Obama’s Washington Closes Doors on Israel’s IDF Chief Visit to U.S. to Discuss Iran Threat

Obama’s Administration Closes Doors on Israel’s IDF Chief Visit to U.S. to Discuss Iran Threat
Israel’s chief of staff comes home early after doors close in Obama’s Washington
World Tribune
WASHINGTON
Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi cut short his visit to Washington after getting an extraordinarily cool reception from the new U.S. administration.
Last year, Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi had no problem setting up meetings with top officials in the U.S. government.
On his current trip to Washington, Ashkenazi sought to meet the administration of President Barack Obama, but most officials were unavailable.
On March 12, Ashkenazi left for a five-day visit to the United States meant to lobby the Obama administration to abandon the planned U.S. dialogue with Iran, Middle East Newsline reported. Ashkenazi, scheduled to meet with the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, was expected to have brought new Israeli intelligence on Iran’s nuclear weapons and missile programs.
But the diplomatic sources said the administration made it clear that nobody in a policy-making position was available to sit with Ashkenazi. This included the president, vice-president Joseph Biden, Gates, National Intelligence director Dennis Blair or Mullen.

“With regards to a meeting with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, one was not scheduled between Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi and Adm. Mullen,” the IDF stated. “Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi has met with Adm. Mullen five times in the past year.”

“The administration is sending a very clear message to Israel, and this is we want to talk about Palestine and not Iran,” a diplomat who has been following U.S.-Israel relations said.

Ashkenazi obtained an appointment with National Security Advisor James Jones. But the sources said the meeting was to focus on U.S. demands for Israel to ease military restrictions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

“The Obama administration believes that Israel is as much or more of a problem as it is an ally, at least until Israel’s disagreements with its neighbors are resolved,” former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said. Bolton envisioned that the White House would pressure Israel to legitimize Hamas and Hizbullah. At the same time, he said, Obama would continue to woo Iran.

Already, economic and diplomatic advisers to Obama have urged the president to launch a U.S. dialogue with Hamas. The US/Middle East Project, which includes such Obama supporters as former Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Sen. Chuck Hagel, was said to have elicited a promise from Obama to listen to any proposals made by Hamas.
A statement to WorldTribune.com by the Israel Defense Forces spokesman attempted to downplay the snubs.

But diplomatic sources said Ashkenazi failed to obtain access to any Cabinet member, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The Israeli military chief, who sought to discuss the Iranian nuclear threat, was also unable meet his counterpart, Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The IDF put a memo out that he then left to participate in a security cabinet meeting regarding the abducted soldier Gilad Shalit.

On March 19, the Israel Defense Forces spokesman e-mailed the following statement to WorldTribune.com: “The schedule for the United States visit of the IDF Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, was preplanned according to requests made by American officials. Any meetings that were cancelled were substituted with telephone conference calls.”

“Ashkenazi sees this U.S. refusal as what has been undermining Israeli deterrence toward Iran and boosting the confidence of the Teheran regime,” the source said. “The mullahs in regime have concluded that America has dropped the military option and won’t allow such an option to Israel.”

Wild Thing’s comment……..
I wonder if Netanyahu will get the cold shoulder too?
I wish there was a way to writ eto Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi and tell him that not all Americans feel like our present horrible , evil Administration.
It would be something to have a leader of a foreign government to speak DIRECTLY to the American people, express friendship, but explain that our President is an arrogant jerk and that diplomacy and multilateral agreements are impossible with Obama in the White House.
Obama talking to Al Jazerra
Obama dissing Israel
Obama dissing England
Kissing up to:
Obama kissing up to Syria
Obama kissing up to Cuba
Obama kissing up to Chavez