American feebleness in the face of the Israelis

The reaction of the United States to disparaging comments by Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon was termed by the Israeli press as “unprecedented” and “the harshest ever”. Ya’alon had declared in an open gathering that the US was “feeble” in its response to the Russians and thus liable to terrorism. An anonymous White House spokesperson claimed that Ya’alon was threatening Tel Aviv’s ties with Washington.

What was particularly astonishing about this was that the American response was made anonymously. A prominent member of Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet used a university speech as a platform to humiliate the United States and the only thing that the Obama administration could offer in return was a rather pitiful, anonymous statement. To his credit, US Secretary of State John Kerry later denounced Ya’alon’s speech as “not constructive”; an understatement by any standards.

Israel has for a long time, as Gulf News stated, “been biting the hand that feeds it.” It is now the right moment to stop feeding it. Israeli politicians have no hesitation about insulting America time after time, acknowledging, in effect, that the US will turn a deaf ear. If there is a nation that makes America look feeble, it is definitely not Russia; it is Israel. How the Middle East strategies of the world’s only superpower can be held hostage by a small, racist and aggressive government thousands of kilometers away is beyond comprehension.

The exclusivist link between Tel Aviv and Washington is atypical. It breaches every one of the values of equality, freedom and justice which Americans stand for and seek to exemplify; this will haunt the US for years to come when justice and peace ultimately prevail, which they surely will. The Israelis are participating in a losing war and face growing isolation from the rest of the world. It is surprising that the Americans opt to stand firm on this drowning wreck of a state.

The coming generations will question how and why the United States, contrary to international law and community, stood by the bigoted policies of a brutal government that squashed an entire nation. It is important to remember apartheid South Africa and what happened to it.

The earlier that the United States acknowledges this, the better for everyone it will be, not least America and its citizens.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.