Download PDF Version
Printable Version
"Obama's lost senate seat is a victory for Netanyahu" by Aluf Benn
From time to time, the
Palestine Center distributes
articles it believes will enhance understanding
of the Palestinian political
reality. The following article by Aluf Benn was
published in the online edition of Haaretz on 20 January 2010. To view this
article online, please go to http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1143891.html.
"Obama's lost senate seat is a victory
for Netanyahu"
By Aluf
Benn
The Republican upset in the
race for the U.S. Senate seat held for nearly
half a century by liberal Edward M. Kennedy
reflects a huge victory for opponents of U.S.
President Barack Obama - and also for Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Scott Brown
defeated once-favored Martha Coakley for the
Massachusetts seat even after U.S. President
Barack Obama rushed to Boston on Sunday to try
to save her candidacy.
Over the past
nine months, Netanyahu has managed to curb
pressure from Obama, who enjoys a Democratic
majority in both houses of Congress. Now,
however, Obama will be more dependent on the
support of his Republican rivals, the
supporters and friends of Netanyahu.
No
Israeli politician matches his steps to the
political goings-on in the U.S. as much as
Netanyahu. He dragged out negotiations over the
settlement freeze and then decided it would
last for 10 months and end in September - just
in time for U.S. Congressional elections in
which Democrats are expected to suffer heavy
losses.
Netanyahu understood he must
withstand the pressure until his right-wing
supporters recapture a position of power on
Capitol Hill and work to rein in the White
House's political activities. The election in
Massachusetts, one of the most liberal states
in America, will from this moment on be a
burden for Obama.
Proponents of the
peace process will view this as a missed
opportunity for Obama, who spent his first year
in office on fruitless diplomatic moves that
failed to restart talks between Israel and the
Palestinians. From now on, it will be harder
for Obama. Congressional support is essential
to the political process and in the current
political atmosphere in the U.S. - in which the
parties are especially polarized - Netanyahu
can rely on Republican support to thwart
pressure on Israel.
If Obama's
popularity continues to dive and the
Republicans recapture at least one of the
houses of Congress in November, Netanyahu and
his partners will be able to breathe deep and
continue expanding settlements in the West Bank
and East Jerusalem.
Aluf Benn
is a
Haaretz correspondent.
The views
expressed in this article are those of the
author and do not necessarily reflect
those of The Jerusalem
Fund.