From a leading Israeli newspaper:
Sep.04, 2012 | There is a growing American assessment that Israel will not attack Iranian nuclear facilities before the U.S. presidential elections on November 6.
U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, who visited Israel last week, told a breakfast panel at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida on Tuesday that he believes the Israeli government is likely to wait until after the elections.
Rogers said that after his trip, during which he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he’d been left with “no doubt in my mind” that the U.S. election cycle was part of Israel’s calculations. Asked why he thought Israel would wait, Rogers said, “Because I think they believe that maybe after the election they can talk the United States into cooperating.”
In other words, they’re betting that, if Romney gets in, he’ll be more hospitable to this little adventure. Given that Romney’s biggest financial backer is warlord casino-magnate billionaire Sheldon Adelson, and given Romney’s groveling performance during his trip to Israel (see “Dumbo Does Diplomacy”), that’s not a bad wager (as gamblers Trump and Adelson would doubtless agree).
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| Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to war we go!! |
As for the Obama administration:
During Rogers’ meeting with Netanyahu, the prime minister criticized U.S. President Barak Obama’s attitude toward Iran, according to a report in the daily Yedioth Ahronoth. This led to a sharply worded exchange between Netanyahu and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, who was present at the meeting, the paper said. Shapiro subsequently denied the report.
Earlier this week, the New York Times reported that Obama was considering a series of steps, both overt and covert, with the goal of helping Israel climb down from the tree and convincing Netanyahu to hold off on attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.
That’s Obama (coolest head in the room), and not Democrats generally; cf. this:
Hillary Clinton to launch third Mideast war !
[Latest update] And this:
September 4, 2012,
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In their 2012 platform, Democrats left out a passage from their 2008 party document affirming that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel – a charged issue that gave Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney an opening to push his argument that he would be a stronger supporter of the Jewish state than President Obama.
The topic of Jerusalem is a flashpoint in Israeli-Palestinian relations: while the city is the country’s legal capital, it is also where Palestinians want to locate the capital of an independent state. The two sides have agreed to resolve the longstanding dispute in negotiations.
Because of the controversy, the United States has maintained its embassy in Tel Aviv, despite a 1995 law passed by Congress that called for it to be moved to Jerusalem. Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama have blocked its implementation, calling the law an infringement on the executive branch’s authority to conduct foreign affairs.
Four years ago, the Democratic platform declared that “Jerusalem is and will remain the capital of Israel. The parties have agreed that Jerusalem is a matter for final status negotiations. It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths."
This year, the official party document -- released late Monday night -- is silent on the matter of Jerusalem.
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