Similarly, the U.S., despite coming up with ever more severe anti-Iran sanction plans, seems much more amenable to negotiations with Iran than does Israel, which views them only as facilitating Iran’s playing for time. Indeed, Israel could not have been encouraged by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s remark the other day at a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle. She stressed that the U.S. and other cooperating states do not seek a military confrontation with Iran and went on to say:
Iran does have a choice to make. It can come back to the (negotiating) table, as we have consistently made clear to them, and address the nuclear program concerns that the international community rightly has, or face increasing pressure and isolation.
We strongly believe the people of Iran deserve a better future. They can have that future. The country can be reintegrated into the global community, able to share in the benefits, when their government definitively turns away from pursuing nuclear weapons.
Reintegrated into the global community? What about Iran’s persistent threats to destroy Israel? What about its financial support and arming of terrorist groups operating against Israel?
Secretary Clinton also took great pain to condemn and disassociate the U.S. from the recent assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist. But what about the innocent Israelis murdered and maimed by Iranian supported terrorists? What about the regular use by the U.S. of pilotless drones to extra-judicially take out leaders of Al Qaeda and the Taliban?
On a different yet related note, we would direct readers’ attention to two other recent developments. In a disturbing declaration two weeks ago, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon slammed Israeli settlements as illegal and called for an end to the “occupation.” Of course this is in direct contradiction of the wording of the post-Six Day War UN resolutions.
Almost simultaneously, reports surfaced that the European Union was embarking on a Palestinian investment program that would undermine Israeli control in areas of the West Bank the Oslo Accords gave Israel total control over – the so-called Area C – pending an overall negotiated settlement between Israel and the Palestinians.
As was the case with the genocidal language coming from Mr. Abbas’s mufti, the Obama administration has reacted to these latter two developments with the very loud sound of silence.