Prime Minister Netanyahu’s treatment of visiting VP Biden in announcing new settlements crossed a line

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s treatment of visiting VP Biden in announcing new settlements crossed a

line, critics have pointed out across the board. Neoconservative hawks here in the U.S are playing

those implications down, of course, seeming very sensitive right now to the suggestion that American-

Israeli interests in the region may be diverging.

Thus, the ADL’s curious rebuke of Gen. David Petraeus after he testified this week regarding the

consequences of a failed peace mission:

The assumptions Gen. Petraeus presented to the Senate Armed Services Committee wrongly attribute

“insufficient progress” in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and “a perception of U.S.

favoritism for Israel” as significantly impeding the U.S. military mission in Iraq, Afghanistan and

Pakistan and in dealing with the Iranian influences in the region. It is that much more of a concern to

hear this coming from such a great American patriot and hero.

The General’s assertions lead to the illusory conclusion that if only there was a resolution of the

Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the U.S. could successfully complete its mission in the region.