Israelis fear unravelling of US alliance

By Tobias Buck in Jerusalem

Published: June 2 2009 13:26 | Last updated: June 2 2009 13:26

The latest tensions between Washington and the new right-wing Israeli government are
sparking concern bordering on alarm among Israeli officials and analysts, amid suspicions
that the formerly-rock-solid alliance is unravelling.

Disagreement between Barack Obama, the US president, and Benjamin Netanyahu, the
Israeli prime minister, has been particularly pronounced on the issue of Jewish settlements in
the occupied West Bank. The US leader has urged Israel repeatedly to stop expanding its
settlements on occupied land, arguing that they present a big obstacle to peace in the region.

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But, speaking earlier this week, Mr Netanyahu again rejected the US demand for a total
settlement freeze. He told a parliamentary committee: ”We will agree not to take any new
territory, but we will not agree to freeze life in the settlements.”

The US and Israeli leaders are also at loggerheads over Mr Netanyahu’s continuing refusal to
endorse the two-state solution as the way to end the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Mr Obama – along with the international community – views the creation of a Palestinian
state as the only way to achieve a lasting peace in the region.

Mr Netanyahu’s apparent defiance has led to speculation among Israeli commentators that the
US will step back from its traditional commitment to support the Jewish state both
diplomatically and materially.

Their concerns gained fresh nourishment after the New York Times quoted an unnamed US
official on Monday saying the Obama administration was considering retaliatory steps such
as not vetoing UN Security Council resolution that criticise Israeli policy.

Ben Caspit, a commentator for Israel’s Maariv newspaper, wrote on Tuesday: ”America has
the capacity to shut down Israel for renovations with an administrative decision or two. A
series of resolutions in the UN Security Council are liable to turn us into a new South Africa.
A delay in a shipment of replacement parts for Apache helicopters can ground the Air Force.
Replenishing the IDF’s [Israel Defence Forces’] ammunition stocks in the event of another
conflagration in Gaza or Lebanon is a matter of American good will.”

US officials, including Mr Obama, insist that Washington remains as committed as ever to

Israel’s security. However, in an interview with US National Public Radio on Monday night,
the US president said it was time for America to be more ”honest” with Israel.

Roni Bart, and analyst with Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies and an expert on
US-Israeli relations, argues that Washington is not about to break decisively with Israel. But
he insists that – unlike its predecessor – the current American administration views the Jewish
state as ”just another country” and not worthy of special treatment.

At the same time, Mr Netanyahu is under intense pressure from his own coalition allies not to
give in to US pressure. Yuli Edelstein, the government’s information minister and a settler
himself, warned that the prime minister would not be able to muster the support of his own
government should he agree to a complete settlement freeze.

Political pressure aside, Mr Netanyahu is also in danger of stoking further clashes between
radical settlers and state security forces in the streets. Enraged by the government’s decision
to start dismantling small settlement outposts in the West Bank, radical settlers have staged a
series of violent demonstrations in the past days – attacking both Palestinian civilians and
Israeli security forces.

In the meantime, there are signs that the mounting international and domestic tensions are
beginning to take their toll on the prime minister, barely three months into his tenure.
According to Israeli media reports, Mr Netanyahu accidentally voted against a draft
transportation law proposed by his own government on Monday. He was the only member of
the coalition to vote against the bill.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009