White House blasts Netanyahu, infers reversal of U.S. support in the U.N.’s Security Council

In early March, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – in defiance of President Obama’s wishes – stood before a joint meeting of the United States Congress.

 

There, in full view of America and of the world, he delivered an impassioned plea outlining what he considered serious flaws with the in-progress terms and conditions of negotiations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the U.S. concerning Iran’s march towards building a nuclear arsenal.

His speech quickly drew a searing blast of disapproval from the White House, and was characterized by the media as a ploy to win re-election in a nail-biting contest where Netanyahu was reportedly trailing his opponent, Isaac Herzog.

According to media reports, Herzog was thought to have been the favorite of the White House:  He was presumed to be far more pliable to the wishes of the Obama Administration’s push to convince Israel to relinquish territory that it occupied after the 1967 war.

 

However, Netanyahu’s unexpected come-from-behind electoral victory upset 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue’s apple cart.  His win was quickly followed by a second White House burst of disapproval even more intense than the first:

 

Netanyahu was accused of flipping his position concerning his alleged reversal about the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. He was criticized for his comments of Israeli Arabs “flocking” to the polls, and was accused of forming a last-minute alliance with hard-right Israeli political groups.

Barack Obama has consistently insisted that Israel revert to the borders that existed before the 1967 six-day war with Egypt, Jordan and Syria.

 

Nonetheless, Netanyahu has just as consistently maintained that Israel would not do that without iron-clad conditions to guarantee its security.  He recently said that he sees none of those now on the horizon.

What Netanyahu does see in the proposed Iranian deal which he so fiercely criticized is a largely one-sided, unverifiable agreement that will eliminate sanctions upon Iran, and facilitate the rise of an aggressive nuclear regime determined “to wipe Israel off the map.”

The security of any nation’s own citizens is at the apex of its responsibilities.  Without security you have nothing – not the basics of life – nothing.  This fundamental, existential premise is well-understood and internalized by the Israeli prime minister.

Israel is bounded to the north by Lebanon which is controlled by a militant Hezbollah.  To its northeast rise the Golan Heights, territory captured from Syria during the six-day 1967 war and annexed by Israel in 1981.

HarperCollins Dissolves Israel on its Map of the Middle East

It was mind-bending!  This morning, while listening to public radio station WHYY of Philadelphia, I heard a news announcement which was completely outrageous:

HarperCollins map omits  Israel (Photo courtesy of The Tablet)

The publishing house of HarperCollins designed and printed a map of the Middle East intended to be sold for classroom use in certain unnamed Gulf countries.

The map shows all the nations of that region with the exception of Israel which appears nowhere, despite the fact that Israel is an acknowledged geographic, economic, and social entity. It is a nation-state recognized by the United Nations and civilized countries throughout the globe.

In one sense, right-thinking people should not be so surprised by this action, because it is characteristic of a deep human failing:    Willfully ignore a person long enough, and that individual ceases to exist in your mind.

A Fictional Tale as Authentic as Reality

Richard North Patterson is one of my favorite writers.  Although he is technically a fictional novelist, some of his books are so close to reality that they nearly cancel out the imaginary nature of his tales.

One of Patterson's best, a real thriller.

“The Devil’s Light,” written in 2011, three years after one of America’s greatest crises, is a story of intrigue, deception and terrorism – a tale of cunning and espionage so realistic in its depiction of events that it becomes credible:  a nuclear attack upon . . . . Well, I don’t want to give away Patterson’s very intricate, can’t-put-down-the-book, spider web of a plot.

Patterson is not a mere weaver of stories.  Like many of his other books, this one is suffused with the result of in-depth research and prior consultation with prominent persons who have walked the talk.  His writing resonates with reality.

In some ways, he is a prophet – but then again, who listens to prophets?

Here are a few quotations from “The Devil’s Light,” thoughts ascribed to the book’s characters as the story swiftly progresses:

“As a nation we’re addicted to wishful thinking, staggering from crisis to crisis with the foresight of a two-year old.

Chasing Evil . . .

. . . around the globe is not America’s job.

This Administration’s ballooning involvement in prewar preparations against Syria was about to become a tipping point which – if it already hasn’t been reached – could have embroiled the U.S. in another international conflict lasting well beyond the second term of President Barack Obama, the man who has become irrevocably tied to the phrase “crossing the red line.”

But who is it, exactly, that was about to cross that red line into the abyss of unintended consequences?

Warfare is a hazardous undertaking.  There are times which require it.  And there are times when it is wiser to seek a more practical solution.

Christmas: Marking an Event that Refuses to Abandon Hope

Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent.  It signals the time of year when Christians worldwide prepare to commemorate the birth of Jesus, a child who would grow into an adult whose beliefs and teachings transformed the Roman world and, eventually, the face of Western Civilization. 
 

He is the wellspring of a religion comprising just under 2.2 billion  adherents across the globe.

Although Christianity is in a state of decline in many parts of Europe and faces incipient hostility and ridicule in America, it is holding its own and continues to expand, particularly in nations south of the Equator and in Asia.

 

Middle East Christians: Washington’s Throwaways

Some things need to be said, and this is one of them:  The passivity with which President Obama and the Congress of the United States continue to ignore the wanton destruction of Christian churches, the killing of Christians, and the forced exile from their countries of origin in the Middle East and parts of Asia is a national disgrace.

The "Arab Spring" is not unfolding as peacefully as is this flower in my garden.

It’s like a malignant virus spreading across the region.  Christians in Iraq, Egypt, and Pakistan have been set upon violently while celebrating their sacred liturgies or as they openly exercised their rights:  They are erratically beaten and gunned down in their own neighborhoods, or blown up in their churches as they quietly and peacefully pray. 

Stories of these religious atrocities keep rolling off the newswires, yet the problem remains effectively unaddressed by Washington elected officials, its power brokers, and the Pentagon. 

Freedom to Worship

A Study in Glass and Ice

A crystal cross stands undisturbed on the inside of an eastward-facing window of our home, just above my writing desk.  It has rested there quietly for years, providing a personal venue for thoughtful reflection.

Yesterday morning, the freezing rain of the wintry mix that descended upon Bridgewater turned into an ice storm which coated the entire east side of the house, glazing its windows.

The ice-coated window pane created a vibrant backdrop into which the crystal cross, the glass of the window, the ice, and the ambient light all seemed to meld into a single dimension, one of hope and inspiration.

This, of course is a Christian symbol, reminding followers of this man called Jesus of the impact that his teachings continue to have upon the civilized world.  Yet, he was not a man of Western ideas, but a Jewish person imbued with the culture of the Middle East who, long before the spread of Western Civilization, had his greatest impact upon the people of the Mediterranean basin.

In the Quran, the keystone of Islam, this man called Jesus is noted as one of the great prophets.  But there is a major disconnect between that acknowledgement, and with the current practice of violence and death being perpetrated upon his Christian followers in the Middle East today. 

Media accounts of the past year have underscored the brutality and death being inflicted upon Christians in that region, particularly in Iraq, and recently in Egypt – followed closely by Pakistan and Afghanistan, all of which are presumed allies of the U.S.

As church bombings and individual killings by Islamic extremists persist in those countries, President Obama maintains a public silence on the problem, as has President Bush before him.  No U.S. politician seems to have the fortitude to confront the issue.

Meanwhile, in America, I can still observe and reflect upon the meaning of a Christian cross, calling to mind the man whom the Romans nailed upon it, something that I doubt I could do in peace and security, were I in one of those four countries.