.jpg "Photo: AFP")
James Wolfensohn
Photo: AFP
Wolfensohn: US may lose interest in Israel
Former World Bank president says global economic, political changes could weaken Israel-US ties
Former World Bank President James Wolfensohn told the Jewish Federation of Chicago that the Lebanon war was an unprecedented test to Israel's military and withing a year or two the Jewish State will no longer be Washington's center of attention.
Wolfensohn said although the West recognizes Israel's historical legitimacy and cherish strategic ties with Jerusalem, recent changes in the Middle East leave the Jewish State in a problematic position.
Ongoing clashes between Fatah and Hamas, and the influx of arms into the Gaza Strip from Sinai, obliterated understandings reached between Israel and the Palestinians during the August 2005 disengagement from the Gaza Strip.
Wolfensohn said while Israel's military capabilities were put to the test, Iran's influence in the region is on the rise.
Washington, he said, is not in a good position to deal with the Iranian nuclear threat because of its military entanglement in Iraq and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism across the globe.
He urged Diaspora Jews to support Israel over the next two years as energy shortages, Muslim demographic ascension and the rise of China as an economic power could weaken Israel's strategic allegiance with Washington.
