Netanyahu vs Obama

For John, BLUF:  Does this explain PM Netanyahu coming to speak to Congress.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From the the Jerusalem Post is an OpEd on the upcoming 17 March in Israel.  The author is Caroline Glick and the title is "Netanyahu’s True Electoral Rival".

Officially, the election on March 17 is among Israelis.  Depending on how we vote, either Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will remain in office and form the next government led by his Likud party, or Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni will form a government.

But unofficially, a far greater electoral drama is unfolding.  The choice is not between Netanyahu and Herzog/Livni. It is between Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama.

As the White House sees it, if Herzog/Livni form the next government, then Jerusalem will dance to Obama’s tune.  If Netanyahu is reelected, then the entire edifice of Obama’s Middle East policy may topple and fall.

Secretary of State John Kerry made clear the administration’s desire to topple Netanyahu last spring during his remarks before the Trilateral Commission.  It was during that memorable speech that Kerry libeled Israel, claiming that we would automatically and naturally become an apartheid state if we don’t give Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria to the PLO, Jew free, as quickly as possible.

Regards  —  Cliff