February 21, 2011

Obama and Israel at the Security Council: A Tie?

By Richard Baehr
So what should we make of the U.S veto of a Security Council resolution on Friday, after which our Ambassador to the U.N. effectively endorsed the very resolution she had vetoed in a sneering attack on Israeli settlements, later compounded by Secretary of State Clinton calling the settlements illegitimate?   Should we consider the net effect of the veto and the condemnation a tie, or something worse? After all, in the sports world," a tie is like kissing your sister," an expression attributed to among others Bear Bryant, Darryl Royal, and Eddie Erdelatz.  If diplomats are trained to be subtle, nuanced, and diplomatic, the Obama administration has crossed a line, moving from challenging settlement expansion  to declaring the settlements themselves as illegitimate, including Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem. Perhaps we can get clarity on legitimacy from Mahmoud Abbas,  currently serving the 74th month of his 48 month term as President of the...(Read Full Article)