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Dancing to Washington's China Tune
(Jerusalem Post) Herb Keinon - * One explanation for Prime Minister Sharon's about-face on the settlements is that in his mind as a statesman, a close strategic relationship with the U.S. will do more to protect Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Netanya 50 years down the line than a hilltop settlement. * When Sharon is asked what he is getting for disengagement from Gaza, he replies that he is not getting anything from the PA but is getting something very substantial from Washington: commitments that the U.S. will back Israel's position on the Palestinian refugee issue and on retaining the large settlement blocs. * Israelis may think the Americans are paranoid about the Chinese, but the U.S. does see China as a significant potential threat some 15, 20 years down the road. Israeli diplomatic officials say that pro-Israeli congressmen in America's heartland see red at the prospect that Israeli technology may some day be used by the Chinese in warfare against U.S. soldiers. * There is an infuriating asymmetry in the U.S. dictating to Israel what weapons it can and cannot sell to China, which may or may not threaten U.S. interests in the future, while at the same time Washington sells sophisticated planes and weapons systems to Arab countries that pose a threat to Israel here and now. But then again, this relationship is asymmetrical. * If you are asking yourself whether Israel should tolerate being treated this way, be honest and ask a follow-up question: The next time Israel finds itself facing an existential threat, where is it going to turn, to Washington or to Beijing?