Weekly Commentary: So what will PM Netanyahu actually say in Washington?
Dr. Aaron Lerner Date: 16 August 2010

It is difficult to predict what positions Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu
will actually take next week at President Obama's photo op.

On the one hand, Netanyahu knows only too well that all the journalists and
others who are encouraging him to betray his constituents will also betray
him at the very first opportunity.

Sure, they might praise him in the first report of the betrayal, but a day
later some will already join in mocking him for his "flip-flop".

After all, there is pretty much nothing that Benyamin Netanyahu could do
today that would serve as penitence for the assassination of Yitzchak Rabin.
And as odd as this may sound to an outsider, this group genuinely sees
Netanyahu as the man responsible for Rabin's death. And to make matters
worse Netanyahu had the gall to defeat Shimon Peres at the polls after the
murder. This when it was thought that in the aftermath of the
assassination, the national camp would find itself exiled to the political
wilderness for at least a generation.

And it's annoying that his English is so good.

Netanyahu knows this.

On the other hand, what with the hard line positions of the Palestinians,
there is a great temptation to try to "have one's cake and eat it too" by
offering concessions that are welcomed by Washington but rejected by the
Palestinians.

But even if we are absolutely certain that the Palestinians will reject the
concessions, we could readily find ourselves being pushed to make the
concessions as an "open deposit" independent of its intended context.

After all, that's pretty much what happened with Netanyahu's settlement
construction freeze concession.

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(Mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-7604719 Fax 972-3-7255730
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il
Website: http:www.imra.org.il