Category Archives: Israel

G. W. Bush’s former deputy national security adviser on the disconnect between what a president like W. wants in the U.S.-Israel relationship and what the State Department actually gives him:

"It is partly because the State Department is less concerned with domestic politics than the White House is, and partly because the cadre of officials who handle Middle East affairs in the State Department are people who are mostly trained in Arabic – and who spend the bulk of their careers in Arab countries – rather than having a knowledge of Hebrew and being posted in Israel. This is not to say that they are anti-Semitic or hostile to Israel, as some people suggest. I think that is actually false. It does mean, however, that they lack an understanding of Israel."

A good read, this lengthy interview. Worth a look – as we wait to see how Obamalot influences the relationship.