re: top Hamas leader calls on Obama to stop 'holocaust' in Gaza

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Why would the global elite need to bribe anybody?? Couldn't they just make one call and get the results they wanted ??

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All U.S. Presidents have one-phone-call power when they first come to office, but Obama squandered his. When Obama drew a red line on settlements in 2009, Netanyahu was in panic mode, assuming that Obama was willing to back up his words with actions like Bush 41, the last Presdient to draw a red line on settlements. I remember reading a story about hom running to Hillary crying like a little kid asking, "What will I do?", because he knew that a freeze on settlements would collapse his government. Then at AIPAC's urging, Netanyahu decided to defy Obama and he didn't do a damn thing. If Obama had kneecapped Bibi then, he wouldn't be having all these problems with him today. Here's how James Baker put it at the time:

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I don’t fault President Obama for making settlements an issue, but I do fault him for caving in. You can’t take a position that is consistent with U.S. policy going back many years, and the minute you get push-back you soften your position. When you are dealing with foreign leaders, they can smell that kind of weakness a thousand miles away. Both Democratic and Republican administrations have long endorsed the U.S. policy that settlements are an obstacle to peace. If “land for peace” is the path to a resolution, then settlements clearly create facts on the ground that foreclose the possibility of negotiations.

I would also stress that United States taxpayers are giving Israel roughly $3 billion each year, which amounts to something like $1,000 for every Israeli citizen, at a time when our own economy is in bad shape and a lot of Americans would appreciate that kind of helping hand from their own government. Given that fact, it is not unreasonable to ask the Israeli leadership to respect U.S. policy on settlements.

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