Shlaim is interesting, but speculating. We could as speculatively deduce that
Omert failed to understand that Britains really special relationship is with
America, not Israel.
Sean McBride <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Sent to you by Sean McBride via Google Reader:
The deadly failure via Antony Loewenstein by Antony Loewenstein on May 15, 2007
Avi Shlaim, The Guardian, May 14:
Blair failed to understand that Americas really special relationship is with
Israel, not Britain. Every time that George Bush had to choose between Blair
and Ariel Sharon, he chose the latter. Blairs special relationship with Bush
was a one-way street: Blair made all the concessions and got nothing tangible
in return.
American policy towards the Middle East was doomed to failure from the start,
and the end result has been to saddle Britain with a share of the
responsibility for this failure. The premise behind American policy was that
Iraq was the main issue in Middle East politics and that regime change in
Baghdad would weaken the Palestinians and force them to accept a settlement on
Israels terms. The road to Jerusalem, it was argued, went through Baghdad.
This premise was wrong. Iraq was a non-issue; it did not pose a threat to any
of its neighbours, and certainly not to America or Britain. The real issue was
Israels occupation of the Palestinian territories and Americas support for
Israel in its savage colonial war against the Palestinian people.
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