This article reports on comments made by the defense
minister of Israeli, and his subsequent apology. Although the defense minister
retracted the comments, one may find some truth in them, but many Americans
support Kerry’s efforts, and say the United States is doing its best to
bring peace to the region.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
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While it isn’t a good idea to criticize the Secretary of State of the nation who supplies billion of dollars in aid, I can understand their frustration: they see the proposed nuclear deal with Iran as a complete failure (as it is seen by myself and many in Congress) and will merely provide the Iranians with time—time is all the Iranians need now in order to develop a nuclear weapon. In the future, I am sure that he will be more careful with what he says—he cannot afford another incident such as this.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Andrew that it is "best not to bite the hand that feeds you." While it was completely inappropriate for Yaalon to make those comments publicly/to a news organization, one can understand the pressure and anxiety surrounding the efforts to secure a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Both have been at odds for too long and while I'm not entirely sure that I buy into the idea that a peace agreement will bring lasting peace, it could have a somewhat positive result. I hope something is worked out between the two sides.
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DeleteI am surprised that "US officials reacted angrily" to Israel's Defense Minister Yaalon's commets, especially since freedom of speech is so staunchly loved here. Yaalon's comments were distasteful, but I don't know if it garners enough attention for a representative from the US State Department and President Obama's press secretary to make comments about it. Kerry's efforts are admirable and I hope they aren't in vain as the Israelis see them.
ReplyDeleteYou know that the comments you've made were well out of place when a member of the executive committee of the PLO is backing up the United States. Yaalon simply should not have made those comments publicly because, if anything, they have made the Israeli-Palestine negotiations look as though no progress has been made. While I understand that Israel needs to be able to maintain security they need to realize that the current violence that is unfolding there is in no way making them secure. Simply if Yaalon sees a problem in the plan proposed by the US he should have addressed it in the negotiations rather than make divisive comments to the media.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Emily M, I don't even think Israel wants a peace agreement despite the pressure to secure one. Israel just announced more settlements in Palestinian territory, and Abbas has said that the future Palestine should have a 'Jew-free' population. This conflict is ancient and it will probably take more than John Kerry to resolve it.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Yaloon shouldn't have been talking trash on Kerry, but it's understandable where he's coming from. Being in such a high position as defense minister, Yaloon just needs to be careful in the future. I know it should just be "swept under the rug", but "issues" such as this don't really seem like that big of a deal in my eyes.
ReplyDeleteKerry is trying to assist Israel, so the Defense Minister probably should have taken a minute to think about who his allies were before trashing Kerry's efforts. While John Kerry doesn't know everything, he is human, and to resolve this conflict there needs to be understanding, not insults flung between allies. The Defense Minister has the right to say what he wants, but he should first think about who is giving his country so much aid.
ReplyDeleteIm with Dan. Kerry is doing his best to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict. The defense minister should not have criticized a man who was there to help. The US and Israel are allies, if the defense minister didn't apologize for his statements, who knew what this would have turned into.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Riley. It seems as though Israel doesn't want our help with their Palestinian issues. John Kerry will not be the sole factor changing their minds on that either. We should leave things between Palestine and Israel alone, it's best not to force ourselves into another conflict away from home.
ReplyDeleteI understand the Israeli defense minister's frustration, but his statements were out of taste. Nothing good can come of incendiary remarks such as this, and it would be better for him to speak to Kerry and the U.S. diplomatic team directly than to voice his concerns publicly in such an inflammatory way. Israel needs to preserve its good relations with the United States if it wants to have a chance of meaningful peace talks.
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