John Kerry didn’t have a good weekend. After days of hectic shuttle diplomacy, Hamas and Israel remain locked in conflict. Moreover, Israeli politicians have spent the weekend slamming Kerry for his ceasefire proposals.
Israel’s anger at the American Secretary of State is significant. Cabinet officials have thrown scorn upon his very character: Kerry is “incapable of handling the most basic matters, was one remark.
As I noted back in April, these tensions have been bubbling for months. Divided by ideology (liberal v conservative), personality (academic v Special Forces officer) and philosophy, Obama and Netanyahu are very different men. Combined with their disagreements on the issues, these two leaders neither like, nor trust each other. Their mutual disdain has infected US-Israeli political dialogue at the executive level. Especially, albeit sometimes unfairly, with regards to John Kerry.
Still, it’s important to remember that US-Israeli relations have always been complex.
Even George W Bush had his issues with Israel. In 2007, Bush refused then-Israeli Prime Minister Olmert’s request to bomb a Syrian nuclear facility. Obama’s predecessor also condemned settlement activity in the West Bank. Interestingly, George HW Bush had a major falling out with former Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Shamir, prior to the 1991 Madrid conference.
It's not just political complexity.
Consider the US-Israeli intelligence relationship. While US-Israeli intelligence co-operation is well known (see the "Stuxnet virus" against Iran), there’s another side to this coin. After all, alongside Cuba, China, Iran and Russia, Israel is regarded by America as a top espionage adversary. Israel's cyber spying is particularly aggressive.
As I say, US-Israeli relations are complicated. However, the casual (and often anti-Semitic) claims that America’s pro-Israel policies are solely about nefarious DC lobbying are patently absurd. The truth is far simpler: most Americans (myself included) often support Israel because we’re… pro-Israel.
That said, at times such as this, US public opinion is largely irrelevant.
The US executive branch has ultimate control over foreign policy. It’s a reality that many in Israel don’t grasp. Take David Horovitz’s column on Saturday. Recognising the “profound disconnect between Jerusalem and Washington”, Horovitz laments the Obama administration’s desire for an urgent ceasefire. But what Horovitz fails to understand is that the Obama administration is obsessed by the immediate, visible conflict rather than its roots. Where President Obama's foreign policy prioritises short-term "firefighting" over longer term strategy, the Netanyahu government is concerned with what happens next: whether Hamas is weakened or strengthened over the long term. In turn, that's why Kerry is doubling-down (watch the video above) on his plan to grant concessions to Hamas. He wants a quick deal. A deal that defers difficulties.
Either way, such a deal will cause inevitable US-Israeli tension.
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