Gideon Levy Take 2 on Bibi and Blair on Obama's Concern

Haaretz' Gideon Levy takes another cut at Bib with "Netanyahu relegated himself to the footnotes of history".

Levy, who keeps referring to Bibi's address to Congress as the "speech of hife life", says now the speech is quickly that of his political demise. Polls in Israel don't suggest this but Levy's point is larger. He slams the snake oil peddlers who sold the masses on the "more moderate"," grown wiser","matured" Netanyahu, whom we could expect "sensational suprises from." He says that Israelis must admit the bitter truth. "The Israeli Leonaid Brezhnev is occupying the Prime Minister's Bureau. A many of yesterday, frozen and rigid, uncompromising, deaf to the sounds of his surroundings and blind to the changing times. His term of office, heaven forbid, must not drag on nearly twenty years, the way Brezhnev's did."

Levy asks what happens when the warmth of the American Congress' hollow ovations evaporation. What now? "Then it will become clear that this prime minister has got us in trouble. Big trouble. We lost the Palestinians a long time ago, and now also the White House's America. Once the speech ended, the chances ended." After the speech, Levy writes we know where we are going--nowhere.

Levy says there are no more buyers in the world for the stale merchandize Bibi offers. "There is a new world around us, and Netanyahu refuses to acknowledge its existence. What is he going to tell this world now, a world of popular uprisings, struggles for freedoms and human rights? That he is in favor of freedom for Arab peoples, just not in our backyard?"

Levy raises what happens when the September vote at the United Nations happens. "At the end of this oratory session, the Israelis, too, will have to ask themselves: What next? Blind and deaf,will we continue to follow this Brezhnev of ours? And how will we confront the storm raging around us? And what will we do with the U.S. President Barack Obama, who at long last will have to act and not just talk?"

Former British Prime Minister and the UK's Middle East envoy Tony Blair spoke to an audience of Middle East-focused business leaders at London's Royal Institution. Blair said that President Obama launched his peace initiative because Obama was "frankly worried about the position that Israel is in."

Blair described Obama's initiative--rejected by Bibi Netanyahu--as "an attempt to fill a vacuum which he sees as dangerous , particularly dangerous for Israel in the run-up to September", when the General Assembly is expected to take up the issue of Palestine. Basically Obama was trying to avoid an embrassing diplomatic showdown in New York. While the U.S. is committed to veto the resolution, it would leave the United States isolated with anti-Israel sentiment rising in Europe.

Blair, who represents the Quartet of Mideast mediators, didn't comment on what he thought the consequences of the vote would be. "I do think, especially with what's coming in September...we're going to live in interesting times."

For the United States, the General Assembly vote would be an enormous setback when we have to deal with an assortment of Middle Eastern issues. But the Israeli center and center-left believe it will be catastrophic. Because if European countries go along--and they might,knowing we're going to veto--then Israel's isolation would almost be complete. Then the balance among the Palestinians might shift to Hamas from the accomodating Abbas and the vote would give pretext and cover for renewed confict.

Make no mistake Blair's comments were officially approved by both the British and Americans.