In an op-ed for the New York Times, Avi Shlaim wrote, On Jan. 14, the Israeli defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, told the daily Yediot Aharonot, "Secretary of State John Kerry -- who arrived here determined, who operates from an incomprehensible obsession and a sense of messianism -- can't teach me anything about the conflict with the Palestinians." Even by Israeli standards, Mr. Yaalon's comments were rather rude. Mr. Kerry's crime was to try to broker Israeli-Palestinian peace talks that began last July and to stipulate a nine-month deadline. This is the kind of talk that gives chutzpah a bad name. The episode also reveals a great deal about the nature of the much-vaunted special relationship between the United States and Israel. It suggests that this relationship is a one-way street, with America doing all the diplomatic heavy lifting while Israel limits its role to obstruction and whining -- repaying Uncle Sam's generosity with ingratitude and scorn. Shlaim goes on to accuse Israel...(Read Full Post)