.S. Jews] in a situation in which they need to choose a side, and they don't want to be in this situation ... It's a nightmare, because we are actually on the same side. It's not Israel vs. the U.S. and vice-versa. We cannot afford this. This is something new. It forced American Jews to take sides."

Really?

U.S. pressure has been an integral part of U.S.-Israel relations since 1948. The U.S. imposed a military embargo on the country and considered financial sanctions, prodding Prime Minister Ben Gurion to refrain from declaring independence, to accept a U.N. trusteeship and the internationalization of Jerusalem, to end "occupation of the Negev" and to absorb and compensate Palestinian refugees. In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson warned Prime Minister Levi Eshkol against preemptive war, annexation of Jerusalem and construction of Ramat Eshkol. In 1981, Ronald Reagan threatened Prime Minister Menachem Begin with an embargo and a diplomatic crisis should Israel bomb Iraq's nuclear reactor. From 1948-1992, Israeli prime ministers generally defied U.S. pressure, but (and therefore) strategic cooperation surged dramatically. The U.S. prefers allies that produce – rather than consume -- national security, irrespective of defiance.

Livni considers the Palestinian issue a central axis of U.S.-Israel relations. But, these relations evolve around the axis of shared values, interests and threats. Hence, the upgraded security cooperation following the 1970 Israeli-induced rollback of Syria's invasion of Jordan, notwithstanding the rift over the 1949 lines as part of the "Rogers Plan." Two major strategic memoranda of understanding and a series of legislation were signed between 1983 and 1992, in spite of disagreements over the 1982 War in Lebanon, the "Reagan Plan," the First Intifada and the Bush-Baker hostility toward Israel, and due to Israel's contribution to the U.S. defense industries, war on terrorism, missile defense and posture of deterrence. A critical mass of U.S. policy-makers realize that U.S.-Israel ties constitute a two-way, mutually-beneficial street, regardless of the Palestinian issue.

Livni is oblivious to the impact Obama's worldview has had on U.S.-Israel relations. Obama considers the Holocaust – and not the 4,000 year-old Jewish history – as Israel's moral foundation, classifying Israel as part of the "exploiting" Western World and the Arabs as part of the "exploited" Third World. He is moving closer to the Muslim world and the U.N. and aims to clip Israel's wings morally, strategically and territorially. He does not view Israel as a strategic asset and believes that the prescription for the resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict is comprised of the 1949 lines, exchange of land, repartitioning of Jerusalem, dismantling of all Jewish settlements in Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights and the resettlement of some Palestinian refugees in Israel.

Contrary to Jerusalem's conventional wisdom, a U.S. President is not omnipotent on national security affairs and is not "the government," but only one among three equal arms of government. Congress – a bastion of support for Israel – has the "power of the purse" and can initiate, suspend, change and turn around policy. Its power is most evident during economic crises and is important as we approach the 2012 election. In 2010, Congress – the chief axis of U.S. democracy and a systematic supporter of Israel – stated that Obama's worldview represented a minority among voters and elected officials.

In order to advance U.S.-Israel relations, Israel's political elite is advised to study the U.S. political system, upgrade ties with Congress – the most authentic representative of the public – and refrain from statements that add fuel to the fire of U.S. pressure on Israel.

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