Mar 30 2015
Deconstructing Netnayhau
By Daoud Kuttab
Pundits are wondering why two statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prior to the Israeli elections and on the day of the elections drew so much attention.
After the elections, Republican leader and former presidential contender John McCaintold US president Barack Obama to “get over your temper tantrum.”
For Israel supporters like McCain, Netanyahu’s statements are merely election rhetoric that can easily be resolved and even erased.
In fact, Netanyahu already slightly backtracked from his pre-election opposition to the two-state solution and also technically apologized to Israel’s Arab citizens.
So some might wonder why the big fuss over these two statements. Well, to understand the depth of the problems caused by these two statements, it is important to understand the two basic components of the world (i.e., US) policy towards Israel.
Washington and many European countries consider Israel a democratic country that fairly and honestly represents all its citizens, and not just the Jewish population.
If the US and other Western countries reached the conclusion that Israel is undemocratic and a religious state, they could not have given it the kind of support (financial, political and military) they have. Continue Reading »