AP just picked up this story below about Israel and the US' relationship being at a 35 year low. It's on the wires as I post this.
Don't believe it. There is more to the quote by the Israeli Ambassador than has been released...of that I am certain.
After Vice President Biden's visit to Israel last week, while I was there, and the dust-up over a lower level Israeli bureaucrat's handling of local housing issues, the international press pool in Jerusalem FINALLY had something to write about...and try to make it "historic".
Think of it...."lowest level in 35 years"? Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren's reasons for saying this may have everything to do with Israel's response to the US' failed attempt to "control" Israel's building issues, at the current time...but lowest level since 1975?
Since President Gerald Ford?
Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, Bush II and Obama? Seven Presidents?
C'mon...somebody's smokin' something....and it ain't hookah. Time to "UA" the press pool....
We were just there. We were with knowledgeable leaders of public policy in Jerusalem, I talked with IDF and Police people...and it is as it always is...tense and politically geometric...like two edges of a rooftop leaning on each other.
Den
Israeli Ambassador: U.S.-Israel Relations at 35-Year Low
News by Mark Berman Opposing Views
(2 Hours Ago) in Politics / Foreign Policy
The Middle East peace process has reached a 35-year low and is now a "crisis of historic proportions," according to Israel's ambassador to the U.S.
Michael Oren told Israeli media that the decision to build 1,600 more homes for Jews in East Jerusalem -- which the Palestinians want as a future capital -- and then announce it right before a visit by Vice President Biden was a serious blow to the negotiations.
"Israel's ties with the United States are in their worst crisis since 1975," he said over the weekend, apparently referring to tensions over the Egyptian Sinai, which was occupied by Israel since the 1967 war and the site of renewed fighting in 1973.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Israel's behavior "insulting" but told CNN that ties between the United States and Israel were "not at risk," saying, "Our relationship is durable and strong."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the timing of the announcement of the settlements a bureaucratic mistake. "We know how to deal with these situations - with equanimity, responsibly and seriously," he said.
Palestinian officials said indirect peace talks, which they agreed last week to hold with Israel under U.S. mediation, would not take place unless the settlement project was canceled. Netanyahu said he would not cancel the settlements.
George Mitchell President Obama's envoy to the Middle East, is scheduled to visit Israel this week.
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