April 27, 2010, - 4:08 pm

Speak Loudly & Carry a Toothpick – Netanyahu Backs Down on Jerusalem Building

By Debbie Schlussel

Over the years I’ve warned people about Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.  He talks tough, but usually relents and gives in to the enemies of Israel and those who apply pressure on the country.  He did it during the Clinton Presidency when he was ready to give the Palestinians a good deal of Israel through the Wye Accords.  Fortunately, that disaster was avoided when Yasser Arafat said no.  But now there is no recalcitrant Arafat.  There is the more political Abbas, a better pretender.

netanyahuobama

And now Netanyahu–despite talking tough about the 1,600 apartments being built in Jerusalem–has quietly halted all building in the Eastern part of the city.  It isn’t the first time either.  Since he took office, he’s frequently frozen building on the so-called West Bank by Jews on Jewish land that they own.  And he even dismantled some settlements there. It takes his more lefty opposition to point out that Netanyahu’s public swagger is fake, as usual. And he’s doing it to appease Barack Obama. The pressure behind the scenes must be very great from the Obamaniks. But Netanyahu’s strength must be greater.

– Israel’s main opposition party said on Monday the government has quietly frozen approval of Jewish housing projects in East Jerusalem in a bid to heal a rift with Washington and coax the Palestinians into peace talks.

“I am talking about a fact. I checked it out. All of the work of the Jerusalem district planning committee has been frozen completely, except for the veteran neighborhoods,” legislator Roni Bar-On of the centrist Kadima party said in parliament.

He said he was using the term “veteran neighborhoods” to refer to areas of Jerusalem that were under Israel’s control before it captured the eastern part of the city, along with the West Bank and Gaza Strip, in a 1967 war.

You simply can’t trust a thing this guy says, just as all three of his wives couldn’t (unlike the Muslims, he was only married to one at a time).  Netanyahu is the opposite of Teddy Roosevelt’s keen advice to “speak softly and carry a big stick.”  Netanyahu speaks loudly and defiantly, but when push comes to shove, he carries a soggy toothpick.

If Netanyahu really wanted to stand up for Israel and show the Muslims and their terrorist henchmen who’s boss, he’d be building up a storm right now . . . all over Israel.  But he isn’t.

And that’s why, while I know that Netanyahu is “tougher” than previous choices, he’s not really that tough.  And certainly not tough enough.

There’s no bite to match the bark.  Sadly.




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41 Responses

It may be because that Saudi-loving, scraping, bowing and kissing the ground that the Saudi King walks upon, the current “president” in the White House, has Israel over a barrel. Israel, unfortunately, seems to be at the mercy of the American antisemites.

J.S. on April 27, 2010 at 5:09 pm

Debbie—Bibi may be bailed out by the arabs …..read below and this on top of a report today that the arab league has also rejected the talks without a guarantee from america about a freeze….

Eight Palestinian Authority factions meeting in Syria have rejected peace talks with Israel based on the “two-state solution,” according to Kuwaiti media. Among the factions were Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

The groups called on the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), the umbrella group that created the PA, to immediately stop talks with Israel. The PA has agreed to indirect talks with Israel, via United States mediators.

The eight factions slammed US negotiators, and accused special U.S. Mideast envoy George Mitchell of seeking to buy time for Israel to implement its own plans.

While the PA is currently run by Fatah, which supports negotiations, Hamas swept the PA parliamentary elections in 2006 and continues to enjoy significant support in Judea and Samaria as well as Gaza. Fatah won only 45 out of 132 seats in the 2006 elections.

Islamic Jihad has a policy of boycotting elections in the Palestinian Authority.

Hamas has called to postpone new PA elections due to the Hamas-Fatah split, which has left Hamas in charge of Gaza and Fatah in control of Judea and Samaria. However, Fatah officials have announced that elections will be held in the course of 2010 with or without Hamas approval. (IsraelNationalNews.com)

Harold on April 27, 2010 at 5:10 pm

He appears to be about as tough as a wet noodle. How can he sleep at night, knowing he is part of the problem, and NOT a part of the solution.

“Each and every one of you has got to decide, whether YOU are gonna be a part of the problem, or whether you are gonna be a part the Solution”…MC5

Who cares? on April 27, 2010 at 5:11 pm

I agree completely. Netanyahu is weak. G-d willing, Israel and the Jewish people will get strong leaders. We need them badly.

David on April 27, 2010 at 5:18 pm

We all know of course he is incapable of standing up to pressure.

Today Jerusalem, tomorrow?

The measure of a man is revealed in what he does and not by what he says. In that respect, Netanyahu has fallen far short of the voters who voted to end Israel’s previous appeasement policies – only to take those discredited appeasement policies to new heights no previous leftist government would have dared to take them.

One thing is for sure: all his concessions to Obama and the Arabs will not lead Israel to peace any time in the foreseeable future.

NormanF on April 27, 2010 at 5:22 pm

Dear Debbie: King Hussein Obama is a Jew-hater, and it’s past time to say it. Witness the tasteless “joke” told by his National Security Advisor, Jim Jones — which he introduced as “a story that I think is true.” Really?! You think that story’s true, Jim? Not a coy deadpan introduction for an awfully nasty kick? Open season for Jew jokes now, is it? And from the White House’s right-hand man? And Debbie, as you pointed out, Obama’s relentless public pressure on and humiliation of Netanyahu are only the tip of a very unsavory invisible iceberg. The inescapable conclusion is that this non-citizen impostor of a president is hell-bent on pleasing his Muslim masters by enervating Israel and hectoring her to the vanishing point, G-d forbid.

Perhaps this cowardly general is channeling his eerie namesake, the original Jim Jones of Guyana, and offering his version of hyper-deadly-traif kool-aid, fatal to Jews who don’t know better and who don’t have the good sense to be screaming for his dismissal. I for one am screaming for his dismissal. At least the first Jones had the courage to drink his own poison.

Perhaps on his next outing General Jones the Courageous could try out a nice Muslim joke. Let’s see how far he gets, and who’s calling for his head then.

Dernon Ruton on April 27, 2010 at 5:25 pm

    I question the facts of this news ,I question the source as well.I question the motivation that generated this report.AP published this today with varifiable attribution.I think the story is baseless and with proper bonafides

    elliott Hirsch on April 27, 2010 at 5:31 pm

please allow my correcttion.The AP story was without varifiable attribution and without proper bonafides.You would believe an opposition party?

elliott Hirsch on April 27, 2010 at 5:35 pm

    Elliot, it has been confirmed by Barry Rubin of the GLORIA Center. It seems there is a secret understanding between Obama and Netanyahu to apply a freeze in Jerusalem for a limited period coterminous with the existing Yesha freeze that runs five more months. Do I expect it to lead to direct negotiations, much less than to a peace agreement? No – I do not.

    Israel is seeking to remove daylight between it and the US and to take away the PA’s excuse that the absence of a construction freeze in Jerusalem keeps it from talking to Israel. Even then it will not talk directly to Israel or offer concessions or compromises to make a peace deal happen – and since the talks are with only half of the Palestinians in the picture, even if one were arrived at, it won’t stick because Hamas would be against any kind of peace
    deal.

    The “peace process” is going to go nowhere and this Israeli concession and no set of Israeli concessions will change it. The Palestinians do not want to make real peace with Israel and they do not want a state. That is clear enough already.

    NormanF on April 27, 2010 at 7:01 pm

And that is why I hope one day soon, Netanyahu will be replaced by Moshe Feiglin who is a true and proud Jewish leader who would have the courage to stand up to all thugs who want to dismantle Israel.

rebecca on April 27, 2010 at 6:57 pm

    Um, no, Rebecca,. It doesn’t work that way here. We vote for parties not individuals.
    Americans seem to not be able to grasp the fact that we have a parliamentary system more like European countries than the US. To become PM, you have to be your party’s designated leader and then your party has to win the majority of seats in the Knesset. If you don’t get a clear majority, you form a coalition by using a lot of politicking. Members of the party elite are designated positions on the “list” which means that depending on how many seats the party wins in the Knesset, you become an MK or not. Last year, Likud originally designated spot #20 for a female candidate. When the grass roots came out strong for Feiglin, they said, “Oh, wait! maybe we’d better give it to Moshe.” But that was challenged legally and they backed down giving it to Hotobeli, bumping Moshe down to #30. I believe Likud wound up with something like 21-22 seats so guess what? No Feiglin even in the Knesset. He made a lot of noise about fighting for his promised seat but he backed down and made nice with party bosses. Had he taken his faction out and formed a new party or joined with the various Land of Israel parties, he would have had huge grass roots support. Likud would have needed them, not Labor (Livni/Barak) to form a coalition.

    Moshe did the wrong thing, albeit for the right reasons, but that still produces wrong results every time. Now it is an outsider, unable to influence policy in the least. He’s not even in a position, being out of the Knesset to bring a no confidence vote and deliver the seats necessary to prevent Labor from taking over.

    It is critical for American supporters to understand this system and not beat an individual drum. Israelis did not vote for Bibi versus Feiglin, They voted (reluctantly) for Likud as the lesser of two evils (they thought) against Labor. I couldn’t do it and was so confused as a new arrival, I didn’t vote. I had no faith in a repentant Likud.

    mk750 on April 28, 2010 at 2:58 am

      clarification: the point is Rebecca, for FEiglin to do anything, he has to form a new party or Likud has to outs Bibi and choose Moshe. Neither is likely to happen before the War of Gog u’Magog.

      mk750 on April 28, 2010 at 3:02 am

This guy reminds me a lot of george bush. He talks tough on Iran and says Jerusalem is the Jews land and then he breaks to pressure and caves. He seems very gutless. How long has he been talking about attacking Iran and he hasn’t done a damn thing. It seems to me now its to late to do anything and Iran will have a nuke in no time. Just another guy who goes from hero to zero in no time.

tyler on April 27, 2010 at 6:57 pm

    Let’s see if he caves to Egypt’s “demand” we sign the NnPT

    mk750 on April 28, 2010 at 2:59 am

Bibi blinks!

Janne on April 27, 2010 at 7:25 pm

You lost me when u said “Jews owned land”. Are you kidding me? All that land belongs to poor Palestinians who you and fellow Zionists took from them by force and drove them out of. Do you think people are stupid or what? Why do you think the WH is opposing this garbage? It is because every radical move Israel make against Unarmed Palestinians we real Americans (One passport people) end up paying for it. We have become a nation that is sole purpose is to support Israel killing women and children!

Jeff on April 27, 2010 at 8:02 pm

    Do not include yourself as a “Real American”, since most Americans are not anti-Semites. Go peddle your trash amongst the Islamists, since you use their rhetoric.

    Worry01 on April 27, 2010 at 9:52 pm

    [REPLY TO JEFF 2010-APR-27 08:02PM]

    Well, Jeff, since you’re lost, here’s some info for you.

    Let’s see. “You lost me when u said ‘Jews owned land’. Are you kidding me?” No, no one’s kidding you. Jews owned land, and they still do. Jews have lived in Israel since antiquity, and have returned, and returned, and returned again after countless pogroms, expulsions, and, uh, excesses of Arab and others’ enthusiasm.

    “All that land belongs to poor Palestinians who you and fellow Zionists took from them by force and drove them out of. Do you think people are stupid or what?” Well, not all people, Jeff. If you’re referring to Jerusalem, you’re just plain ignorant, as Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel, and always will be, and before King Hussein Obama, nobody was calling for it to be closed.

    And if you are referring to places like Gaza and Judea and Samaria, well, you see, there are no so-called “Palestinians”, as the term is used today. Even the Brits never referred to such a people when they finished fighting the Turks. What there are, though, are ordinary Arabs, many of Jordanian extraction. They have no indigenous cuisine, music, language, literature, history, homeland, patrimony, identity, or dress. Nor are they even mentioned as such in any historical document until Arafat and Said and their fellow cockroaches dreamed up the hijacking of the term “Palestinian”, which used to mean a resident of Palestine, and therefore a Jew, to apply to these conveniently abandoned Arab brothers, about whom they care so very deeply. These have been left for many decades to rot and reproduce in squalid, stinking, primitive, eternal “refugee camps” like Gaza for the precise and sole purpose of snaring the thorny, delirious sympathy of oddball, shrieking, self-righteous, oh-so-moral crypto-Jew-haters like you. Are we clear now on ‘all that land’?

    “Why do you think the WH is opposing this garbage?” Simple: Barack King Hussein Obama is a quasi-Muslim hater of Israel and of the Jews. Got that?

    And listen, you Real American Fool: if you were half as smart — with your cocky, facile talk about “Israel killing women and children” as you are vicious of soul and ignorant of history — then there’d be some chance of getting through to you.

    But you’re just Jeff.

    Dernon Ruton on April 28, 2010 at 2:50 am

If you Jews American want us to go to war with Iran so you can be secured in Israel, you are really out of your mind! No real American would ever buy this joke!

Jeff on April 27, 2010 at 8:04 pm

Jeff,

You are not a “real American”. Quit fooling yourself.

And Israel has enough nukes to take out the entire middle east and bring them to their knees if need be.

Stephen on April 27, 2010 at 8:12 pm

Another excellent post, Debbie.

I don’t know what part about “Israel needing to defend their rights in Judea and Samaria and reliberating Gaza [which Israel should never have withdrawn from]” that the leaders of Israel don’t understand. … which leads me to one of Jeff’s posts.

@Jeff at 8:02 pm:

From one Jeff to another, do you believe that it’s a case of that G-d created the earth in six days, rested on the seventh, and then on the eighth day, G-d placed the Palestinian Arabs in “Palestine”, meaning Israel?

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Not even close. Debbie is exactly correct when she said–as quoted by you–that “Jews owned land” (not quite the exact quote, but close enough.) You might want to read some of her articles on this site on Israel which will explain as to why this is so.

Re: (same post)

“Why do you think the WH is opposing this [Israel building houses in East Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria]?”

Whatever the reason(s) is/are, it is certainly NOT because it’s the right thing to do. (All caps for emphasis) If snything, given how radical and unAmerican that Obama is generally–see for just two examples, the “stimulus” bill, and Health Care–the fact that Obama is opposed to Israel’s bulding houses in its territories of Judea and Samaeria (including Jerusalem), is all the more confirmation–as if any is needed–that Israel is in the right in doing it and wrong to capitulate to him.

Note to everyone: What I wrote above should not be construed as meaning that those previous Presidents who did similiar things, either publicly or privately–and yes, that includes George W. Bush– were any more honorable than is Obama.

JeffE on April 27, 2010 at 9:47 pm

Stephen: If that is true then I wish they would go ahead already! I for one am sick to death of hearing “death to Israel.” And I am neither Israeli or Jewish, I just know when nations and people are being threatened with death at every turn they have to do something to protect themselves. It’s just a natural instinct isn’t it?

Zippy on April 27, 2010 at 9:54 pm

Re:

“If you Jews American want us to go to war with Iran so you can be secured in Israel, you are really out of your mind! No real American would ever buy this joke!

Jeff on April 27, 2010 at 8:04 pm”

Meanwhile, back in 1939, Jeff wrote, (or would have written),

“If you Jews American want us to go to war with Germany so you can be secure, you are really out of your mind! No real American would ever buy this joke!”

And of course, we know what happened after that…

See also Stephen’s post at 8:12 pm.

JeffE on April 27, 2010 at 9:57 pm

Shit! I can’t believe this. He is being pushed around by the littlest asshole in the class. Fucking slam Obama in the face. He is a wimp.

pat on April 28, 2010 at 12:53 am

Dear Jeff,

I agree with you, as an real american (one passport I like that) we keep having to pay for Israels arrogance. More than half of our problems would not exist if Israel did not exist. Our relations with the Arabs were great until 1948. I am not saying Israel should not exist. They are there and thats a fact. What I am saying is that we should force israel to the peace table so our American (one passport) soldiers dont have to keep dying overseas.

UnBiased on April 28, 2010 at 1:30 am

Also just so people know why this American has a problem with Israel (Not Jews, many of my friends are loyal american jews). My problem is Israel our supposed ally is continuosly spying on US, which blows my mind. We have given Israel everthing and they have the audicity to spy on us. Examples are Jonathan Pollard and Ben-Ami Kadish (both are on wikipedia or on the internet). So this is why I agree with Obama, these people do not have any intention to help America or keep us safe. They only care about themselves, which makes them no better than the terrorists.

UnBiased on April 28, 2010 at 2:05 am

    Really? I suggest you google “USS Liberty” and see who was spying on whom. Included are recently declassified documents showing that your country had detailed plans to invade us during the 1967 Six Day war if we went too far into Arab lands. Um, I guess crossing the Jordan River, which at that time of year and in certain places is only a few feet wide, would have qualified. They were in a war zone and had contingency plans to attack a supposed ally.

    mk750 on April 28, 2010 at 3:09 am

mk750 you are absolutely correct. My husband was on a an American Naval vessel during the Six Day War on a MED cruise. He told me years ago… ( I was sworn to secrecy HAHA) that the USA had plans and were preparing to invade Israel “as needed”. And he said it was at that time that he KNEW “the USA has no friends just self-interests”.

With friends like the US Government who needs enemies?

Israel needs to forget the USA and do WHAT it needs to do to protect itself.

zerobama be damned!

Sewsalot on April 28, 2010 at 5:29 am

    Absolutely, Sewsalot,
    As for those here bothered by dual passports, good news. I plan to relieve myself of one in the near future. I actually don’t know what I’m waiting for but of course it is not something to be done lightly despite one’s current feelings about the place they were born. When it is time, I will know and make my day trip to Tel Aviv to sign the papers at your embassy. Rest assured, I have removed myself from the process of determining your leadership and laws as I no longer believe in the system. It is no longer my right to help you elect those leaders. It would be hypocritical since I believe they are all working against my best interests as an Israeli.

    mk750 on April 28, 2010 at 9:07 am

Unfortunately, American Jewish misleader supporters of Obama also probably put pressure on Netanyahu. It is hard to see how Netanyahu can have any dignity left, the way he was treated in Washington. Most people in the US still support Israel, but if they won’t stand up for themselves that support will inevitably erode.

Little Al on April 28, 2010 at 6:08 am

Debbie,

Don’t be so hard on BB. He met Obama “half-way” and there is only a “gentlemen’s agreement”. Some say the moratorium is only for 4 weeks. Building in East Jerusalem is a long process anyway. BB is calling Abbas’s bluff.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/LD28Ak02.html

Unbiased,

You don’t know how happy the Saudis, Jordanians, and Egyptians are that Israel is around to protect the neighborhood. If you’re sad that the US isn’t friendly with Hamas, Hezbollah, al-Queda, Syria and Iran, then just call American troops home and see what your Islamic friends do next…

Craig Mulligan on April 28, 2010 at 7:46 am

    Craig, 4 weeks, 4 hours, who cares? The Sheik in Chief has no right to demand such a thing. BTW, there is no “East Jerusalem” only and Eastern *side* to the UNITED City of Jerusalem.
    We are a sovereign nation and no one has a right to dictate to us how we live. What would the Sheik in Chief do if Iran demanded a moratorium on building in DC as a “precondition” to Nuclear Disarmament talks? You think he’s “meet [Atemydinnerjacket] halfway?”

    mk750 on April 28, 2010 at 9:17 am

That’s disappointing, I have regarded Bibi as a good guy and
after Olmert a real step forward for Israel. I’m sure it must
be hard to ignore the obvious arm twisting and pressure the regime in DC is applying, but I hope Israel holds fast and this suspension is temporary.

Daniel K on April 28, 2010 at 8:50 am

mk750,

All sovereign nations negotiate. Israel is no different. BB has called Abbas’s bluff; let’s see what happens next. Negotiating a permanent settlement has a long way to go and includes piles of detail and good-will gestures.

Israel certainly can’t control the everyday lives of a hostile people and can’t give citizenship to them. So give BB a chance to hash this out. He certainly isn’t going to agree to another Oslo farce. Toda la el.

Craig Mulligan on April 28, 2010 at 11:33 am

    If only Craig, if only. Unfortunately that’s not what he did.

    mk750 on April 28, 2010 at 1:22 pm

mk750 — have you heard that if Clegg in the UK gets a sufficient number of seats to throw his weight around, Clegg is going to insist that the UK change from a “first past the post” system to “proportional representation”? (Clegg has a number of Arab backers, apparently — another potential “Sheik in Chief”). This would put an end to the dual party system (Conservative vs Labour) and add (potentially) a half-dozen new parties which would form coalitions..(as in Israel). And, as you’ve noted, Brits would no longer be voting for individuals, but for parties. (PR is a disaster, imo. I also wonder if PR were to be adopted in the UK, if you wouldn’t get political, extremist Islamist parties…imagine UK taxpayers supporting the equivalent of HAMAS “politicians.” There’s a debate also in the UK asking the question: “Time to Leave?”)

J.S. on April 28, 2010 at 11:38 am

    They will have Islamist and Islamic MP’s just as we have Arab MK’s, one of whom, Ahmed Tibi, was thrown off the rostrum today. First time it’s happened.

    http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/137268

    Getting back to Craig, sure countries negotiate but not to give their territory away, certainly not half of their historical Capital, and not territory won in warfare. Let me remind you that this is territory WE WON back in a WAR that WE WON. That’s just for the secular argument.

    Overriding this is the fact that the Creator of the Universe *gave* this land to us and expected us to be good stewards of it. That means NO negotiation over the Land. What the Arabs and we “Eastern” Jews get is that the Land and the People are ONE. It is the European Jews coming from the Haskalah (Jewish Enlightmet of the 19th C. ) who don’t get the connection. Urbanized, intellectualized Greco-Romans for whom Land and agriculture are nothing and those who love and work it are inferior in every way. They tried to intellectualize their way to G-d and it doesn’t work. G-d must be apprehended with our entire being, mind, spirit and soul.

    mk750 on April 28, 2010 at 1:33 pm

I would agree with the overly “intellectualised” study of Torah (although I’d draw the line with identifying one group as “a” or “the” culprit…l.h.)

J.S. on April 28, 2010 at 3:44 pm

    That wasn’t my intention, J.S. My comment was more of a criticism of how one philosophical approach, adopted by many groups, created this intellectually detached approach to something that is spiritual and visceral. It can be said that one “group,” speaking broadly, has maintained their more intuitive, practical interpretation along with adherence to the Talmud Bavli which is the later version. So defining “groups” can go either way. The fact is that Sephardic/Eastern Jews did not have much input into the early foundation of Modern Israel. They were too busy trying to survive having their children stolen from them and being the victims of medical experimentation by their European “brethren.”

    mk750 on April 29, 2010 at 4:08 am

Mmm, Mmm, Mmm,

BARRACK HUSSEIN OBAMA

He kicks right-wing asses no matter where they’re from!

[Overriding this is the fact that the Creator of the Universe *gave* this land to us and expected us to be good stewards of it.mk750 on April 28, 2010 at 1:33 pm]

But where is your Yahweh now?:P

Norman Blitzer on April 28, 2010 at 6:23 pm

    Norman,

    Obama is weak when it comes to world politics.
    Come back and talk to everyone here in November.

    The proof of Yahweh is that Jews control Israel and have enough weaponry to stop whoever the f*ck they want.

    For some deranged reason, you seem to think that Obama is higher than G-d.

    I think it is your hatred seeping through.

    Stephen on April 28, 2010 at 9:12 pm

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