Netanyahu vs. the Rest of the World Benjamin Netanyahu's reckless policies will further isolate Israel and alienate the United States. He is leading his country down a perilous path. Published in Die Zeit (Germany) on 23 March 2015 by Martin Klingst [link to original] Translated from German by Ron Argentati. Edited by Laurence Bouvard. Posted on March 25, 2015. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sees his nation surrounded by enemies — us against the rest of the world is the mindset he held for the past six years of his administration and it appears to be how he will continue in the future. The majority of Israelis share his view and elected him to another term in office. But his ruthless policies will not only isolate his nation further, they will also continue to alienate America. President Obama has already threatened to review bilateral relations between the U.S. and Israel. The disappointments and bitterness caused by Netanyahu's refusal to compromise, his duplicity and the brutal style of his actions have become too great. Throughout the grueling Middle East conflict, the rule of thumb has been that Israel's conservative governments had been most open to making concessions to the Palestinians and Israel's Arab neighbors because they were not immediately suspected of betraying Israeli national interests. Menachim Begin, the first prime minister from the far right, concluded a peace treaty with Egypt. Then conservative Ariel Sharon ordered Israel's unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza strip. Both men made their careers with the Likud party which Netanyahu now leads. “Bibi” Never Favored the Two-State Solution But “Bibi,” as the Israelis call him, seemed to be exempt from this rule. On the contrary, his brutal lack of compromise that alienate even his closest allies threatens to put Israel's future at risk. Despite his protestations to the contrary, he was never genuinely for a two-state solution. Exactly like his arch-conservative father, he also envisions a “Greater Israel” that encompasses the West Bank and stretches from the Mediterranean Ocean to the Jordan River. It's only with these expanded borders that Netanyahu sees Israeli security finally guaranteed for the long term. Inevitably, more Palestinians would live in this larger country than previously. Therefore, Netanyahu and his conservative allies want to enshrine for once and for all the idea that Israel must remain a Jewish state. Currently, absent territorial expansion, every fifth citizen is an Arab-Israeli. That's why Netanyahu will have to soon resurrect his controversial proposed law that, regardless of a large Arab minority, Israel be forever a Jewish nation. “Jewish” and “democratic” won't work in an expanded Israel as the noted commentator and author Tom Friedman writes in the New York Times. Israel would then have only two options: Having a non-Jewish democracy or a Jewish non-democracy. Obama Will Give Up Trying That's the general opinion, above all outside of.

1. Netanyahu vs. the Rest of the World
Benjamin Netanyahu's reckless policies will further isolate
Israel and alienate the United States. He is leading his country
down a perilous path.
Published in Die Zeit (Germany) on 23 March 2015 by Martin
Klingst [link to original]
Translated from German by Ron Argentati. Edited by Laurence
Bouvard.
Posted on March 25, 2015.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sees his nation
surrounded by enemies — us against the rest of the world is the
mindset he held for the past six years of his administration and
it appears to be how he will continue in the future.
The majority of Israelis share his view and elected him to
another term in office. But his ruthless policies will not only
isolate his nation further, they will also continue to alienate
America.
President Obama has already threatened to review bilateral
relations between the U.S. and Israel. The disappointments and
bitterness caused by Netanyahu's refusal to compromise, his
duplicity and the brutal style of his actions have become too
great.
Throughout the grueling Middle East conflict, the rule of thumb
has been that Israel's conservative governments had been most
open to making concessions to the Palestinians and Israel's Arab
neighbors because they were not immediately suspected of
betraying Israeli national interests.
Menachim Begin, the first prime minister from the far right,
concluded a peace treaty with Egypt. Then conservative Ariel
Sharon ordered Israel's unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza
strip. Both men made their careers with the Likud party which
Netanyahu now leads.
“Bibi” Never Favored the Two-State

2. Solution
But “Bibi,” as the Israelis call him, seemed to be exempt from
this rule. On the contrary, his brutal lack of compromise that
alienate even his closest allies threatens to put Israel's future at
risk. Despite his protestations to the contrary, he was never
genuinely for a two-state solution. Exactly like his arch-
conservative father, he also envisions a “Greater Israel” that
encompasses the West Bank and stretches from the
Mediterranean Ocean to the Jordan River. It's only with these
expanded borders that Netanyahu sees Israeli security finally
guaranteed for the long term.
Inevitably, more Palestinians would live in this larger country
than previously. Therefore, Netanyahu and his conservative
allies want to enshrine for once and for all the idea that Israel
must remain a Jewish state. Currently, absent territorial
expansion, every fifth citizen is an Arab-Israeli. That's why
Netanyahu will have to soon resurrect his controversial
proposed law that, regardless of a large Arab minority, Israel be
forever a Jewish nation.
“Jewish” and “democratic” won't work in an expanded Israel as
the noted commentator and author Tom Friedman writes in the

3. New York Times. Israel would then have only two options:
Having a non-Jewish democracy or a Jewish non-democracy.
Obama Will Give Up Trying
That's the general opinion, above all outside of Israel, and that's
why the big push for the two-state solution. That's also the
opinion in the Obama administration even if it appears the
chances for it are diminishing, because the longer Netanyahu is
in power, the more settlements he will build and the more
foreign territory he will annex, making it more difficult to
separate a Jewish from a Palestinian state.
Thus, Obama is unlikely to push for Middle East peace during
the final two years of his administration — the frustration is
just too much. He had just been inaugurated president in 2009
when he made the Middle East conflict his main focus. As
euphoric as he was gullible, he thought he could revive the
peace talks. This past year, his secretary of state, hungry for
any sort of progress, also failed to do so.
The failures can't be placed exclusively on Netanyahu's
doorstep, but the brutal way he persists in publicly dealing with
the Obama administration, the audacity with which he
announces new settlement construction just when the Americans
think they've moved the ball a few inches closer to peace, has
naturally angered the Americans. In Obama's view, the United
States has always shown solidarity with Israel in every crisis
and always provided it with military support. But there's never

4. any reciprocity from Israel.
The Call for Sanctions on Israel
For that reason, Obama has since decided a nuclear agreement
with Iran is more important than cozy relations with Jerusalem.
That's also why he will continue distancing himself from Israel
and focusing more on countries he thinks he can more
successfully influence. Cuba, for example.
That's also why he now warns Israel he may “reassess” Israeli–
U.S. relations, something that could take many different forms:
Reduced cooperation in security matters; less financial and
military aid; no more automatic U.S. veto in the U.N. every
time Israeli military occupation and its settlement policies are
condemned by the Security Council.
Netanyahu will tell himself that he will still be the prime
minister of Israel two years from now when Obama leaves the
White House. What he will be ignoring, however, is the fact
that he has permanently angered not only the 44th president of
the United States but a significant number of American citizens
as well — many of them Jews.
Not all critics will go as far as renowned Jewish-American
journalist Peter Beinart, who just called for sanctions on
Netanyahu in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. But until very
recently, such demands from those principally seen as
supporters of Israel would have been unthinkable.
Source: http://watchingamerica.com/WA/2015/03/25/netanyahu-

5. vs-the-rest-of-the-world/
Netanyahu vs. the Rest of the World
Benjamin Netanyahu's reckless policies will further isolate
Israel and alienate the United States. He is leading his country
down a perilous path.
Published in Die Zeit (Germany) on 23 March 2015 by Martin
Klingst [link to original]
Translated from German by Ron Argentati. Edited by Laurence
Bouvard.
Posted on March 25, 2015.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sees his nation
surrounded by enemies — us against the rest of the world is the
mindset he held for the past six years of his administration and
it appears to be how he will continue in the future.
The majority of Israelis share his view and elected him to
another term in office. But his ruthless policies will not only
isolate his nation further, they will also continue to alienate
America.
President Obama has already threatened to review bilateral
relations between the U.S. and Israel. The disappointments and
bitterness caused by Netanyahu's refusal to compromise, his
duplicity and the brutal style of his actions have become too
great.
Throughout the grueling Middle East conflict, the rule of thumb

6. has been that Israel's conservative governments had been most
open to making concessions to the Palestinians and Israel's Arab
neighbors because they were not immediately suspected of
betraying Israeli national interests.
Menachim Begin, the first prime minister from the far right,
concluded a peace treaty with Egypt. Then conservative Ariel
Sharon ordered Israel's unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza
strip. Both men made their careers with the Likud party which
Netanyahu now leads.
“Bibi” Never Favored the Two-State