Obama cripples AIPAC

[Blue3]

Obama seems to have crippled AIPAC

http://www.newsweek.com/tel-aviv-diary-obama-exacts-cold-revenge-netanyahu-499392

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[The Dowager Mod]

Good.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

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what does this mean?

[heatcharger]

Good.

The amount of influence AIPAC has is disturbing.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Wow, really didn't see that coming. Obama is a magnificent bastard!

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Thanks Obama!

[Santander]

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what does this mean?

American vassals allies receiving military aid are normally only allowed to purchase equipment from American suppliers, but Israel is given a unique exemption and is allowed to use up to 25% of its aid on purchases from Israeli suppliers. This exemption has helped build up the Israeli arms industry, so this is a pretty big change.

[user12345]

God, I'm going to miss this guy.

[Ebsy]

Quelle surprise!

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

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what does this mean?

Typically, the aid we give is not simply in a form of money sent to the donee government. Rather the money is used to buy American goods and services which are then provided as aid. So our foreign aid does double duty as an American jobs project. Apparently Israel had gotten an exception to that practice.  Granted, if the sole concern of our foreign aid program was to help foreign governments and people, spending some money in the target country to buy goods and services there would generally be of more benefit to that country than spending the money here unless the goods being bought there were being imported anyway.

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

Not a surprise. He was always plotting his revenge ever since his attempt to break Israel months into taking office was foiled by his own party. Agreeing to this was likely Israel's desperate last attempt to prevent a far worse revenge at the UN, but I doubt it'll work. Israel is no doubt planning last-ditch diplomatic outreach to the UK and Russia if needed for those final weeks of Obama's tenure, but if they don't work, prepare for an extremely tense January for the entire ME.

This will likely be torn up on January 21st with the agreement of both sides, however.

[SATW]

Lol, this forum truly is adorable. You don't care about radical islamic terrorism but as long as the "big, bad israelis" are "punished" for not bowing to the President then you are happy.

[MaxQue]

Lol, this forum truly is adorable. You don't care about radical islamic terrorism but as long as the "big, bad israelis" are "punished" for not bowing to the President then you are happy.

I wouldn't call a 10 billions gift a punishment, nor asking Israel to follow the same rules as other countries on local purchases one, either.

[Santander]

Lol, this forum truly is adorable. You don't care about radical islamic terrorism but as long as the "big, bad israelis" are "punished" for not bowing to the President then you are happy.

I wouldn't call a 10 billions gift a punishment, nor asking Israel to follow the same rules as other countries on local purchases one, either.

It's not a punishment, which is why he said "punished" in quotes.

He was right to call people out on the absurdity of celebrating what represents a low point in America's relationship with one of its most important allies.

[Miles]

FF!

[Antonio the Sixth]

Lol, this forum truly is adorable. You don't care about radical islamic terrorism but as long as the "big, bad israelis" are "punished" for not bowing to the President then you are happy.

AIPAC is a threat to Israeli interests, so its weakening is actually good for Israel.

[Angel of Death]

What a way of spinning a $38 billion dollar giveaway as punishment.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Has he cut spending for so called "moderate rebels " yet

[SATW]

Lol, this forum truly is adorable. You don't care about radical islamic terrorism but as long as the "big, bad israelis" are "punished" for not bowing to the President then you are happy.

AIPAC is a threat to Israeli interests, so its weakening is actually good for Israel.

Ah, and what is good for Israel, exactly? If we are talking about the west's vision for Israel...then I'd have to disagree.

[MaxQue]

Lol, this forum truly is adorable. You don't care about radical islamic terrorism but as long as the "big, bad israelis" are "punished" for not bowing to the President then you are happy.

AIPAC is a threat to Israeli interests, so its weakening is actually good for Israel.

Ah, and what is good for Israel, exactly? If we are talking about the west's vision for Israel...then I'd have to disagree.

Not antagonizing the various peoples of the West? AIPAC may do wonders for Israel in Congress, but it's very impopular in the general population which sees it as a foreign lobby with excessive influence over Congress, making Israel less and less popular and, logically, there will be a point where dumping Israel will be a vote-winner (instead of a vote-loser like right now). That's clearly not good for Israel.

AIPAC and current government strategy is all about short-term gains without thinking of the future (but Bibi obviously doesn't care, he won't be in politics anymore when that happens).

[Badger]

Not a surprise. He was always plotting his revenge ever since his attempt to break Israel months into taking office was foiled by his own party. Agreeing to this was likely Israel's desperate last attempt to prevent a far worse revenge at the UN, but I doubt it'll work. Israel is no doubt planning last-ditch diplomatic outreach to the UK and Russia if needed for those final weeks of Obama's tenure, but if they don't work, prepare for an extremely tense January for the entire ME.

This will likely be torn up on January 21st with the agreement of both sides, however.

"break Israel"?

[Santander]

AIPAC and current government strategy is all about short-term gains without thinking of the future (but Bibi obviously doesn't care, he won't be in politics anymore when that happens).

Considering Israel faces literal existential threats, I think they can be forgiven for taking a short-term view on this matter.

[The Mikado]

It's taken decades, but it's good to see we finally have a leader who is willing to openly consider whether our ridiculously one-sided deal with Israel in which we ignore them spying on us and turn a blind eye to their bad behavior while supplying them with billions of dollars carte blanche is actually in our national interests. The United States gets absolutely nothing from its "alliance" with Israel and it's about time the government finally woke up to its strategic folly in committing to this relationship.

[DavidB.]

Lol, this forum truly is adorable. You don't care about radical islamic terrorism but as long as the "big, bad israelis" are "punished" for not bowing to the President then you are happy.

The entire argument for the Iran deal was filled with outright anti-Semitic tropes about the "powerful Jewish lobby" and fueled with hatred of Israel, both in the real world and on this forum. By framing the deal as "good for America, bad for Israel", the hearts and minds of the American left were surely won. Doesn't matter Islamic Iran has been anti-American. So are they. I guess they have secretly been hoping Iran will nuke Israel.

That said, Obama isn't wrong. If I were him, I would make similar demands. If the Netanyahu administration wants the US to pay for Israel's defense expenses he cannot expect to have a big mouth and keep making additional demands on the way, let alone embarrass the president. The real world doesn't work like that. Apparently, Netanyahu now understands that, and he behaves accordingly. The way he has sold out Israeli independence is shameful, just like the way he has sold out Israel's working and middle class' interests to the thoroughly corrupt oligarchs is shameful. But he is hardly alone in this.

Not antagonizing the various peoples of the West?

You like your Jews obedient, I see. Very interesting. Zionism was about putting an end to that very process where the Jew is left at the mercy of the Westerner. A certain Benjamin Netanyahu thinks otherwise, however. You must like him.

[Boston Bread]

It's only a start. America should sever it's one-sided alliance with Israel completely. This also goes for Saudi Arabia.