It’s a Fact: U.S.-Israel Relations at Low Ebb

But let’s see where we are today. Jonathan Schanzer of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies e-mails me while we await the results of the Quartet meeting today: “The Quartet, after meeting today, will likely release a statement urging both the Palestinians and Israelis to return to the negotiating table, in a bid to avert potential conflict over the planned Palestinian unilateral statehood initiative at the UN in September.” However, he explains, this isn’t necessarily a good thing for Israel: “Reports indicate that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fears the Quartet will issue a statement affirming US President Barack Obama’s controversial formulation of peace based on the 1967 lines with land swaps. Netanyahu also fears that the Quartet may issue some ‘surprise’ guidance, without having first consulted with the Israelis.” If so, that will be a surprise sprung by Obama, again, for the U.S. is obviously part of the Quartet. (And Schanzer, who is in frequent contact with Israeli officials, says there really shouldn’t be a factual dispute about the Obama-Israel relationship: “While they won’t say it explicitly, the Israelis feel more besieged and isolated under this administration than any other in recent memory.”)