U.S.-Israel Relations | The American Task Force on Palestine

Hawks Steering Debate on How to Take On Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Mark Landler, Eric Lichtblau - March 18, 2012 - 12:00am

WASHINGTON — Even before President Obama declared this month that “I have Israel’s back” in its escalating confrontation with Iran, pro-Israel figures like the evangelical Christian leader Gary L. Bauer and the conservative commentator William Kristol were pushing for more.

In 2011, US primacy in the Middle East died
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Barry Rubin - (Opinion) March 18, 2012 - 12:00am

This is the end... Of our elaborate plans, the end, Of everything that stands.... No safety or surprise.... There’s danger on the edge of town.... And all the children are insane.... The West is the best.... But you will never follow me.” – “This is the End,” The Doors

The Other One Staters
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Peter Beinart - (Opinion) March 15, 2012 - 12:00am

Sometimes I love right-wing Christians. In the past few weeks, in the wake of pro-BDS conferences at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, American Jewish groups have been venting their outrage about the legitimacy that powerful institutions are giving to people who support turning Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip into a single state. This Jewish outrage is not surprising, explains the Anti-Defamation League, because the “ADL has consistently expressed opposition to any notion of a one-state solution.”

A Leftist's Critique of BDS
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Naomi Paiss - (Opinion) March 15, 2012 - 12:00am

What do you call a movement that polarizes and even penalizes the progressive community, increases the intransigence of ordinary Israelis, and provides political cover for the most extreme right-wing ultra-nationalists? These days, progressives should call that movement Global BDS.

Don't Prove Walt and Mearsheimer Right
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Beast
by Lara Friedman - (Opinion) March 15, 2012 - 12:00am

A recent Saturday Night Live episode opened with a sketch that said a lot about America’s views on war with Iran. In the sketch, Andy Samberg, playing Rick Santorum, tells the audience that the coming presidential campaign is about two things: “One, making the family once again the center of our nation’s public policy, and two, starting a war with Iran, as a favor to Israel, whether Israel asks us to or not.” Samberg forgot to add: “and whether or not it’s actually good for the U.S., Israel or the Jews.”

From crisis to crisis
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Gershon Baskin - (Opinion) March 15, 2012 - 12:00am

A few weeks ago, when the "attack Iran chatter" in Israel took an upgrading shift in quality (of the people doing the chatter) and in quantity (the amount of times the chatter focused on operational options), I was convinced that a decision had been taken to hit Iran. In thinking about the consequences of that attack, I immediately pondered the unintended consequences as well.

The impact of the US-Israeli confrontation with Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Bitterlemons
by Mkhaimer Abu Sada - (Opinion) March 15, 2012 - 12:00am

The debate over Iran's nuclear program has been at the forefront of official US-Israel deliberations. The recent meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama at the White House was overshadowed by Iran's nuclear program and whether an attack should be used to derail it. The debate is not over whether or not to attack, but rather when.

Obama Help With Israeli Preemptive Strike on Iran Would Violate International, U.S. Law
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Christian Science Monitor
by L. Michael Hager - (Opinion) March 15, 2012 - 12:00am

If Israel should launch a unilateral attack on Iran in response to a mere threat to weaponize its nuclear program, should the United States come to Israel’s aid? Before responding affirmatively, American policymakers should consider a word that has rarely appeared in the public debates on Iran or in the media. That word is 'law': international law and US law.

Why U.S., Israel aren't neatly aligned on Iran
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from CNN
by Aaron David Miller - (Opinion) March 13, 2012 - 12:00am

(CNN) -- Over the years, I've seen a good many meetings between U.S. presidents and Israeli prime ministers on big issues during critical moments. It usually takes a few days before we can begin to make sense of what occurred and what to expect. Here's a guide to interpret last week's meeting between Barack Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu on the Iranian nuclear issue and how to read the next several months. Best meeting yet but don't be fooled

After Bibi’s U.S. visit, question remains: What’s Israel’s next step on Iran?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
by Ron Kampeas - (Opinion) March 13, 2012 - 12:00am

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is waiting and watching when it comes to Iran -- although for how long, no one knows. Analysts and Jewish organizational officials who speak with Israeli and U.S. government say Netanyahu came away from his meeting last week with President Obama feeling that he has a strategic partner in seeking to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. But, they say, he has yet to decide whether Obama’s tactics will do the job or if Israel must strike.

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