Seeking to sell his total settlement freeze policy, US President Barak Obama is offering Israel two enticements. The first is that a number of Arab nations that do not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel to permit Israeli planes to use their airspace. Such a move would significantly reduce flight time from Israel to the Far East. These nations would include Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the UAE.
Such a move would take three hours off of the flying time for flights from Tel Aviv to Mumbai, Hong Kong and Bangkok.
Israel would also be permitted to reopen offices that were closed during recent years, offices that permitted Israel to promote her interests, Yediot Achronot reports. Such offices existed in the past in Morocco, Tunisia, Qatar and Oman.
According to the report, the American offer was discussed in this week’s meeting between Defense Minister Ehud Barak and US Mideast envoy George Mitchell.
While the report indicates Israel is aware that the White House has managed to secure commitments from the Arab nations involved, the Americans are unwilling as of yet to make this a formal proposal since to date, Israel has not announced a willingness to halt all construction in yishuvim and other areas classified as “settlements” by the United States.
Mitchell told Barak that the president did not give him a mandate for leniency, unwilling to accept any compromise on the settlement construction issue.
President Barak is working to advance the PA (Palestinian Authority) agenda, seeking to halt all Israeli settlement construction, pressuring Israel to relax security restrictions on PA residents, and in addition America will give $400 million 2010. A good portion of the funding is allocated to establish 10-12 police divisions to maintain law and order and build a solid judicial system.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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13 Responses
yeh that all ver nice but the arabic countries will a few months later close the offices and ban flight routes but the pa will still have the settlements.
Nice try mr obama but get lost. this is from a person that originaly voted for you thinking you had something inside you!
obama – bad for the Jews – bad for Israel. By his actions he is securing himself a very hot spot in gehennom.
That would be a big mistake, never agree to a freeze. 3 hours plus a couple of offices outway Thousands of apartments and the security of millions of people living in Israel.
How stupid can one be?
The 2 Baraks are fools.
For 3 hours of flying time hundreds of thousand of Yidden have to suffer!
Obama think tank at his best!
Obama is really flunking in the Middle East, big time. He is not the supervisor of Isreal. As an alleged lawyer, he should know it is not legal to tell a country what to do with their land. As he stated in his campaign, “Israel is a sovereign nation whose existence must be recognized.” Well, if you say it’s a sovereign nation, why try to coerce a sovereign nation to do with it’s own territory what it’s enemies and non-citizens want them to do with it’s land?
A “Bribe” for the West Bank settlements wouldn’t be bad, but for starters consider asking for the American embassy to be in Jerusalem, have the US and other major powers pay for new homes for those in the West Bank and perhaps assume Israel’s national debt (as compensation for expenses incurred due the Arab’s wrongful attack in 1947 and the decision of the UN to prevent it), a gift of sufficient nuclear technology to give Israel a meaningful deterrent (perhaps a few nuclear submarines and a base far removed from the middle east); Perhaps an agreement of weapons parity between Israel and the Muslim states (taken as a whole); Perhaps a guarantee from the Islamic states to end all anti-Jewish propaganda and attacks, worldwide (something that is easily verifiable).
However I believe that many Hareidi rabbanim will hold that a sufficiently meaningful and believable offer of “peace” is more important that territory. Remember that future of the world is dependent on Jews engaged in Torah and Mitsvos, and that the geography of olam ha-zeh isn’t all that critical.
Of course one shoule remember that the typical Israeli in North Tel Aviv is horrified at the thought for religious people from the West Bank moving into their neighborhood. But that’s another problem.
Until the Arabs withdraw their claims to the territory under Israeli control 1947-1967, something the US doesn’t object to (note why the embassy is in Tel Aviv), the whole issue is moot.
A day after the freeze goes into effect, the ARAB countries rescind on their promise.
I have not figured out what is Obama’s agenda, besides the destruction of the state of ISRAEL?
#22, he thinks that he will get out from gehennom with a bailout.
president is securing himself 1 time presidency like carter, the father bush, and gerald ford.
it maybe is popular to bash the jews on earth, but the one who controls the world mishomayim has a different agenda, so my advise to any president be good to the jews and you will have 2 terms.
Lo midoovsheich, v’lo mi’uktzeich. Not your honey, and not your sting, Mr Obama.
although it would be good for air travel, i would hessitate accepting this air rights from nations bent on israel destruction.
I DONT TRUST THEM.
I wonder how soon it will be that we refer to BHO with the glorious words of yemach sh’mo after his name?
WELL SAID AKUPERMA!!!!!!!!! Would you consider writing Mr. Obama??
I also agree with Estherholtz, wholeheartedly!