Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Benjamin Netanyahu is Just a Politician. Get Over It.

Headlines today reflect comments made by President Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in a private conversation at the G-20.

Sarkozy called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "a liar", while Obama expressed frustration with having to deal with him and his supporters every day.

Many believe that there will not be peace in the Middle East until the West gets over its addiction to oil, but these two leaders, also feel that Israel is a stumbling block to peace.  They are right.

Stephen Harper will always choose Israel over Canada.  He has said as much.  But for him the alliance is political and partisan.  The careers of Harper and Netanyahu have been choreographed by the same people.

Top Republican pollster, John McLaughlin, takes credit for both in his bio.

However, the best connection is Arthur Finkelstein, former political guru of Richard Nixon.  Finkelstein spent 16 years at the National Citizens Coalition and taught Stephen Harper everything he knew about liberal bashing and playing loose with the truth.

He also worked directly with Netanyahu, making the "liar" comment absolutely believable.
He rode the campaign commercials of Finkelstein, one of the most sought-after Republican strategists, to victory in the 1996 election.  Finkelstein created the message that instilled fear in Israeli voters that Netanyahu's opponent, Shimon Peres, was soft on terrorism and would divide Jerusalem. Commercials with Peres and Yasser Arafat walking hand in hand followed by scenes from suicide bombings in Tel Aviv were credited with swaying the vote to Netanyahu.  And throughout his tenure as prime minister Netanyahu has relied on Finkelstein ... 
I realize that Israel has a holy purpose for many, but when it comes to foreign policy, they are a nation, like any other nation, except that they have nuclear weapons.  Lots of them.  I can understand Obama's frustration, though the conservatives will have a field day with this.

Funny thing though when Wikileaks revealed that U.S. diplomats thought that Stephen Harper was a blowhard and suggested that if his so-called Canada Action Plan didn't work, he had no idea what to do next, there was barely a murmur.  But attacks on the Israeli prime minister are akin to blasphemy.

He's just another politician created by Republican strategists, like our current leader.

Get over it.

1 comment:

  1. Trouble is, Em, he's a politician with clear and present nuclear danger, and Harper is just a blowhard who wants nothing more than to give Canada to the US as soon as the Republicans are in power.
    Insult Netanyahu and he might blow us all up. Insult Harper, and he'll thumb his nose at everyone.
    Tippy-toeing around nuclear nations is classic international behavior, and a nuclear nation with emotional implications? Bow and scrape, placate and for sure don't annoy.

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