The Israeli newspaper Haaretz was flashing on October 2nd with harsh remarks made by German Chancellor Angela Merkel over Israel’s decision to build more illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine.
Senior German officials revealed that Merkel was “furious” and “does not believe a word [Netanyahu] says.” This came just two months after “ungrateful” Netanyahu enlisted Germany’s support to thwart Palestinian membership at the UN General Assembly.
Late last month, former US president Bill Clinton declared in a newspaper interview, “Netanyahu killed the peace process.” Clinton was the sponsor of the Wye River agreement between the Palestinians and the Israeli government under Netanyahu in 1998.
The US financed the implementation of the Wye agreement by reimbursing Israel with $400 million to “redeploy” from Palestinian towns. While it was paid, Israel has yet to fulfill its obligations under the agreement.
This comes on the heels of news reports from earlier last month that the previous US Secretary of Defense called Israel an “Ungrateful ally.”
Gates served as US Secretary of Defense when the US was hoodwinked by Israeli Defense Minister Barak last January to provide Israel with unprecedented military aid worth almost an additional two billion dollars in FY 2011, special security arrangements, free access to US military emergency stockpiles, and a further $205 million to finance Israeli technology to develop a short-range rocket defense system.
Ehud Barak promised the US that, with this incentive package, Prime Minister Netanyahu would approve a three-month freeze on building illegal settlements and restart the peace negotiations with the Palestinians. According to media reports, US officials were outraged by Ehud Barak’s failed promises: “We put all our money on him” but “[he] did not deliver the goods.”
It is worth noting that the recent outburst from the German Chancellor is not new. Merkel expressed similar frustration with Netanyahu last February when the Israeli Prime Minister authorized another illegal settlement expansion.
“Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” German chancellor, Western leaders, and the Palestinian leadership have been deceived repeatedly by Israeli governments with no regard for basic human morality and international norms.
Through its 63-year history, amoral Israeli leaders have skillfully demonstrated mastery in habitual deceit and political con-artistry.
Despite intermittent indignation at cunning Israeli officials, impotent Western leaders, mostly for political expediency, have cosseted Israel at the expense of their own self-professed cherished values.
For instance, the US makes a mockery of its overuse of the UN Veto power at the whim of the Israeli lobby. Instead of enticing Israel to take the required risk to achieve peace, impunity has emboldened “ungrateful” Israel to ignore its obligations as a UN member state while indulging in the building of illegal settlements and in its oppression of the Palestinian people.
