“It’s unfortunate that the Brits decided to do this but it’s not the end of the world…” so says blogger Israel Matzav. But this writer reckons Britain has dealt a serious blow to Israel’s arrogance.
Whatever you think, it comes at a time when Israel’s relationships with it’s friends and allies is under close scrutiny. President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu met in private after the row over plans to build more Israeli homes in east Jerusalem. Reporters covering the White House say the fact that a traditional handshake with the leaders wasn’t open to press is significant.
Have a look around blogs today and the discussion is about a couple things:
Was Britain right to expel an Israeli diplomat?
Where does this leave the ‘special’ relationship between Israel and the US?
Does Israel need it’s allies?
How significant is this? Does it show a change in influence as WHYS discussed a couple of weeks ago?
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BBC World Have Your Say 
Zionist Israel has no right to call itself a sovereign nation as it is just an outpost [in the Arab world]of the Western imperialist powers, mainly of the Yankees. As it has never heeded to the calls of the UN to vacate the occupied territories of Palestine it should have been ostracized from all the international organizations; the fact that it is still counted among the comity of nations speaks volumes about the futility of the world body which prides itself in being the rubber stamp of the US.
Is this the same UN that partitioned the British mandate of Palestine into Jewish (Israel) and Arab (Jordan) halves? Therefore it is the Arabs who are occupying Jewish territory but the pro-Arab media will never report the facts
And Israel does not need friends. She only needs God
As far as I understand the Palestinians and the Jordanians are two different people living in two different countries. Palestinian land doesn’t belong to Israel.
I saw the Israeli Ambassador on the news yesterday and he looked relaxed and almost happy – like it was a joke and in a way it was! Politics like this, is just a game of chess played with chocolate pieces, and the Ambassador looked like he had just swiped all the chocolates into his diplomatic bag….
Britain was both right and wrong to expel him.
– It was Wrong because the sort of events that preceed a diplomatic explusion, happens everywhere in every country and all the time so this was unnecessary …
– It was also Right to send a ‘you’ve been caught out’ message to the Israeli Government which could (?) have been in support of Obama or just as a UK ‘stand-alone’…
Either way, it’s a message and Israel is between a rock and a hard place – geographically and literally at the moment, and cannot afford to play games, play up or play it’s allies off against one another! Their appalling eviction and resettlement programme has made many new enimies and frustrated and dismayed many of their allies yet they act as if they are immune to it all – but from where Israel is standing, they will need all the friends they can get !
I think the Brits have been light handed in this matter, unless it is a case of the pot calling the kettle black in a world where the ends justifies the means…..no rule of law applies in certain cicumstances it seems.
It never ceases to amaze me that so many people believe that Israel should be nice to people whose goal in life is to destroy her.
pdxmike is missing the point. Israel has been caught infringing UK sovereignty by their illegal use of UK passports. They endanger UK travellers by bringing into doubt the genuineness of UK passports. It is a betrayal of trust by an ally. Israel is entitled to target its enemies as it sees fit. But there is a cost to every choice and alienating your friends is a dangerous cousre to follow. The fact is that Israel needs its allies more than they need Israel.
do you have any absolute proof that it was the israel state who did it. No, so this is only an opinion but not a fact.
so who else wants to kill high ranking hamas people
That was an act of state sponsored terrorism. Going after someone in a foreign country and kill him in his hotel room!! If that is not terrorism, what else you would call it? The world has to start calling a spade a spade and not a garden fork.
In my view these mutual expulsions (I will be surprised if there isn’t an Israeli counter-expulsion) are just for the gallery especially where Israel and the “West” are cncerned. It is all showbiz. Behind the scenes it is business as usual. The two governments will be buying and selling (or lobbying to sell) weapons; they are exchanging intelligence about terrorism (which they helped spawn); and are doing other multi-billion dollar deals.
Most of the “western” countries have this guilty conscience dating back to the events in Nazi Germany and Israel will not let them forget it for a moment. So right or wrong, Britain’s action is cosmetic, aimed at hoodwinking the local electorate and indirectly paying a bit of lip service to the “legitimate” rights of the Palestinian people in the eyes of the oil supplying Arab nations.
In a few weeks or months, replacement diplomats will be appointed and Israel’s arrogant disregard of the wishes of the real international community (as opposed to the use of that phrase by the “West”) will continue – aided and abated by the selfsame governments of the UK and USA..
Sure, the more friends they have the better they’ll fare during the next 1,000+ years of fighting over territory. -yawn- things will never change.
Israel especially needs “friends”, because it is such a hotbed of political activity. Even the USA has denounced some of Israel’s recent actions; Israel might want to take a clue from this.
Friends too have difference of opinion on many matters; In fact, the very basis of good and lasting friendship is frankness and mutual trust. Who don’t need friends? I think they are either saints or recluses. The whole world knows that Jerusalem has always belonged to Israel. If some negotiating countries and the UN want Israel to stop building-activities on the said disputed land, then they must also specify the time duration (for how long?). I too take this opportunity to ask a few questions: Do we want to make friends with the terrorists? If yes, then on what terms and who would dictate the terms? Now, I don’t want the same old reply: “depends on the circumstances”.
It was interesting to read US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’ss remark of “Who is the Super Powere here?” in reply to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s defiance of US President Barack Obama. If the Jewish presence in the US Houses, Congress or Senate, provides the back drop for Netanyahu beligerance, he maybe sadly mistaken. Obama needs only to stop the annual foreign aid of $4Billion to bring Netanyahu and the so called Jewish presence to their proverbial knees. Americans may not be aware that it is their taxes that are paying for the illegal settlements. It is time they wake up to this reality. HMcD, Edmonton, Canada
HMcD,
i think americans are very aware that it is their tax dollars that pay for this, in fact equally aware about all the forgein aid in general.
what would the USA gain by bringing the israel to its knees?
Jens
You ask what the USA would gain by bringing Isr.ael is to to its knees. The answer is simple. They would gain RESPECT.
To support an ally blindly when that ally consistently disregards the will of the international community, through its failure to implment numerous UN resolutions undermines the very concept of democracy in which the will of the majority is deemed to prevail
Good friends must be prepared to say when they see a wrong path being followed. When that advice, given in honest friedship, is repeatedly rejected a good friend must re-consider their support. Sometimes the only way to make another see what is in their best interests is to withdraw support.
Much wrong has been done by both sides, Israel and palestine both. The only way each can gain a measure of what they seek is to put the past behingd them and start to really talk, and make compromises so that each side achieves some of its aims and both sides gian some stability, and the rest of the world, is relieved of some of the current wave of terrorism.
helen,
the USA would gain respect by watching israel being detroyed? interesting concept, since you must be an idealist if you belive for one second that the neighboring arab countries would not attack a weak israel.
I fully agree with the first two paragraphs of Helen’s reply to jens.
yes they need friends and they are pushing them away. Just because they are mentioned in history does not mean they need to have a country that is more protected than any other country. should we also divide eastern Europe and create a new Prussia?
Israel shouldn’t treat their enemies like friends and their friends like enemies – otherwise they’re acting like the president usurper, the fraud and foreigner, Obama/Soetoro/Obama who has disrespected both the UK and Israel.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be arrogant provided he has somehing to offer the world annd the countries which surround him. First the Allies, US and Britain, got together after World War II and gave Israel Palestinian lands to build their nation. The US could have given them Arizona, one of the 48 States and would have been left with 47. The Brits could have given the Jews Ireland and move the Irish into Scotland. Next, Arizona is a desert very similar to the Middle East, so the Jews would be well at home. There is no doubt the hatred between the Arabs and Jews is ad infinitum. And we all know the Scots and the Irish don’t get along. But, by now, everything would have been perfect, if they did not blow up each other. However, the Arabs would be at peace and the US taxpayers’s money would have helped in rebuilding New Orleans and not helping to build illegal settlements on Palestinian lands. What have we left? The Brits are annoyed with Israel and threw its Ambassador out. Netanyahu is defiant because the US is against Israel’s expansion. And the Palestinians have been bombed out of their minds when ever the Jews feel e antagonized. What a beautiful World we live in. HMcD, Edmonton, Canada
Oh yeah Hugh that makes complete sense.
First I have no idea where you are going with that post.
Second, how is Netanyahu being arrogant? By following what the voters of his country want?
So, by your logic someone can act arrogant by providing something in return? Is that Canada? Does your nation bring things to offer? Does Iran? What does that even mean?
Oh yeah, if only Israel was never created, the Arabs would be great! That is a typical Canadian response. Let’s not do something that is right because we could annoy people.
Heaven forbid you rock the boat.
Cheers š
Andrew in NY
P.S Netanyahu is defiant because that is what the voters of Israel want. I dont know if you have ever heard of democracy, but usually it means you follow the will of the people.
Well done,HMcD,Edmonton,Canada.You should be appointed Palestine’s ambassador in the UN, and, I can assure you, you could be an eye-opener to the G8 and the G20 nations.
I think Israel is playing hardball. Calculated and executed at a time when they know the US president could not face embarrassment over a peace process in the middle east that he could not control. Israel is leveraging its negotiating, by going all the way to develop settlements in Jerusalem its providing leverage. It is basically a stalling tactic. PM Netanyahu is just playing his cards in my mind.
With friends like Israel who needs enemies?
Israel abused my sympathy and support for the last time decades ago.
They do. Yet, they’re doing themselves no favors with their arrogant attitude.
They continue their illegal settlements. They KNOW they’re illegal. The rest of the world knows they’re illegal. But, nothing will be done. Why? Because people are terrified of being labeled as anti-semtic just for publically criticizing Israel.
Not exactly effective foreign policy.
Countries are not friends, they are allies. Israel does what is good for Israel, as most countries do. Sometimes there are negative consequences to your allies, but I think their pros outweighed our cons. How serious is the expulsion of a diplomat by an ally country? I thought it was a serious thing, but it doesn’t appear to concern Israel very much. However, the world is watching, and I think people who were formerly sympathetic are taking a harder look. This doesn’t appear to concern Israel either, which makes me think we aren’t getting the whole story.
Your comment is very astute. I wonder if Israel is being handled with care, because someone knows for sure that they (Israel) DO have weapons of mass destruction and is scared that if they are not placated they might just start WW3?
While Hillary was given her “blow in the wind” speech to AIPAC, She called out a few names and praising that they would make a great President. Based on her remarks, it appears Israel can do anything and if improper, the US politicians would turn a blind eye and give undying support to Israel.
I also believe Israel will take advantage of any opportunity and this is proven by the murder of the individual in Dubai.
Since 1948 Israel has received from the US over 104 trillion dollars and annually, Israel receives in grant form $1400.00 for ea man,woman, and child. These funds could be used to take care of America. AIPAC us enpowered to control our politicians because they vote wisely with their pocketbook when politicians support what Israel wants or needs.
People around the world know what is taking place in the ME, and the strong US support that takes place in the security council by continuing to veto UN Resolutions violated by Israel. It is noted that the US is constantly accusing Iran of Nuclear weapons while at the same time never acknowledges that Israel has Nuclear weapons and are not members of the NPT.
Israel can’t survive without the support of powerful nations, mainly the USA. Thanks to the US vetoes and abstentions at the UN Security Council concerning the condemnations of its acts in the occupied territories, Israel managed to keep of what seems to many its defiant policies.
But without strong friends, Israel can’t survive in the way it does despite the continuous threats it is under from within the occupied territories and enemy states like Iran.
Israel has to base its policies concerning the building of settlements on securing the interests of everyone in the region: its own interests , the interests of the Palestinians and the interests of its allies. It shouldn’t become a thorn in the side of those who support it by engaging in policies that make them lose friends around the world.
Israel has to work to maintain its current friendship with its traditional allies and to forge new friendship with those who see it as a cancerous organ in the region. Without this, it will continue to look an odd-one-out that will find it difficult to fit in the map of the Middle East.
im just curious to ask,since you are from morocco, are you ok with the building of settlements ?
i’ve never seen an arab suggest ideas to the state of israel,which can metigate the the middle east crisis, with such enthusiasm!
Any sovereign country has the right to defend itself. The killing of a confirmed terrorist who was a go between buying arms for Fatah from Iran and Syria was justified. Britain, USA, France and other countries have done the same. You cannot use soft methods when dealing with terrorists, for they do not themselves realise the evil they do and feel justified the way they kill innocent people. Unfortunately it was necessary to use forged British passports in the process and Britain has rightly been annoyed accordingly. The question is, does the ends justify the means?, in this case it does. The sooner the world is free from terrorists the better the world would be. Was Britain right in expelling a Israeli diplomat?, Yes as always is the case, a country has to show some retribution which Israel accepts but after all said and done, a number one terrorist has been got rid off.
The ‘special relationship’ between Israel and the US remains in tact, it is only normal from time to time there may be disagreements. No country or no one should be forced to do anything against their will. The prime fact is that a country does what is in the best interests of its people. Yes Israel does need allies, but most countries choose to apease the Muslim countries for their own benefits and vote accordingly in the UN.
Israel does not seem to be rattled by the admonition of America and Britain. Prime Minister Netanyahu feels he could ride this storm without too much difficulty believing that the bond between Israel and his Western allies is far too strong. But it is high time Israel realizes that it cannot ride rough shod over American and British legitimate concerns. This is not a storm in a tea-cup. It goes much deeper! Cracks are beginning to emerge and papering them will not help. Is Israel genuinely interested in long-lasting peace with the Palestinians? Obviously not! DEEDS not WORDS! The Palestinians are at the receiving end and have no choice. That is the sad commentary.
Every country needs friends,or as Pattie correctly stated,allies.Britain was correct in her reactions as passports must be kept as pure as is possible,or they will lose some of their authority.This action is an international slap on the wrist for Israel,it’s not an end of friendship as some would like it to be.Israel is surrounded by arch enemies and whatever actions she takes is for self preservation,nothing wrong with that.However,Israel should have a care on whose toes she steps on.
All peoples need friends. The fact of being israelis doesnĀ“t make any difference to me in this respect. Therefore all governments should take this into account as a primary objective in their policy. In fact it seems to me it is an objective in the United Nations Chart. IsnĀ“t it?
Seems to me, the the US and the UK have fought multiple wars, with many casualties, and we appear to be “friends”. In fact the British (the the Canadians love to claim it was them) burned down Washington, DC during the war of 1812. If the US and the UK can remain friends after being at war with each other, I think the UK and Israel will get over a passport/assasination scandal. that is, unless the UK doesn’t want to.
Of course Israel needs friends, but real friends would tell Israel they will not give any support as long as that country keeps causing trouble with its neighbours.
@ Hugh McDavid
… š HMcD – I love your post !
Hugh, what nations have expanded more, the US, canada, the UK or Israel?
You have other posters saying that Israel has recieved 104 trillion dollars since 1948. There’s not even that much money in the entire world.
How much of the complaints here against Israel are actually based in reality?
It was a mistake but the message remains valid. The figure is $104 billion, more than received by any other country, and most of it after Israel attacked and attempted to sink a US Navy vessel (USS Liberty, 1967) killing 34 sailors and injuring 172 – the only time in US history we have been attacked without retaliation. Now there’s a friend!
Of course Israel needs friends – the one thing that pro-Israelis and everyone else agree on is that Israel is surrounded by hostile people (frankly not without reason). Given that Israel has absolutely no intention of persuing a meaningful peace with its neighbours (there is simply no evidence to the contrary – despite the oft trotted out and simplistic arguments)- the relationship with the rest of the world should be of major importance. I can only surmise that Israel is being governed by half-wits. Isreal is trying to further economic ties with Europe and get ‘in’ with the EU and at the same time it sees fit to abuse the very states that hold the keys to Europe? Mad. Brazil is Israel’s biggest trading partner in South America, having been instrumental in getting Isreal into MERCOSUR and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman boycotted the visit. Of course the icing on the cake is humiliating the U.S, not once but twice, over the settlement issue. The US, to whom Israel owes and continues to owe its very existence. You would have to be a blithering idiot, if you are an Israeli leader, to even risk losing or reducing US support. The real insanity is that Isreal needs US and UK support to bring pressure to bear on Iran. if the Isreali leadership truly believes that Iran is a threat – to risk losing support for sanctions etc for the sake of a few houses and right-wing types in the knesset really is truly insane.
Israel would not have survived this long without the support of the Western powers. It’s supposed to be a shining beacon of the glories of Western Democracy to the Middle East, of which it’s done a less-than-stellar job.
Isreal needs to stand up and say we will end settlement expansion, and offer to allow the Palistinians to share their ancient Islamic temple area as a jointly shared city.
Let America establish the boarder of the two states. Then if either State violates the security of the other state. The beligerant state loses another 1/4 mile of land from their state and the boarder is reistablished.
The Arabs should not have attacked Isreal, because when you attack and lose, you basically give up your rights to land to the stronger force who was victorious.
The alternative to the two state solution is to expel all Arab citizens out of the West Bank to become refugees or dead people heading for Jordan. The West Bank cannot be returned to Jordan……even Jordan realizes that option is gone forever after losing to the Jewish State in the 67 war.
troop
To answer this, let’s take the Robert Fisk appoach. He’s lived and worked as the Independent Middle East correspondent in Beirut for 35 years. Which means that he does know what he’s talking about.
To paraphrase: “what do my Arab colleagues always tell me that they want? They really want the States and other foreign powers to get out of the Middle East. They like certain things about democracy. But they DON’T like “American” democracy being shoved down their throats”.
If you agree with the previous paragraph, then pull out. If Israel continues to violate intl. law (which is also a violation of U.S. law, by the way), cut off aid until they stop. Even Obama (a constitutional lawyer) knows this is the correct thing to do.
Elias,
There are some good posts on this issue. I like yours best, so don’t need to have to write on it. You’ve said all for me.
Thanks.
Friends come in different forms ā some casual, others close; some temporary, others life-long; some betraying, others loyal. The worst would be those who appear to be friends but in fact enemies.
In politics and international relationships, there are no real friends, only acquaintance to be used for self advantage and discarded when the usefulness ends.
So, does Israel need friends?
Israel has friends, friends who have supported Israel against all odds and it should not forget this fact. Those friends are now losing the lives of their young men in terrorist wars generated by the intransigence and arrogance of Israel in its handling of the Palestinian issues. It is time that these friends begin to show Israel that friendship is a two way street and force the realization that it is time for Israel to begin to reciprocate and show some good faith to its friends by stopping the settlement building, allowing the Arabs in East Jerusalem to live without hindrance, to get round the table with the Palestinians and to begin to look as though Israel actually wants some kind of settlement that stands a chance of bringing stability to the region. That would be friendship.
24 Abdelilah Boukili in Morocco
How can Israel “forge new friendship with those who see it as a cancerous organ in the region,” as you claim?
You also say, “Without this, it will continue to look an odd-one-out that will find it difficult to fit in the map of the Middle East.”
This, of course, is the main point of the attitude of the Arab and broader Muslim world to Israel’s presence in the region. As long as they see Israel as an abomination, there can be no peace.
“Does Israel need friends?” Who doesn’t? But those who are encouraged by the thought of a friendless Jewish state should note that many countries support Israel and appreciate that Israel is so often in the front line against those who would destroy Western civilisation..
Israel needs its friends to continue signing blank cheques, supplying the bombs and F16s, vetoing the UN, and warring against Israel’s enemies. Israel should remember that it is dependent on the US veto and US taxpayer; the US taxpayer is not dependent on Israel in any way. Quite the opposite, Israel’s intransingence costs American lives as General Petraeus explained. And in the last few years, Israel has adopted an even more defiant stance: abusing British trust and forging UK passports, insulting the US peace mission, ignore UN resolutions and Goldstone reports, ridiculing their Turkish counterparts, while demanding that these powers be drawn into a confrontation with Iran.
Israels friends need to bring Israel to account, firstly for their own interests and secondly for the interests of justice and peace.
What does friendship mean when assassins are on the payroll running around using other folks identities?
Killing terrorists who target innocent civilians is not only vital, it is in keeping with the sport and tradition of what the terrorists ask for, get and deserve. All is fair in love and war especially against terrorists.
It is a wonder to me that all terrorists are not immediately executed as spies and terrorists. That’s the going tradition and operational tactics of terrorists and they should be certainly game for the elimination of themselves via human operatives like the Isreali hunter/killer teams and the peditor aircraft assinations now going on all over the place.
It is sort of what they instigate, and they should be so very proud of themselves being thusly targeted by any means possible. To not engage terrorists in these effective means would be admitting that the ones trying to fight terrorism are in some way stupid and unable to actually strike back.
We would not want that now would we? It would be bad for the evolution of the species.
troop on the Oregon coast
Perhaps if Israel used unguided rockets and launched them in the vicinity of the hotel where the Hamas guy was staying, Israel would get more world support, as that’s what Hamas does.
I feel that Israel once again has been let off lightly.At the very least their ambassador should have been “asked” to leave.
I recall the phrase “fool me once,shame on you.Fool me twice, shame on me”.
As for the friendship between our two nations,that has been exhausted.
“Remember to keep your enemies close and your friends even closer.”(They are the ones who will stab you in the back without warning).
I say these things in sorrow,not in anger.
Not an expert subject for me but my impression from watching UK tv news for about 20 years now is that the Israeli Government have been getting away with doing whatever they want for at least 20 years. They’ve done some terrible things and the whole situation seems beyond reason, very sad.
Israel is an astonishingly self-assertive and cocky country. It believes as long as the American Empire is on its side, then it’s got everything it needs in one bag. Who cares about what Europe believes? So the UK expelled a Mossad Official? Israel is taking this in jest. I find it funny that Israel wants to gain friends, and it cannot find any. Take for example Turkey. The US and Turkey were the most Important allies to Israel. Turkey is gone off Israel’s friends list. To conclude: Israel does not have more then 2 friends because it cannot gain more friends.