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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNetanyahu Calls For Probe Of NSA Spying In Israel
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that he has ordered a probe into reports that the United States and Britain had monitored communications of the previous prime minister and defense minister, calling the actions unacceptable.
Netanyahu also reiterated Israel’s call for the release of Jonathan Jay Pollard, an American Navy intelligence analyst sentenced to life in prison in 1987 for spying for Israel.
Documents leaked by Edward Snowden, a former contractor for the National Security Agency, which detailed surveillance by the agency and Britain’s eavesdropping agency, the Government Communications Headquarters, showed that in 2009 they had monitored email traffic of several Israeli officials, including Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister at the time, and the defense minister, Ehud Barak.
Contents of the leaked documents were published Friday by The New York Times, Britain’s The Guardian and Germany’s Der Spiegel. The references to U.S. spying on Israel drew sharp criticism from some Israeli Cabinet ministers, who said the time was now ripe for Pollard’s release.
Netanyahu, who on Sunday appeared to respond mildly to the reports, was more forceful on Monday, in an apparent nod to the critics.
“Regarding the recent publications, I’ve asked that an inquiry be conducted into the matter,” Netanyahu said in remarks broadcast on Israel Radio. “In the close relationship between Israel and the United States, there are things that are forbidden to do, and which are unacceptable to us.”
Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2013/12/23/3244099/netanyahu-calls-for-probe-of-nsa.html#storylink=cpy
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Electric Monk
(13,869 posts)Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)What do we get out of our relationship with Israel? They get aid, US military weapons and the political backing of a superpower.
But what the hell do we get out of it?
Nothing except hatred from many countries in the middle east.
It's time to cut these guys loose.
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)They were our toehold in a largely soviet-aligned region. That was pretty much Israel's sole purpose, to be a shitty little client state that we could use as proxy to occasionally slap around some Russian proxies and keep the oil pumping.
However, according to a release from the state department last week, they've finally noticed that the soviets are gone. So that does create a bit of a pickle, doesn't it? We're still saddled with a shitty little client state, but it doesn't really do anything for us.
Basically it comes down to the problem that the Us still has a vested interest in the middle east but good options are very slim.
- Egypt is who we really want to be buddies with. Unfortunately Egypt having all sorts of issues right now that just aren't conductive to more US politicla investment. Morsi being a douchebag was bad enough, but this military coup and rampant violence against civilians? Well, the US doesn't really like aligning with that (At least, not after it's been publicized...)
- Next option is Turkey. A stable, largely secular state that, for its flaws is a decent democracy, and has a history of influence and wielding power. Trouble is, Turkey isn't that interested in the Middle East, beyond its immediate needs. Turkey wants to be with Europe. As such the EU is already several laps ahead of us on signing on Turkey.
- Jordan is the Zoidberg of the Middle East. It's constantly trying to ingratiate itself to everyone, trying to cast itself as a power broker and kingmaker, but the truth is, Jordan doesn't have the power needed to kick its own ass. Jordan is Amman and 34,445 square miles of gravel mine. its attempts to join the cool kids group are more embarrassing than effective.
- Iraq and Syria are ruined hulls of a nation. And Lebanon? Lebanon isn't a state, Lebanon is a washing machine full of nitroglycerine. We've got economic ties with the Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, and we bribe them a lot, but they're the nastiest governments in the region, and they're the ones we need a Shitty Little Client State to keep a rein on.
So Israel ends up being our SLCS of choice by default rather than by merit.
But wait... I left a contender out!
Iran
Israel is not afraid of Iran maybe getting nuclear weapons... at least, not beyond anyone else's "shit, more of the things?" concern on the issue. If it were, it would be backing the US up in these deals, instead of harassing and threatening to sabotage.
Israel's goal is to prevent improved US-Iranian relations.
Why?
Israel, for its part, knows that it provides the US with fucking nothing beyond bad ideas and mediocre hummus. In exchange for nothing, it costs us over three billion in direct funding, some undisclosed amount in arms deals, assorted other areas of US-to-Israel governmental funding, plus the millions piped in from private fundraising - all without going into how much loss of political capital this state costs us (forty years of Security council vetoes isn't free, after all.)
Israel knows they cost us far more than they could possibly provide in exchange; and I assure you Israel's leaders are under no delusion that the United States will continue this course if a better opportunity should arise.
Iran is such a possible opportunity.
Because though it certainly has problems, Iran is a very stable state. It's quite democratic, especially if you're measuring by the standards set by its neighbors. It has a strong defensive-oriented military that probably wouldn't do so great on the offensive. It has a strong, chugging economy with ties to major trade partners, rather than just immediate neighbors. And, of course, it was our Shitty Little client State of choice in the region, moreso than Israel, through the 50's, 60's, and 70's. And even after all the shit we did to them, here are the Iranians, offering smiles and handshakes and negotiations.
And importantly, the gulf states we want to keep in check can't compete against it economically, can't fight it militarily, and don't have the popular support needed to resist Iranian influence (especially heavily Shiite states like Bahrain and Kuwait.)
Iran is evidently on its way upwards all on its own, and China and Russia are both trying to woo it to their own corner of the developing new axes of power. The US then, has a very, very vested interest in making friends now, if for no other reason than to try to keep this ascendant client out of the hands of ascendant rivals.
Israel is unable to step up its ability to provide incentive for the US to preserve and expand the relationship that currently exists; truthfully, Israel just can't offer that much, it's fairly resource-poor, and all its technological advancements are just modifications to someone else's work, made possible by the fact Israel didn't have to sink R&D time and money into the initial product.
What it can do, however, is try to create disincentive for the US to look elsewhere. Trying to drive iran away from the table, for an example. Locking arms with Egyptian military dictators. Helping arm seemingly random factions in Syria. It's part of a foreign policy designed to keep Israel looking attractive to the US, even if only by comparison to the neighbors.
And just in case, Israel's been sending feelers out to China and Russia as well - they're certainly no more above trying to better-deal the US, than we are above trying to better-deal them.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)wonder why we are so concerned about other countries' nukes, but we KNOW that Israel has them and has actually threatened to use them, yet the US never has anything to say about Israel's nukes. Maybe because they are ours??
What really puzzles me is that back around 2001 when I used to post on a mostly right wing, Bush supporting, war mongering forum, every single Right Winger there hated Israel. I used to argue with them that we SHOULD try to help the peace process there. THEY were not only against us doing that, but they were furious that we were sending aid to Israel. I knew they were bigots so wasn't surprised by their hatred for Isreal. Around that time Bush had chosen not to continue Clinton's efforts at a peace agreement and I disagreed with that. THEY were against any involvement at all.
Looking back the Far Right never supported Israel, but then things changed, suddenly the Far Right was Israel's biggest friend.
And it never sense that they could do such a complete turnaround.
Pretzel_Warrior
(8,361 posts)pointed at them?
intaglio
(8,170 posts)or Bundesnachrichtendienst or Russian SVR spying or ...
I utterly refuse to get into a conniption about who spies on whom when it has been common currency in international relations for at least 250 years and probably much longer for every country with the capability to spy on all other countries - even friendly ones.
