Most of this is depressingly accurate. But a quibble. American pressure on Quatar did not fail. Trump never put any pressure on Quatar or threatened the enormous leverage the US actually has. To move that base somewhere else. Quatar has captured the world with its money and the implications are horrifying. Israel is between a rock and a hard place. Unless Bibi can somehow change Trump's mind when talking with him (possible. Trump has no coherent ideology and often reacts to the last thing he's seen or heard) then complying with American demands will destroy any semblance of victory in this war. If he resists he will have made an enemy of Trump.
A new paradigm is needed. Israel is small but powerful. It simply cannot rely on the patronage of the United States any longer. It is very clear that a Democratic administration will be geometrically worse.
These Arab countries are using the Gazaniacs as rude pawns and those in Gaza aren't smart enough to realize this manipulation is NOT in their best interest because they keep telling themselves that the Gulf countries ARE their supporters. One other item, these oil countries think their petroleum gives them leverage over Israel and the US. Delusional.
It shouldn't as we do not need their oil since we have our own oil and natural gas in abundance. Perhaps this is why Trump is so desperate to overthrow Maduro, so as to get their oil. It's likely this is related to what's taking place in the Middle East. I hope Bibi resists the pressure, but I don't think he will. I also hope Trump is waking up to the treachery of qatar. He should have let Israel finish the job, but he let himself be talked into this terrible deal.
Bibi will resist the pressure despite the internal yahoos in the Knesset and country. As to Qatar I firmly believe Trump knows exactly where the rats are in the region because unlike former President Vegetable he IS engaged.
Imagine a world where a sovereign nation was attacked, responded and then agreed to pay for it. Nothing will ever change for JEWS until WE stop allowing ourselves to be treated differently. Netanyahu’s balls are in a jar. He will agree to things that no other sovereign nation with dignity would ever be asked. He will agree to things that distort moral clarity. Would Trump have paid to rebuild Dresden in 1946 if he were Truman? This is going to be painful to watch. In fairness to Netanyahu the sheep that make up a gigantic percentage of the Jewish populace both in Israel and in the United States have worked tirelessly to deny Israel victory be deluding themselves that a win in this conflict somehow centered around the return of the hostages and politicizing this against Bibi
Quite a disturbing essay. I wish I could find something that undercuts its arguments and its conclusions. But here we are.
Netanyahu has shown himself to be a master at navigating situations that place him between a rock and a hard place. And I always try to avoid unwarranted pessimism, if only for my own mental health. Nevertheless, If life were a chessboard, this would seem like the appropriate time to concede the game and stop dragging things out.
Fortunately, the rules of multidimensional chess do not exclude the miraculous. So, I will look forward to seeing what new rabbit Bibi manages to pull out of the hat this time. B'ezrat hashem.
If you're playing checkers, for ex., and going into the endgame your opponent has five kings and you have only one, your chances of winning would be effectively zero. Israel, however, can fight against five armies and pull off an amazing victory.
First Israel, then Europe. Neither can be allowed to fall to Islam. I am completely sure President Trump knows this: Just as The West knows what the Arab plan is for The West. This is why The Muslim Brotherhood’s plan for The West cannot be allowed. Period.
Bibi should start cosplaying Begin. If he allows Turkish shoes in Gaza, he will lose power. He should remember that if now he's scared of sanctions and accusations, in 10 years he will pay for it by life.
Israel needs the U.S. as an ally but not more than it needs to control its own destiny and security. Netanyahu must have the courage to anger Trump and withstand his bluster and threats. Israel is subjected to a double standard because it allows itself to be subject to a double standard. The alternative is a rearmed and re-energized Hamas and Hezbollah, Turkey on Israel’s doorstep in Gaza and Syria, and region manipulated by Qatar, Iran, and the Saudis.
Israel needs America as an ally, but Israel needs to prepare for a future in which America is an even more unreliable ally. The Democrats are rapidly moving away from Israel and if Vance follows Trump, Republican support for Israel may weaken.
The meeting in Doha, the author is basing his analysis on that performative clown show ? And he uses Tucker Carlson and Hilary Clinton as legitimizers of his narrative? Give me a break. Here is the reality of what happened there and we’ve seen it time and again. All of the actors there need America more than America needs them. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt despise Qatar because for decades she has been trying to destabilize their regimes and replace them with radical ones which is why a few years ago they blockaded her and broke off relations. It was only pressure from the treacherous Biden administration that ended that. Egypt and Jordan both get much needed aid from the US and for heaven’s sake Jordan depends on Israel for her water supply and security. The failing European empire hates America because they are so dependent on her because they have made so many deals with the devil for the sake of short term gain. Let’s face it America bashing is a favourite game among these actors for various reasons but behind closed doors it is a different matter. If America moved its major based out of Qatar and Turkey and demanded the extradition of the terrorists that they harbour they would soil themselves. Israel is the only Middle East country that does not belong to the club of sometime and frequent America bashers and America gets back more from America than it gives.
Does Trump know this? I hope so because not only Israel’s fate but also America’s fate depends on it. I agree with the author that Trump is too enamoured of these transactional deals that he keeps making and loves to brag about. That is one of his great weaknesses. It is even more unfortunate that the State department just like the British Foreign office is heavily populated by Jew- hating Arabists who are very clever at undermining their leaders. But Trump has committed himself to his plan and the UN Security Council has endorsed it. The next part of his plan is disarming Hamas. Everyone knows that only Israel has the motivation and skill and is willing to make the necessary sacrifices to do that and if that doesn’t happen then the rest of the twenty point plan goes out the window. America’s prestige and Trump’s own image depends on that and that is what Netanyahu has to bring home to the sometimes volatile and childish President.
I am very interested to see what happens. I hope you are right but since we all know Hamas will not disarm or move forward in any other way Trump will have to say essentially "the deal is off. Have at it". I just can't see him saying that. I hope I am wrong.
The thing is that it is not just the Hamas deal that is at stake but America’s credibility in the ME in general. Remember that there is another ceasefire in place in the north with Hezbollah that that terrorist entity is constantly violating. Who is enforcing it? Israel is constantly slapping them down. Trump wants the Lebonese army to disarm them bu so far they are unable to do so so Israel will eventually have to do that too, probably with a ground operation. Once Lebanon has control of its own territory then it is possible, and I would say likely, that she will make peace with Israel by joining the Abraham accords. Unfortunately this war is not over yet. What the Doha meeting represented was an attempt to create a UN of the ME and we know how that works. There is a saying about the UN that when you mix sh*t with ice cream you get…
The thing is, I don’t see america as any kind of ally to Israel, and I don’t think it ever really was. It was convenient for them to keep Israel on side, that’s all. America has always received far more from Israel than they’ve ever given, and that needs to change.
Yes, I believe that trump was, in his first term an ally, but not this time around, not when it really counted. He’s become enamoured with dirty moslem money and deals.
I think he’s also detached himself because thanks to the tsunami of Jew-hatred right now, it’s more popular to be against Israel than stand with her. Further proof of what a treacherous weakling he is.
"The thing is, I don’t see america as any kind of ally to Israel, and I don’t think it ever really was."
Really? So, of Israel's allies, name a country since 1948 that has done more to help Israel?
"I think he’s also detached himself because thanks to the tsunami of Jew-hatred right now, it’s more popular to be against Israel than stand with her. Further proof of what a treacherous weakling he is."
OK, we will be happy to give you back Obama and Biden.
The words you have quoted are spoken in exasperation, I think. We actually truly appreciate the support of The USA for these years. Trump is a real friend. Best wishes.
American is an ally and outside of say Micronesia the best one. It has supported Israel diplomatically at the UN and militarily by providing weaponry. But the alliance is fraying and within the Democratic party, teetering on the edge of dissolving altogether. Israel cannot count on American support going forward.
"The Gulf holds the investment pipelines that much of the American economy depends on, the region holds many of the arms contracts sustaining America’s defense industry, and behind them stand China, Russia, and Iran waiting to fill any vacuum the United States creates."
The US is now a net energy exporter - end of that argument. American doesn't "need" Middle Eastern money. If they are stupid enough to send it to Russia and Communist China that's on them. They are actually smarter than that.
The F-35 as an example: No Middle Eastern nation other than Israel has even one F-35. Japan and many Euro countries have them, but Lockheed doesn't need them, they need Lockheed, or they can buy from Sweden. Some do. The US does not need the Middle East to "sustain" its defense industries. That is utter nonsense and rubbish.
I stopped reading right there. Sloppy, lazy thinking.
The comments below reflect the fact that the readers of this column are intelligent and well informed, unlike so many other online publications. I will humbly add my two cents here as the son of the recently deceased last surviving pilot who flew for Israel in 1948.
Both the author and commentator Max Dublin present excellent perspectives, as do so many others.
I feel that nobody is better qualified in Israel to deal with this situation than PM Netanyahu. If we had a Vice President equivalent it should be Naftali Bennett given his hardline stance since Oct 7th, and we are almost ready to forgive him for having betrayed us by previously hijacking all the right wing votes not so long ago to oust BiBi and replace him with that ridiculous "Anything but BiBi" coalition. But we do not, so the "Last of the Mohicans" (Bibi) must go for broke alone in Washington next week, given the context of what the author of this article has laid out so well. The stress on this man must be unbearable. I feel that he must attempt to convince President Trump to do the following in order to "alter the prevailing mood".
1) Return that damn airplane to the Muslim Brotherhood (Al Thani Royal family of Qatar)
2) Announce that the USA will be abandoning its Al-Udeid Airbase base 20 miles southwest of Doha and rebuilding another "new and improved" Centcom base in Northern Gaza
3) Sanction Tucker Carlson and Hillary Clinton in the same fashion as Francesca Albanese, and while he is at it do the same to the wife of that clown George Clooney.
Let Israel clean up Gaza as a cover facade fake ....since it will then control Gaza.....folks...wake up this is a world wide Muslim religious war....the rest is bullshit ...how do you stop a world wide Muslim religious war?.....
Let’s not mind-read Trump. You can only see executed actions. The two allies showed how it’s done with Iran that no one was able to do before. Pearl clutching doesn’t help anyone, including the pearls.
QUESTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS. WHAT IS TRUMP JR. DOING PLAYING DIPLOMAT.? HE IS CONTINUING THE FAMILY TRADITION OF PLAYING AT POLITICS WHILE ILLEGALLY INSERTING HIMSELF, PRETENDING TO BE A REAL DIPLOMAT. HIS FAMILY'S INTEREST IN GAZA WAS BLURTED OUT BY HIS FATHER, SEVERAL WEEKS AGO WHEN HE SAID HE ENVISIONED A GLAMOROUS RESORT AND GOLF MECCA THERE WITH NO PALESTINIANS ALLOWED TO STAY. HE WAS SO FOCUSED ON A PERCEIVED IDEA THAT HE ACTUALLY DESERVED A PEACE PRIZE, THAT HE DID NOT UNDERSTAND THAT SUCH A STATEMENT DID NOT SHOW PEACEMAKING, JUST GREED. I THINK HE IS BEING PLAYED BY THE ARAB STATES, AND PUTIN, AND THAT IS NOT GOOD FOR ISRAEL, OR THE USA. BOTH COUNTRIES ARE BEING SIDELINED BY TRUMPS PERSONAL AMBITIONS AND EGO. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
I think all caps is difficult to read. In the future, use upper and lower case, along with paragraphs, when you want people to readily read and understand what you have written.
I pray that HaShem gives Bibi the strength to face down the world and tell trump and the beshitted arab/moslem countries to shove it.
The right thing to do would have been to get the hell out of Israel’s way and let them finish what the fakestinians started.
But no, Trump had to have his ‘deal’. And now he’s f**ked himself out of relevance.
This is what happens when you betray Israel. It comes back and bites you in the ass.
Say it out loud my good Lady
I always do! 😂
I wish I didn't agree with you.
I hope & pray that Bibi is successful.
Exactly, and he will take his irrelevance out on Israel, the only party he can control.
Most of this is depressingly accurate. But a quibble. American pressure on Quatar did not fail. Trump never put any pressure on Quatar or threatened the enormous leverage the US actually has. To move that base somewhere else. Quatar has captured the world with its money and the implications are horrifying. Israel is between a rock and a hard place. Unless Bibi can somehow change Trump's mind when talking with him (possible. Trump has no coherent ideology and often reacts to the last thing he's seen or heard) then complying with American demands will destroy any semblance of victory in this war. If he resists he will have made an enemy of Trump.
A new paradigm is needed. Israel is small but powerful. It simply cannot rely on the patronage of the United States any longer. It is very clear that a Democratic administration will be geometrically worse.
Absolutely correct. Qatari money has done enormous damage to Israel in the court of public opinion.
Also: Trump has no ideology other than his own ego: when the chips are down, he will not support Israel if it costs him so much as a dime.
I pray that Netanyahu walks away without conceding anything. I believe he will do the right thing.
I believe Netanyahu will stay strong. He will not give in.
These Arab countries are using the Gazaniacs as rude pawns and those in Gaza aren't smart enough to realize this manipulation is NOT in their best interest because they keep telling themselves that the Gulf countries ARE their supporters. One other item, these oil countries think their petroleum gives them leverage over Israel and the US. Delusional.
It shouldn't as we do not need their oil since we have our own oil and natural gas in abundance. Perhaps this is why Trump is so desperate to overthrow Maduro, so as to get their oil. It's likely this is related to what's taking place in the Middle East. I hope Bibi resists the pressure, but I don't think he will. I also hope Trump is waking up to the treachery of qatar. He should have let Israel finish the job, but he let himself be talked into this terrible deal.
Bibi will resist the pressure despite the internal yahoos in the Knesset and country. As to Qatar I firmly believe Trump knows exactly where the rats are in the region because unlike former President Vegetable he IS engaged.
GOD BLESS ISRAEL AND ITS PEOPLE
Imagine a world where a sovereign nation was attacked, responded and then agreed to pay for it. Nothing will ever change for JEWS until WE stop allowing ourselves to be treated differently. Netanyahu’s balls are in a jar. He will agree to things that no other sovereign nation with dignity would ever be asked. He will agree to things that distort moral clarity. Would Trump have paid to rebuild Dresden in 1946 if he were Truman? This is going to be painful to watch. In fairness to Netanyahu the sheep that make up a gigantic percentage of the Jewish populace both in Israel and in the United States have worked tirelessly to deny Israel victory be deluding themselves that a win in this conflict somehow centered around the return of the hostages and politicizing this against Bibi
Quite a disturbing essay. I wish I could find something that undercuts its arguments and its conclusions. But here we are.
Netanyahu has shown himself to be a master at navigating situations that place him between a rock and a hard place. And I always try to avoid unwarranted pessimism, if only for my own mental health. Nevertheless, If life were a chessboard, this would seem like the appropriate time to concede the game and stop dragging things out.
Fortunately, the rules of multidimensional chess do not exclude the miraculous. So, I will look forward to seeing what new rabbit Bibi manages to pull out of the hat this time. B'ezrat hashem.
What do you mean by "conceding the game"? Who would be conceding?
If you're playing checkers, for ex., and going into the endgame your opponent has five kings and you have only one, your chances of winning would be effectively zero. Israel, however, can fight against five armies and pull off an amazing victory.
First Israel, then Europe. Neither can be allowed to fall to Islam. I am completely sure President Trump knows this: Just as The West knows what the Arab plan is for The West. This is why The Muslim Brotherhood’s plan for The West cannot be allowed. Period.
Bibi should start cosplaying Begin. If he allows Turkish shoes in Gaza, he will lose power. He should remember that if now he's scared of sanctions and accusations, in 10 years he will pay for it by life.
Israel needs the U.S. as an ally but not more than it needs to control its own destiny and security. Netanyahu must have the courage to anger Trump and withstand his bluster and threats. Israel is subjected to a double standard because it allows itself to be subject to a double standard. The alternative is a rearmed and re-energized Hamas and Hezbollah, Turkey on Israel’s doorstep in Gaza and Syria, and region manipulated by Qatar, Iran, and the Saudis.
I agree with what you said, except for Israel’s need for america as an ally.
Let’s face it, america has a well deserved bad reputation for throwing its allies to the wolves when they find it convenient to do so.
Even Kissinger said it.
With ‘friends’ like trump, who needs enemies?
Israel needs America as an ally, but Israel needs to prepare for a future in which America is an even more unreliable ally. The Democrats are rapidly moving away from Israel and if Vance follows Trump, Republican support for Israel may weaken.
The meeting in Doha, the author is basing his analysis on that performative clown show ? And he uses Tucker Carlson and Hilary Clinton as legitimizers of his narrative? Give me a break. Here is the reality of what happened there and we’ve seen it time and again. All of the actors there need America more than America needs them. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt despise Qatar because for decades she has been trying to destabilize their regimes and replace them with radical ones which is why a few years ago they blockaded her and broke off relations. It was only pressure from the treacherous Biden administration that ended that. Egypt and Jordan both get much needed aid from the US and for heaven’s sake Jordan depends on Israel for her water supply and security. The failing European empire hates America because they are so dependent on her because they have made so many deals with the devil for the sake of short term gain. Let’s face it America bashing is a favourite game among these actors for various reasons but behind closed doors it is a different matter. If America moved its major based out of Qatar and Turkey and demanded the extradition of the terrorists that they harbour they would soil themselves. Israel is the only Middle East country that does not belong to the club of sometime and frequent America bashers and America gets back more from America than it gives.
Does Trump know this? I hope so because not only Israel’s fate but also America’s fate depends on it. I agree with the author that Trump is too enamoured of these transactional deals that he keeps making and loves to brag about. That is one of his great weaknesses. It is even more unfortunate that the State department just like the British Foreign office is heavily populated by Jew- hating Arabists who are very clever at undermining their leaders. But Trump has committed himself to his plan and the UN Security Council has endorsed it. The next part of his plan is disarming Hamas. Everyone knows that only Israel has the motivation and skill and is willing to make the necessary sacrifices to do that and if that doesn’t happen then the rest of the twenty point plan goes out the window. America’s prestige and Trump’s own image depends on that and that is what Netanyahu has to bring home to the sometimes volatile and childish President.
I am very interested to see what happens. I hope you are right but since we all know Hamas will not disarm or move forward in any other way Trump will have to say essentially "the deal is off. Have at it". I just can't see him saying that. I hope I am wrong.
The thing is that it is not just the Hamas deal that is at stake but America’s credibility in the ME in general. Remember that there is another ceasefire in place in the north with Hezbollah that that terrorist entity is constantly violating. Who is enforcing it? Israel is constantly slapping them down. Trump wants the Lebonese army to disarm them bu so far they are unable to do so so Israel will eventually have to do that too, probably with a ground operation. Once Lebanon has control of its own territory then it is possible, and I would say likely, that she will make peace with Israel by joining the Abraham accords. Unfortunately this war is not over yet. What the Doha meeting represented was an attempt to create a UN of the ME and we know how that works. There is a saying about the UN that when you mix sh*t with ice cream you get…
Precisely rigbt.
The thing is, I don’t see america as any kind of ally to Israel, and I don’t think it ever really was. It was convenient for them to keep Israel on side, that’s all. America has always received far more from Israel than they’ve ever given, and that needs to change.
Yes, I believe that trump was, in his first term an ally, but not this time around, not when it really counted. He’s become enamoured with dirty moslem money and deals.
I think he’s also detached himself because thanks to the tsunami of Jew-hatred right now, it’s more popular to be against Israel than stand with her. Further proof of what a treacherous weakling he is.
Exactly
"The thing is, I don’t see america as any kind of ally to Israel, and I don’t think it ever really was."
Really? So, of Israel's allies, name a country since 1948 that has done more to help Israel?
"I think he’s also detached himself because thanks to the tsunami of Jew-hatred right now, it’s more popular to be against Israel than stand with her. Further proof of what a treacherous weakling he is."
OK, we will be happy to give you back Obama and Biden.
Also the country that stopped Israel having a decisive win every war she’s been in since 1948.
And America has had to pushed every time.
And you can keep obama and biden. It wa thanks to American voters we had to put up with them in the first place.
The words you have quoted are spoken in exasperation, I think. We actually truly appreciate the support of The USA for these years. Trump is a real friend. Best wishes.
American is an ally and outside of say Micronesia the best one. It has supported Israel diplomatically at the UN and militarily by providing weaponry. But the alliance is fraying and within the Democratic party, teetering on the edge of dissolving altogether. Israel cannot count on American support going forward.
You mean its allies to the wolves.
Yes, I do.
Thanks for that.
I’ll amend it.
I hear you.
USA and Israel in joint task to take full control over Gaza and no one else
"The Gulf holds the investment pipelines that much of the American economy depends on, the region holds many of the arms contracts sustaining America’s defense industry, and behind them stand China, Russia, and Iran waiting to fill any vacuum the United States creates."
The US is now a net energy exporter - end of that argument. American doesn't "need" Middle Eastern money. If they are stupid enough to send it to Russia and Communist China that's on them. They are actually smarter than that.
The F-35 as an example: No Middle Eastern nation other than Israel has even one F-35. Japan and many Euro countries have them, but Lockheed doesn't need them, they need Lockheed, or they can buy from Sweden. Some do. The US does not need the Middle East to "sustain" its defense industries. That is utter nonsense and rubbish.
I stopped reading right there. Sloppy, lazy thinking.
The comments below reflect the fact that the readers of this column are intelligent and well informed, unlike so many other online publications. I will humbly add my two cents here as the son of the recently deceased last surviving pilot who flew for Israel in 1948.
Both the author and commentator Max Dublin present excellent perspectives, as do so many others.
I feel that nobody is better qualified in Israel to deal with this situation than PM Netanyahu. If we had a Vice President equivalent it should be Naftali Bennett given his hardline stance since Oct 7th, and we are almost ready to forgive him for having betrayed us by previously hijacking all the right wing votes not so long ago to oust BiBi and replace him with that ridiculous "Anything but BiBi" coalition. But we do not, so the "Last of the Mohicans" (Bibi) must go for broke alone in Washington next week, given the context of what the author of this article has laid out so well. The stress on this man must be unbearable. I feel that he must attempt to convince President Trump to do the following in order to "alter the prevailing mood".
1) Return that damn airplane to the Muslim Brotherhood (Al Thani Royal family of Qatar)
2) Announce that the USA will be abandoning its Al-Udeid Airbase base 20 miles southwest of Doha and rebuilding another "new and improved" Centcom base in Northern Gaza
3) Sanction Tucker Carlson and Hillary Clinton in the same fashion as Francesca Albanese, and while he is at it do the same to the wife of that clown George Clooney.
Let Israel clean up Gaza as a cover facade fake ....since it will then control Gaza.....folks...wake up this is a world wide Muslim religious war....the rest is bullshit ...how do you stop a world wide Muslim religious war?.....
Let’s not mind-read Trump. You can only see executed actions. The two allies showed how it’s done with Iran that no one was able to do before. Pearl clutching doesn’t help anyone, including the pearls.
QUESTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS. WHAT IS TRUMP JR. DOING PLAYING DIPLOMAT.? HE IS CONTINUING THE FAMILY TRADITION OF PLAYING AT POLITICS WHILE ILLEGALLY INSERTING HIMSELF, PRETENDING TO BE A REAL DIPLOMAT. HIS FAMILY'S INTEREST IN GAZA WAS BLURTED OUT BY HIS FATHER, SEVERAL WEEKS AGO WHEN HE SAID HE ENVISIONED A GLAMOROUS RESORT AND GOLF MECCA THERE WITH NO PALESTINIANS ALLOWED TO STAY. HE WAS SO FOCUSED ON A PERCEIVED IDEA THAT HE ACTUALLY DESERVED A PEACE PRIZE, THAT HE DID NOT UNDERSTAND THAT SUCH A STATEMENT DID NOT SHOW PEACEMAKING, JUST GREED. I THINK HE IS BEING PLAYED BY THE ARAB STATES, AND PUTIN, AND THAT IS NOT GOOD FOR ISRAEL, OR THE USA. BOTH COUNTRIES ARE BEING SIDELINED BY TRUMPS PERSONAL AMBITIONS AND EGO. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
I think all caps is difficult to read. In the future, use upper and lower case, along with paragraphs, when you want people to readily read and understand what you have written.