Netanyahu's Response Rahm Emanuel is well known to have said that "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste."
For nearly 11 years, Israel's position vis a vis the Palestinians had continually eroded.
Until 2000, it was well known that Israel would not divide Jerusalem, would not return to the 1949-1967 armistice lines, and would need to maintain a security line in the Jordan Valley.
Ehud Barak's egregious concessions at Camp David, and his even more egregious concessions at Taba, put an end to the Israeli consensus on its red lines.
Despite the fact that just weeks after Taba, Israeli voters deposed Barak in a landslide in favor of Ariel Sharon, the world deemed Barak's offer to be the starting point for any future negotiations.
Last Thursday, President Obama pushed too far, trying to surprise and box in Prime Minister Netanyahu by declaring the '49 armistice lines the basis for negotiations - thereby expressly adopting the Palestinian position.
In successfully pushing back at the Oval Office, before AIPAC, and today in Congress, Netanyahu has finally put a stop - at least for now - to the never-ending increasing demands placed upon Israel - and only Israel.
The extraordinarily warm reception given to Netanyahu in Congress, and the supportive speech by Harry Reid at the AIPAC conference, demonstrate that while Obama may not be understanding of Israeli concerns, the American people and their congressional representatives are.
The erstwhile principle of secure borders for Israel and united Jerusalem have again been stated by Israel's leader. The last four days have been very good ones for those of us who support territorial compromise for real peace, but not endless appeasement.
posted on 5/24/2011
The Mets and the WilponsOver the years I've been a critic of the Wilpon family's mishandling of the Mets. For that reason, I feel compelled for offer a defense of the Wilpons now.
First, Fred Wilpon's quotes in the latest issue of New Yorker were fine with me. The media outrage is just meant for sensationalist purposes, nothing more.
Second, the allegations against Wilpon and his business partners relating to the Madoff scandal are baseless. Wilpon is indeed a victim of an overzealous trustee, whose law firm stands to make hundreds of millions of dollars in legal fees.
Yet while I sympathize with the Wilpons, it is now time for them to sell the Mets - and not just a minority interest in the team.
Ownership of a major league baseball team is for the very rich. I am a Mets fan and would also like to own the team, but I cannot afford to. Nor can the Wilpons. While they are still wealthy by most standards, the Wilpons are dealing with very serious financial issues that have virtually eliminated their liquidity, as a result of which they cannot add payroll to make the Mets competitive.
The only solution for the Wilpons and for the Mets is new ownership.
posted on 5/24/2011
Obama's SpeechPresident Obama's call for the formation of a Palestinian state on the purported "1967 borders" is a major setback for those who accept the principle of territorial compromise but demand Israel's right to secure and defensible borders.
Prime Minister Netanyahu must now explain to Israelis, to Obama and to Congress why Israel cannot accept a withdrawal to what are actually the 1949 armistice lines.
posted on 5/19/2011
The Murder Of Osama bin LadenConvenient euphemisms like "targeted assasination" aside, the only accurate term for the extrajudicial killing of al Queda militant Osama bin Laden is murder.
Not only will this pointless murder of a merely symbolic figure perpetuate the cycle of violence, it will also be a serious blow to al Queda's moderate wing - whom knowledgable observers credit with maintaining a ceasefire in the United States for nearly a decade.
To be sure, al Queda and the United States have mutual greviances. The way to resolve those issues is at the negotiating table, not with missiles and gunfire. Peace is made with enemies, not friends. Violence merely begets more violence.
Particularly in light of continued Israeli home construction in Jerusalem, the latest news from the Middle East is devastating to those of us who yearn for a two-state solution that will finally put an end to the conflict in the Middle East.
posted on 5/02/2011
