BY ELLIOTT ABRAMS, CFR—
Secretary of State Clinton is in Israel today, which is asurprising fact. According to several news sites, she has not visited there in two years.
Secretary Condoleezza Rice visited there about 20 times, by my rough count. What accounts for this difference? Giventhe importance the United States usually places on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, how is it that a secretary of statecould be absent for two entire years?
There are two reasons, I would judge. First, President Obama has always turned to others–initially his specialenvoy George Mitchell, appointed on Mr. Obama’s second day in office, and later Dennis Ross–to do thediplomacy that was needed (or not needed, but that’s another story). He has never viewed Clinton as his topdiplomat when it came to the Middle East.
Second, Clinton must have made a judgment a couple of years ago that visiting Israel and the West Bank was a losingproposition. After all, two years ago (in September, 2010) the White House staged an extravaganza to launch peace talks,inviting President Mubarak, King Abdullah of Jordan, Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu, and PLO chairman Mahmoud Abbas.The talks broke down within weeks, and George Mitchell’s last trip to the region came in December 2010. It appearsthat Clinton looked at the wreckage and decided she had better ways to spend her time.
Is this theory contradicted by her presence in Israel today? Not really, because she was visiting Egypt’s newpresident and its military leadership, and because there are other hot subjects to discuss now, such as the war inSyria. And given the presence on her delegation of the administration’s Iran negotiator, Wendy Sherman, her maintopics with the Israelis are likely to be Iran, Syria, and Egypt, with a discussion of Palestinian matters thrown in atthe end to be sure they could all say “sure, yes, absolutely, that was discussed in depth!” But theSecretary’s attention is elsewhere, on some dangerous crises, and it is very difficult to say that her absencefrom Israel for two years was a mistaken decision.
The Obama administration is ungodly in its position on morality, abortion and anti-Israel. Because of this the wrath of God is going to befall America and has already begun. Illinois is Obama’s home state and that region has suffered high heat index, drought and farmers has lost their crops and animals. No rain in sight. Drought and famine are conditions that spell God’s judgment has come.
Sandra you are correct! I live in Illinois and things are really bad here. We haven’t had much precipitation since the several inches of snowfall in February 2011. Our economic standing is dire. The legislators are taking from the most vulnerable and giving it to themselves and illegal immigrants. The teachers in Chicago are threatening to strike this fall because they want more money. We are so far in debt with no prospect of real jobs here that I want out of this state. I want my children who are adults now out of this state for the betterment of their children. As far as Israel goes, I have been saying for over a decade now that Israel needs to protect herself. If she is threatened, take out the threat first. God’s judgement is coming and very soon. Not only for Illinois but for the entire country for which the path our politicians are taking with Israel. Even George Bush has done what he could to stop Israel from protecting herself. Who has the right to tell someone when they can do this? In my book, NOBODY!