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Kerry Stuck in Pre-Sept. 11 Mindset
by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700
Copyright
July 28, 2014
All Rights Reserved.
Stung by criticism from pushing Israel
into a one-sided ceasefire with Hamas, Secretary of John Kerry got bent
out-of-shape. When Kerry suggested
bringing in Qatar and Turkey, both vehemently anti-Israel, into ceasefire talks
with Egypt, Kerry got a mouthful from Israel’s free press but, more importantly,
strong condemnations from conservatives on Capitol Hill. White House officials continue to
treat Israel in pre-Sept. 11 mind-set, trying to convince Arab states that the
U.S. could still be an impartial Mideast peace broker. In reality, the entire Arab world
knows that the U.S. has been joined at the hip with Israel since Sept. 11,
giving the Jewish State 100% backing to fight its war on terror. Former President George W. Bush
understood after Sept. 11 the U.S. could no longer stay engaged with terror
groups like Hamas, regardless of their history or political agenda. Regardless of sympathies toward
Palestinians, Bush cut of relations with the late PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat.
Obama and Kerry need to remind themselves about Palestinians dancing
in the streets in Gaza and Ramallah Sept. 11, when notorious Saudi-born
terrorist Osama bin Laden decimated the Pentagon and World Trade Center. Obama and Kerry shouldn’t those
distasteful images, realizing that only Israel has the U.S. back. However objectionable civilian
casualties in Gaza, the U.S. can’t be duped like the rest of Arab world. Instead of seeing Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as playing hard ball, the White House should welcome
Israel’s sacrifices to take down one of the most racist terror groups on the
planet. “It’s simply not the way
partners and allies treat each other,” said State Department spokeswoman Jen
Psaki, referring to criticism coming from Israel. What Psaki doesn’t admit is that Israel’s critique in the press is mild compared to
conservatives on Capitol Hill.
Republicans on Capitol Hill are getting fed red meat by the White House
from their inept management of Israel’s war in Gaza. No matter how charismatic or popular
Hillary Clinton if she decides to run for president in 2016, the White House
foreign policy has been making a strong case for regime change in 2016. Most polls show the public has lost
confidence in Obama, especially his foreign policy. Whatever improvement the White House
sees in the economy, the public will vote in 2016 on who’s best to manage U.S.
foreign policy. Nowhere is the
White House more vulnerable than their handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Everyone knew there’d be a lot of
collateral damage fighting an air war in a densely populated civilian area like
Gaza. Instead of telling Netanyahu
to hold fire, the White House should be telling Hamas to stop firing rockets
into Israel.
Hamas has made its Israeli policy clear through a recent interview with
58-year-old Hamas-leader-in-exile Khaled Meshaal. Meshaal stated for the record that
Hamas would never recognize Israel right to exist as a country on Palestinian
land. He refers to Israel as the
“Zionist entity” or “occupiers,” referring not to the post-1967-Six Day War
borders that pushed Israel in Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan
Heights. Meshaal referred to Israel
occupying the British mandate, given to Israel by England in 1948. As long as Israel occupies the
British mandate of Palestine there can be no peace with Jews or any other group
that get in the way of Hamas plans to destroy Israel. Kerry’s recent comments at the
Center for American Progress about Israel’s intentional collateral damage wasn’t
taken lightly in Tel Aviv or Capitol Hill, where conservatives blasted Kerry’s
handling of Israel.
No one faults Kerry for working toward a ceasefire. But his pre-Sept. 11 mind-set leans
on the U.S.’s only truly seamless ally in the Middle East rather than taking a
hard line with Hamas. Inviting
Turkey and Qatar to join ceasefire talks insults Israel and U.S. conservatives
who’ve seen only anti-Semitic rhetoric flow from 60-year-old Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan or weapons to Hamas from Qatar. Playing the old pre-Sept. 11 way of
managing the Arab-Israeli crisis no longer works. Reaching out to Turkey and Qatar
damages the White House credibility heading into November’s Midterm elections. With the situation in Iraq
disintegrating into Islamic extremism and Ukraine battling pro-Russian
separatist backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the White House can’t
afford a breach with Israel. Obama
and Kerry know they have no backing from Republicans in Congress.
Instead of Kerry expressing his displeasure with Israel, the White House
needs to reel in what looks like another PR disaster. Blaming Israel for mounting civilian
casualties in Gaza ignores the White House stated position that Israel has a
right to defend itself against rocket attacks.
“Any process to resolve the crisis in Gaza in a lasting and meaningful
way must lead to the disarmament of Hamas and all terrorist groups,” said Kerry,
back-peddling after overreacting to Israeli and Republican criticism. More public perception of White House ineptness could tip the balance in the Senate this
November. If the situation in Gaza
and Ukraine resolves itself favorably before November, it’s possible Democrats
could hang onto the Senate. Watching Islamic lunatics conquer Mosul and desecrate a 4th Century Christian monastery
leaves American voters with a bad taste heading into November.
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