Senator John McCain is well-known for showing his horns to Democrats, but today on CNN he directed his considerable spiked antlers towards President Obama. He told CNN corespondent Gloria Berger, in answer to allegedly bad blood between the U.S. President and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "the President should get over it. Get over your tantrum, Mr. President."
But he reserved special venom for any change in the ever present U.S. shielding Israel from the United Nations Security Council telling Borger when prompted about U.S. recognition of a Palestinian state, "of course he shouldn't be considering it. And, second of all, if he does that, then -- and it would be approved by the U.N., then the United States Congress would have to examine our funding for the United Nations."
This seems to be at odds with the international community and long-standing U.S. policy dating back to the first President who recognised Israel. As I wrote on Saturday, in a story that found President Obama is not the first US President to reassess the policy toward the Jewish state, the policy on Israel's borders has long been set. In a May 1949 telegram to Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, President Truman wrote:
"...the US Govt, in the UN and as a member of the PCC, has supported the position that Israel should be expected to offer territorial compensation for any territorial acquisition which it expects to effect beyond the boundaries set forth in the resolution of the GA of November 29, 1947. The Govt of Israel has been well aware of this position and of the view of the US Govt that it is based on the principles of fairness and equity..."
After being asked in the Borger interview if President Obama's personal feelings were clouding the issue, CBS reported McCain as saying, "I am convinced of it, because, either that, or [President Obama] is delusional.
I am not sure which."
In the midst of the turmoil, Arab states are having a summit at the end of this month at Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss security and the Palestinian crisis. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi held a meeting on Saturday with Arab League Secretary General Nabil el-Araby to discuss the agenda for the upcoming summit and Alarabiya reported today that neoconservatives and right wing Israeli government officials are trying to goad the United States into an attack on Iran.
