US doesn’t believe us

Netanyahu must find way to regain trust of America’s leadership

Emmanuel Rosen|Published: 03.17.10 , 00:17

When looking at America’s angry outburst towards Prime Minister Netanyahu, one can only chuckle at the pretenses of some people around here to dictate to Washington a response to and sanctions on Tehran. In addition to the possibility that the Biden incident ruined the chances of reviving the peace process, it also put Israel in its natural, small, and limited place in terms of the ability to determine if, when, and how the world will be acting against the Iranian threat.

The quick lesson drawn by Netanyahu – to include an official on his behalf in the district committee that approves construction in Jerusalem – is pitiful at best. The problem is not the unpleasantness or momentary misunderstanding. The problem is that officials at the White House and State Department don’t believe us and don’t really wish to view Israel as the intimate preferred partner it has been for years.

At once, the incident took us back to Obama’s first days on the job – everyone is equal before him, Jews and Arabs, Bibi and Abbas.

The American assault on Netanyahu was blatant and lacked any diplomatic nuances this time. The State Department’s spokesman did not forget to mention during his briefing that the Americans expect those who receive such generous support to conduct themselves accordingly. It was both insulting and crude, yet it was also authentic and genuinely expressed the mood within a US Administration that lacks Clinton’s basic fondness and certainly the anti-Islam policy dictated by George W. Bush.

Symbolic gift

The question is, of course, whether Netanyahu wants to and can bring our ties with America back to a place where even when the partnership faces a crisis, it is nonetheless stable and dignified. The current situation whereby the cowardly and spineless Mahmoud Abbas is turning into America’s preferred son is odd. Netanyahu needs to restore his credibility and return to a path where the disagreements are clear and where it’s also clear that Israel is a responsible and normal state.

For that, he doesn’t need an official to sit in at the Jerusalem district committee; for that, he needs to be a prime minister.

For the time being, we can lay off the attempt to dictate to the US where to strike in Iran. There are some more urgent matters on the Israeli-American agenda, before we go back to deluding ourselves that anyone pays attentions to us when it comes to considering the most sensitive and fateful decision in the foreign policy of America and the whole world.

During Vice President Biden’s visit, Netanyahu managed to break not only the trust vis-à-vis Obama, but also the gift he prepared for Obama’s deputy. Never before was a gift like this, of the type given to international guests, so symbolic - particularly as it was shattered. Netanyahu emerged from the gift incident with gracious elegance. Yet Hillary Clinton’s castigation was a little harder to escape.

Now, people may say that one blonde woman controls Netanyahu’s decisions here in Israel, while another blonde woman in the US treats him like a scolded student. This is unpleasant and quite terrible. Most of all, it requires urgent repair.