21 April 2009

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cancelled his visit to the US to attend the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference after he learned that President Barak Obama will not meet on the scheduled time, Arabs48 quoted Israeli sources as saying.
 
Sources, according to the internet site, said last week that Obama refuses to meet Netanyahu in the time being and that every Israeli effort to make the gathering possible was to no avail.
 
The sources also said that Netanyahu’s silence to his FM statement was understood in Washington as support to Avigdor Lieberman’s conditional restoration of talks between Israel and the Palestinian.
Lieberman does not want to go on with a two-state solution and wants the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state as a precondition for renewing talks. The US firmly rejects the notion as recently expressed by special envoy Geroge Mitchell and the US State Department.
 
“The US is indirectly telling Israel that the chaos that characterized Bush’s 8-year term has ended and that Israel is required to stick to its commitments to the US by evacuating settlements and adopting the two-state solution, if Israel really wants Washington’s support,” the source told Arabs48 site.
 
The site’s report said that Netanyahu had asked President Shimon Peres, not Lieberman, to represent Israel during the AIPAC conference, for his capability to better promote Netanyahu’s government.
 
The Israel Army Radio said that despite Netanyahu’s statements following his meeting with Mitchell, the PM is ready to start contact with the Palestinians without pre-set conditions.

MI Chief: Obama Middle East Policy Threatens Israel

Israeli Military Intelligence Chief Amos Yadlin said Monday that the Middle East policy of U.S. President Barack Obama's administration could endanger Israel.
 
"The Obama administration is determined to take initiative and move forward central processes in the Middle East," Yadlin told ministers at a special cabinet meeting.
 
"Obama wants to advance the peace process in the direction of realistic discussions with extremist elements," Yadlin said, adding that the struggle between what he called “extremist and moderate elements” in the region was worsening.
 
Over the last three years, Yadlin's security updates to ministers have mainly focused on the challenges facing Israel and have rarely referred to diplomatic opportunities with Syria or the Palestinians.
 
In his first appearance before the ministers in the newly installed Netanyanu cabinet, Yadlin offered his assessment of the strategic situation in the Middle East.
 
Yadlin commented on the threats facing Israel as well as the diplomatic efforts on the Syrian and Palestinian fronts. What was noteworthy about the day's developments is that in a briefing held by the Israeli Prime Minister's bureau following the session with Yadlin, the MI chief's remarks about the threats against Israel were the only comments released to the press.