(Commentary) Tom Wilson - White House National Security Advisor Susan Rice has hit back at Israel for criticism from government ministers concerning recent comments by Secretary of State John Kerry, in a succession of tweets. Kerry had raised the possibility of an advancing boycott campaign against Israel in the event that Israel and the Palestinians fail to reach an agreement. Kerry may not be endorsing these moves against Israel, but he serves to legitimize them by suggesting that they are the natural response if Israel won't find a way to make a deal with the Palestinians. If the deal genuinely offers Israel peace and security, we can be confident Israelis will jump at it. Rice slammed the Israeli criticism that Kerry has received, but where is her response to the criticism Kerry receives from Palestinians? Senior Palestinian Authority officials regularly accuse Kerry of having a pro-Israel bias and Kerry's visits to Ramallah are routinely met by public protests. In making these comments, administration officials contribute to an atmosphere that will ultimately put Israel in the dock for the failure of the negotiation process.
2014-02-07 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive