Saudi Arabia and India agree to study feasibility of establishing power grid    Saudi Awwal Bank records SR5.9 billion net profit after Zakat and Income Tax for YTD Q3    Economy minister emphasizes global partnerships to address pressing challenges Private investments in non-oil sector soar 70%    Saudi Arabia's GDP grows 2.8% in Q3, driven by non-oil sectors    PIF, HKMA sign MoU to establish $1 billion investment fund    Israeli soldiers forced Palestinian men to take off clothes as they evacuated war-torn Jabalya    North Korea fires suspected intercontinental missile    India celebrates Diwali, the festival of lights    'It was like a tsunami': Spaniards recount horror of deadly floods    Bahrain Crown Prince receives Saudi Interior Minister    In-person classes will remain suspended in Jeddah, Rabigh and Khulais schools on Thursday    HR Ministry takes penal action against 568 violators of Domestic Workers' Regulation    Derby Week makes its debut in the Roshn Saudi League    Al Nassr eliminated from King's Cup after a defeat to Al Taawoun    Teri Garr, Young Frankenstein and Tootsie star, dies at 79    Othman Al Omeir receives Legacy of Change Medal at the UK Parliament for advocacy in media    Neymar joins Saudi fashion trend, donning traditional attire at Al Hilal match    Indonesia Days event celebrates cultural diversity at Al Suwaidi Park    Saudi Football Federation reappoints Hervé Renard to lead national team    Tarzan star Ron Ely dies aged 86    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Clinton visit may be first move in looming Israel-US spat
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 03 - 03 - 2009


Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met
with Israeli leaders Monday, and almost immediately paved the way for
for a possible spat between the Obama administration and Israel's
likely next prime minister, according to dpa.
Clinton lost no time in emphasizing the US commitment to a
two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, something
Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has refrained
from endorsing, although he has spoken of Palestinian self-
government.
With Israel being run by a caretaker government while Netanyahu
tries to build a coalition, Clinton's visit was billed as a
"familiarization" trip, and the Secretary of State may find herself
forced to recall the observation of one of her predecessors, Henry
Kissinger, who noted that "Israel has no foreign policy, only
domestic politics."
Her meeting with Netanyahu on Tuesday afternoon is the most
important, on the Israeli side, of her trip. President Shimon Peres'
powers are largely ceremonial, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is leaving
politics, and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defence Minister Ehud
Barak appear destined for the opposition, after refusing Netanyahu's
call to join a unity government.
Netanyahu may be shying away from a two-state commitment out of
genuine ideological belief - he is a known hardliner - or he may be
wary of alienating potential hardline partners in a government he
seems fated to form.
These potential partners, all of whom Netanyahu needs if he is to
form a majority coalition, include parties which reject any form of
Palestinian statehood.
They also champion Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank,
something else which is likely to accelerate another collision with
the Obama administration, which expects Israel to adhere to
commitments to halt all settlement activity.
On both these issues Netanyahu finds himself faced with the choice
of either alienating his potential allies in government, or Israel's
main ally on the world stage.
Clinton herself hinted at possible future tension, telling a news
conference in Jerusalem Tuesday that while the US has "always worked
and supported" the Israeli government and people, that does not mean
that "we might not have opinions that we might express once in a
while."
For Clinton, solving the Israeli-Palestinian impasses - which
defeated her husbands when he was president - is a priority which
will ease Washington's relations with the Muslim world.
Netanyahu however believes that Iranian policies are of more
pressing concern to Israel at the moment.
According to "sources close to Netanyahu" quoted on Israel Radio
Tuesday, the premier-designate intended telling Clinton that before
any steps will be taken on the Palestinian issue, the issue of Iran's
nuclear ambitions must be resolved.
Netanyahu has long warned of the existential dangers to Israel
posed by a nuclear Iran, and has also pointed out that it is Tehran
which is financing and backing the Islamic groups, such as Hamas and
Hezbollah, opposed to any peace treaty with Israel.
But, says analyst Yossi Klein Halevi, writing in The New Republic,
"Netanyahu knows that, in order to effectively confront Iran, Israel
needs a good working relationship with the Obama administration".
And he is unlikely to get it by opposing Washington's way of
settling the Israeli-Palestinian imbroglio.


Clic here to read the story from its source.