Saturday, August 02, 2008

Ian Black Paints Bibi Black

Ian Black, formerly of Jerusalem Post infamity, doesn't like Binyamin Netanyahu.

Here's how he paints him in this article, Israel: Power struggle leads to Netanyahu, hard man in a tough neighbourhood

...Netanyahu - once the enfant terrible of Israeli politics and one of its most fascinating and controversial figures - stands to gain...opinion polls show that the leader of the right-wing Likud opposition remains the Israeli public's preferred choice as prime minister...And given that this is a part of the world where worst-case scenarios tend to come true, the looming crisis over Iran's nuclear ambitions could galvanise squabbling politicians to close ranks and go for a grand national unity coalition: cue Netanyahu.

...Few of those who dealt with Netanyahu the prime minister have warm memories of him. "Who the fuck does he think he is, who's the fucking superpower here?" an outraged Bill Clinton asked his aides after his first meeting with the new Israeli leader.

..."Netanyahu believes that the economic sphere is one where we can make quick, tangible progress, create more jobs and generate growth," said [Uzi] Arad. "That may yield the kind of political payoffs that could further political negotiations". But what there is to negotiate about is less than clear. Netanyahu resigned over Ariel Sharon's 2005 unilateral withdrawal from Gaza. And he is sharply focused on Jerusalem's Temple Mount - "the most explosive square kilometre on earth," and the danger that the city "will become a Mecca for the world's terrorists".

No comments: