Since Benjamin Netanyahu’s electoral victory, leaks have been emanating from the White House that the U.S. may cease using its veto power at the UN Security Council to counter anti-Israel resolutions. John Bolton explains that these threats are about much more than punishing the Israeli prime minister for remarks not to the administration’s liking:
President Obama’s post-election statements demonstrate something much deeper than just animosity toward Netanyahu. The president said that “Israeli democracy has been premised on everybody in the country being treated equally and fairly. If that is lost, then I think that not only does it give ammunition to folks who don’t believe in a Jewish state, but it also, I think, starts to erode the meaning of democracy in the country.”
With these comments, the president is criticizing not just Netanyahu, but the very legitimacy of Israel’s democracy, giving an implicit green light to those prepared to act violently against it. . . . [He] is thus going well beyond acting unpresidential or even immature. Whether one takes his or Netanyahu’s side, the administration’s approach is now squarely contrary to America’s larger strategic interests. And the global harm that will be done to common U.S. and Israeli interests through Security Council resolutions if Washington stands aside (or worse, joins in) will extend far beyond the terms of one prime minister and one president.
More about: Barack Obama, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel & Zionism, United Nations, US-Israel relations