Going to visit love ones is always exciting but stressful time. It is no different for Vice President Joe Biden Jr. Just before he left for Israel, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's government, his host, announced the Israeli plan to build 112 new houses for Jewish settlers in the West Bank. (The State Department insisted "It does not violate the [settlement freeze] moratorium.") Meanwhile, not every Israelis was excited about Joe's upcoming visit. Danny Danon, the deputy speaker of Israel's parliament, declared:
"We see it as nothing short of an insult that President Obama himself is not coming."
Insult or not, here Joe came. He first paid a pilgrim to the elder:
[A]t the President's Residence, at the start of a meeting between Biden and President Shimon Peres. The plan called for brief remarks, which usually means a few minutes. But Peres spoke for no less than 25 minutes.
Throughout the speech, the vice president sat in his chair waiting for his turn to say something. American reporters and others present at the scene said the whole thing was very embarrassing, because, as one put it, Peres "gave a whole speech, going from one subject to another."
When it was Joe Jr.'s turn, it's all about love:
Israel "captured my heart. I make no bones about it. That does not mean I do not understand and have a great empathy for the circumstances of the Palestinians, but Israel captured my heart and my imagination."
Meanwhile there was something going on in east Jerusalem:
It is much preferred to have Jews living in Jerusalem rather than Arabs, Deputy Jerusalem Mayor David Dahari said during a tour of the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Shiekh Jarרah on Tuesday, Israel Radio reported.
According to Dahari, who represents the National Religious Party (NRP), more Jews will be living in the neighborhood by the end of the year.
The deputy mayor said, "Jews can live in every house in Jerusalem and unfortunately Arabs can too." When asked about the situation of the Arab residents who were evacuated from their homes following a court order and now live in tents, Dahari said, "It is their fault since only a minority of Arabs has asked for building permits."
Three billions per year American tax dollars at work! No complaint here. After all, "Israel is the only democracy in the middle east." We can always print more money anyway. Besides, we cannot do such things in the States anymore: A lot of people would scream racist if we do that.
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By the time Joe went to see Bibi, you could feel love was in the air:
The cornerstone of the Israeli-US relationship, Biden said in a prepared statement alongside Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu after their two-hour meeting in Jerusalem, "is our absolute, total unvarnished commitment to Israel’s security. Bibi, you heard me say before, progress occurs in the Middle East when everyone knows there is simply no space between the US and Israel. There is no space between the US and Israel when it comes to Israel’ssecurity."
Now it's gift time:
Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to give a symbolic gift to Biden - a framed document giving the details of several trees planted in Jerusalem in memory of the vice president's mother, who was a great supporter of Israel.
But when Netanyahu handed the document to Biden, he discovered that the glass face had shattered, and shards flew all over. "I wanted to give you broken glass," Netanyahu quipped, reacting quickly: He took the document from the frame, wrote a dedication and signed it with a pen that Biden loaned him.
"It is because of this Irish woman that I so love Israel. She taught me," said a clearly moved Biden.
Mom would be proud.
A few hours after Joe Jr. declared his "absolute, total unvarnished commitment" and "no space between" love, the Israeli government announced its approval of 1600 new houses in East Jerusalem. (With 1600 new houses, subsidized by American taxpayers, in the eternal capital, who wants to live in the 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?) Joe was furious and he felt betrayed. He condemned the act. It was all about the timing: How could you slap me in the face when there was no space between us? And like a spouse in an abusive relationship, he showed up for the dinner 90 minutes late. Bibi was apologetic:
"No one was seeking to embarrass you or undermine your visit - on the contrary, you are a true friend to Israel."
Gee. Don't be a crying baby. Don't you know being labeled "a true friend to Israel" is a priceless coronation for an American politician?
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By the time Joe was ready to leave, it was all love and cozy again:
No matter how long I’ve been away, the instant I return, I feel like I’m at home. I feel like I never left. So please accept my warmest gratitude, as well that of President Obama, who knows as well as I do that the United States has no better friend in the community of nations than Israel.
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I had said in a speech in the United States some years ago for which I got some criticism, I said were I a Jew, I would be a Zionist. And it got a lot of national publicity, how could I say that, until I was reminded by my father you need not be a Jew to be a Zionist.
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Ladies and gentlemen, in my experience one necessary precondition for progress is that the rest of the world knows this. There is no space – this is what they must know, every time progress is made, it’s made when the rest of the world knows there is absolutely no space between the United States and Israel when it comes to security, none. No space.
And Joe invited Bibi for a tea at the White House when Bibi comes to Washington for an AIPAC conference in two weeks. Can't wait to see yo again.
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I have never quite understood why every American politician---Democrats and Republicans alike---feels the need to suck up to Israeli far-right extremists. I have also observed: The Israelis treat visiting Brazilian, Chinese, Indian, and Russian leaders with far more respects and decorum than American political pilgrims. I am reminded of this old saying: If you behave like a prostitute, you deserve to be treated like a prostitute.