Hillary Clinton says the Israeli settlements in the West Bank need to stop. No outposts, no “natural growth,” no nothing. But even if that’s the line coming from the Obama administration, surely Bibi Netanyahu can count on congressional pressure to show Obama who’s really boss? Right?
According to many observers in Washington and Israel, the Israeli prime minister, looking for loopholes and hidden agreements that have often existed in the past with Washington, has been flummoxed by an unusually united line that has come not just from Obama White House and the secretary of state, but also from pro-Israel congressmen and women who have come through Israel for meetings with him over Memorial Day recess. To Netanyahu’s dismay, Obama doesn’t appear to have a hidden policy. It is what he said it was.
….Whereas in the past Israeli leaders have sometimes eased pressure from Washington on the settlements issue by going to members of Congress, this time, observers in Washington and Israel say, key pro-Israel allies in Congress have been largely reinforcing the Obama team’s message to Netanyahu. What changed? “Members of Congress have more willing to follow the leadership of the administration … because [they] believe it is in our national security interest to move toward ending the conflict and that it is not a zero sum for Israel,” the former senior Clinton administration official said.
That’s Laura Rozen over at Foreign Policy. Congress has always been a key part of Israel’s ability to fight off pressure from American presidents. If that’s changing, it’s a big deal.
