Israeli politicians worried about Kerry!!!!!!!!
Although peace between Israel and its neighbors ranks high in John
Kerry's book released yesterday, many Israeli politicians have been
voicing concerns that a Kerry presidency could damage the region. The
Democratic nominee and his running mate, John Edwards, yesterday
released "Our Plan for America," in which Israel is discussed in the
first chapter. "We will ensure that under all circumstances Israel
retains the qualitative edge for its national security and its right
to self-defense," the book says.
The authors promise "genuine resolve and direct personal involvement
to ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," a dig at President Bush,
whom the Democrats have accused of neglecting Middle East peace
efforts.
Kerry and Edwards also reiterate recognition of some Israeli claims to
the West Bank and rejection of a "right of return" for Palestinian
refugees, and say they would work to end Palestinian incitement
against Israel.
But many Israeli and American Jewish leaders are expressing concern
that a Kerry administration will cause more violence in the Middle
East. They say they are worried about Kerry's statements of
coordinating American foreign policy with the Europeans, and are
disturbed by his appointment of several former Clinton Mideast policy
directors as advisers, particularly former U.S. Ambassador to Israel
Martin Indyk.
Many blame Clinton's failed approach to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict which sought Israeli territorial concessions for promises of
peace by Arafat and ignored indications of growing Palestinian
militancy and violations of security reform agreements for partially
causing the current intifada.
Indyk, who helped devise the 1993 Oslo Accords, was a driving force
behind Clinton's assessment of Arafat as a statesman, and urged
Clinton to accept Arafat as the legitimate ruler of the Palestinians.
For the past year, Indyk has been campaigning to dispatch U.S. troops
to intervene in the Middle East conflict, worrying many of Israel's
leaders, who don't want to see the IDF faced with having to confront
U.S. troops.
"Indyk managed to help Arafat wrest complete control over the
Palestinian people through deceit and subterfuge. And now, if he gets
his way, American troops may find themselves in the middle of the West
Bank and the Gaza Strip providing cover for Hamas and Palestinian
Jihad," wrote David Bedein, bureau chief of the Israel Resource News
Agency.
"The very mention of Indyk sends shudders down the spine of senior
members of the Israel defense and foreign policy establishment," wrote
Bedein.
Some in Israel were also upset that Kerry allowed former President
Jimmy Carter, who many Jews feel has taken a consistently
pro-Palestinian line since being voted out of office in 1980, to speak
at last week's Democratic National Convention, where he linked the
Bush administration's policy toward Israel to anti-American sentiment.
"Violence has gripped the Holy Land, with the region increasingly
swept by anti-American passions," Carter told the convention in a
prime-time speech many Democrats said marked his revival as a central
figure in the party.
A prominent American Jewish leader told WorldNetDaily, "Kerry's new
book rehashes all the old falsehoods of the Oslo era that ended up
bringing nothing but disaster to the region. We cannot afford anther
Clinton in the White House, and since Kerry is surrounding himself
with Clinton lackeys, he's got us all worried."
Several Democrats are accusing Sharon of playing favorites with Bush
and making it difficult for the Democrats to lure Jewish voters. They
say the Israeli prime minister is going out of his way to praise Bush
to the American media, and expressed disappointment Sharon wasn't able
to meet Kerry during his last trip to Washington in April. In fact,
the two men have never spoken.
Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, whose statements are considered
closely aligned with Sharon's policy, even recently told a meeting of
prominent American Jews that he prefers Bush over Kerry. The prime
minister's office says it has no plans to interfere with U.S.
elections, just as America should not be involved in Israeli
elections. Sharon has said he would meet with Kerry if the
presidential nominee travels to Israel.
October 2003: Kerry Calls Fence Barrier To Peace. And I know how
disheartened Palestinians are by the
Israeli government’s decision to build a barrier off the green line,
cutting deeply into Palestinian areas.
We do not need another barrier to peace. Provocative and
counterproductive measures only harm Israel’s
security over the long- term, they increase hardships to the
Palestinian people, and they make the process
of negotiating an eventual settlement that much harder. (Sen. John
Kerry, Remarks Before Arab American
Institute National Leadership Conference, Dearborn, MI, 10/17/03)
February 2004: Kerry Calls Fence Legitimate Act Of Self-Defense. US
Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, the frontrunner in the race for
the Democratic presidential nomination, described Israel’s
construction of a security barrier as a ‘legitimate act of self
defense’ after Sunday’s suicide bombing in Jerusalem, clarifying a
position he took in October when he told an Arab American audience ‘We
don’t need another barrier to peace.’ (Janine Zacharia, Kerry Defends
Security Fence, The Jerusalem Post, 2/25/04)
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