The heads of state of 47 countries attended the recently-concluded Nuclear Security Summit. There are really only nine countries in the world who have nuclear weapons--the U.S., Russia, United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel. Among those countries that have nuclear weapons, North Korea was not invited to attend.

If I've counted correctly the heads of state of seven of the remaining eight countries with nuclear weapons attended, at least for a day or two. The one head of state that was too busy to attend--Bibi Netenyahu of Israel.

Heck, we're the ones who gave Israel their nuclear weapons in the first place. People here say that Israel is our "friend". I'd say they're not even acting like an ally, let alone a friend. Maybe Bibi was busy building some settlement apartments in Palestine, pandering to his political base and further aggravating the Palestinians.

If I were the chief-in-charge I know one thing--Bibi would know with crystal clarity how we expect Israel to act, what we expect them to do and not do in order to further our efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East. And if they ever embarrassed senior members of my administration again, or stood out like a sore thumb by not attending an important conference of most of the leaders of the developed nations of the world...well...he'd know very well what I thought. And he'd know very well who he'd be talking to the next time he called Washington for some help or some more money...that's if the phone number we gave him was still active.

Originally Posted by Villages Kahuna

The heads of state of 47 countries attended the recently-concluded Nuclear Security Summit. There are really only nine countries in the world who have nuclear weapons--the U.S., Russia, United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel. Among those countries that have nuclear weapons, North Korea was not invited to attend.

If I've counted correctly the heads of state of seven of the remaining eight countries with nuclear weapons attended, at least for a day or two. The one head of state that was too busy to attend--Bibi Netenyahu of Israel.

Heck, we're the ones who gave Israel their nuclear weapons in the first place. People here say that Israel is our "friend". I'd say they're not even acting like an ally, let alone a friend. Maybe Bibi was busy building some settlement apartments in Palestine, pandering to his political base and further aggravating the Palestinians.

If I were the chief-in-charge I know one thing--Bibi would know with crystal clarity how we expect Israel to act, what we expect them to do and not do in order to further our efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East. And if they ever embarrassed senior members of my administration again, or stood out like a sore thumb by not attending an important conference of most of the leaders of the developed nations of the world...well...he'd know very well what I thought. And he'd know very well who he'd be talking to the next time he called Washington for some help or some more money...that's if the phone number we gave him was still active.

Now let me see VK.....Secy of state Clinton lauded Israel for stopping construction on the west bank..now it is being demanded that they stop construction INSDE JERUSALEM and nothing from the WH !

When Bibi as you call the Prime Minister visited he was treated like crap by the White House and you are well read so you know what I am talking about...he was treated as if he came from some small 3rd world country.

For once, it appears, that our congress acted like grown ups and showed bipartisan support for Isreal.

Unfortunetly, the President almost stands alone when it comes to foreign policy thus his actions are the ones that count.

First thing that is wrong Kahuna is your one sided interpretation. Everyone is entitled to his opinion, granted. But you seem pretty heavy handed to me when it comes to Israel. Perhaps it is you that takes too much for granted living here in America? Suppose another country came to you as President and said, we lay claim to Washington, D.C. Are you going to tell them to "buzz off" like the Prime Minister of Israel? You cannot give up what was yours to begin with and what you fought to reclaim in 1967. Israel does not act like Obama bowing to dictators as he does and offering apologies. You get nowhere by being weak the only thing the Arab world understands is power. You cannot argue politics when you drive tanks and the enemy is on camels........wake up and stop being so anti-Semitic.

Originally Posted by Bucco

When Bibi as you call the Prime Minister visited he was treated like crap by the White House and you are well read so you know what I am talking about...he was treated as if he came from some small 3rd world country.

Bibi is his name. And he was treated like crap only after his subordinates purposely embarrassed our Vice President, with Netenyahu's knowledge beforehand, while he was making an official state visit to Israel. Tit for tat as far as I'm concerned. Then only hours after he met with the U.S. President, he makes a speech and goes out of his way to tell the world that he's going to do whatever the hell he wants to, regardless of the impact on the peace negotiations we've been working on for years, and regardless whether hatred for the U.S. was reactivated as the result, endangering our troops in the region. Now Bibi goes into a funk and refuses to attend an important conference. There's another well-earned tat coming, I think. Maybe a couple, just in case he doesn't get the message.

By the way, Israel is a small country and it is located pretty much right in the middle of the third world.

Originally Posted by GatbTester

...You get nowhere by being weak the only thing the Arab world understands is power....stop being so anti-Semitic.

Right. Obviously, Israelis aren't Arabs, but it wouldn't take me too long to let Bibi know on which side of the bread his butter is on. Of course, he can make the choice to go it alone, without our money and weapons. Achieving some peace in the Middle East and not permitting "friends" to do things that results in putting tens of thousands of our soldiers at greater risk is a helluva lot more important than letting a free-wheeling despot run around his part of the world under the assumption that whatever trouble he gets himself into, we'll be there to bail him out. As long as Israel is operating with a lot of our money and our weapons and under the protection of our umbrella, then there's a line they'd better learn where we expect their toes to line up.

Sorry. We really do have a difference of opinion on this one.

By the way, Gatb, "anti-Semitic" is defined as "hating Jews". I am not anti-Semitic. What I am is someone who expects diplomatic cooperation from a country who we had a lot to do with establishing, arming and now protecting.

Frankly I don't blame him. Obama is no friend of Israel and in fact he seems to embrace our enemies more than our friends.

Obama has dissed all our friends, especially Israel. More then likely it will be Israel that pays the price that we don't have the stomach to do.

Obama should be bowing to Israel. A real big one.

"Right. Obviously, Israelis aren't Arabs, but it wouldn't take me too long to let Bibi know on which side of the bread his butter is on. Of course, he can make the choice to go it alone, without our money and weapons. Achieving some peace in the Middle East and not permitting "friends" to do things that results in putting tens of thousands of our soldiers at greater risk is a helluva lot more important than letting a free-wheeling despot run around his part of the world under the assumption that whatever trouble he gets himself into, we'll be there to bail him out. As long as Israel is operating with a lot of our money and our weapons and under the protection of our umbrella, then there's a line they'd better learn where we expect their toes to line up." Quote by Villages Kahuna

VK, when you say, "of course he can make the choice to go it alone..." I think that is exactly what Obama has told many of our allies since he's been in office. Now what must small allies, who have trusted and relied on the belief that they were protected by the US, think? Now that their deterrent against invasions and attacks is being taken away, what may they decide to do?

After refusing to meet with Prime Minister Gordon Brown five times, he was finally granted a one-one-one. This after Obama returned the bust of Churchill from the Oval Office. Remember when the US State Department official last year denied a special relationship between the US and Britain. How about last month when Hillary Clinton was in Argentian and called on Britain to negotiate with Argentian over the Falklands.

Personally, I was astonished and mortified when Obama unilaterally revoked a missile defense agreement with Poland and the Czech Republic after pressure from Russia. What about his snub to India?

Where was the democratically elected president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili at the Nuclear Summit dog and pony show? How about the protests by Azerbaijan who wasn't invited? These leaders pointed out there location in the region - between Iran and Russia - made it an important player in how nuclear materials would be transported.

As for Isreal, Prime Misister Binyamin Netanyahu and Obama agreed on a ten month freeze on West Bank settlements excluding Jerusalem. Albeit, it wasn't good timing on the part of an official in the Interior Ministry department to announce an expansion of housing in a Jewish neighborhood in Northern Jerusalem - two to three years from now - while Biden was visiting. BUT, it wasn't a mistake of catostrophic proportions. Apologies were made and accepted.

Clinton made it a hostile event after the fact though when she demanded Isreal show "in word and deed" it was serious about peace. Give me a break. How many times can Isreal offer peace? The Palestinians have refused to have direct negotiations with Isreal despite the fact that Netanyahu agreed to accept a Palestinian state, helped West Bank economic development in the West Bank which is growing the GDP there, and agreed to a moratorium on West Bank construction as well as easing check points.

What has Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas done in "word to deed" to show any gesture of wanting peace with Isreal?

VK, there are many opinions problems floating around the Middle East. You choose to castigate a friend of this country for over 50 years, think of this, is it really fair to consider one Jew building a home on the East Bank of Israel while you have Iran building nuclear bombs? Is your sense of being offended by a country that is accepting our foreign aide and giving most of it back to our defense contractors that strained? Is 3 Billion a year too high a cost to keep our form of government in stability in the Middle East? If you want to get incensed over bucks......I would advise you to just look at what expenses our very own government has imposed on us, our children, and grandchildren. Three Billion a year is a very small amount compared to the Trillions thrown at nothing by our current administration. Where is your empathy for a country that is surrounded by only enemies. Would you rather Israel fall to a conquering nation? Because that is the impression you give and that my friend IS the most anti-Semitic position anyone could ever have. Have you forgotten the Holocaust? Six million killed for the ambition and lunacy of one. This is where you're true feelings show themselves vk, and frankly we certainly DO disagree.

Originally Posted by GatbTester

VK, there are many opinions problems floating around the Middle East. You choose to castigate a friend of this country for over 50 years, think of this, is it really fair to consider one Jew building a home on the East Bank of Israel while you have Iran building nuclear bombs? Is your sense of being offended by a country that is accepting our foreign aide and giving most of it back to our defense contractors that strained? Is 3 Billion a year too high a cost to keep our form of government in stability in the Middle East? If you want to get incensed over bucks......I would advise you to just look at what expenses our very own government has imposed on us, our children, and grandchildren. Three Billion a year is a very small amount compared to the Trillions thrown at nothing by our current administration. Where is your empathy for a country that is surrounded by only enemies. Would you rather Israel fall to a conquering nation? Because that is the impression you give and that my friend IS the most anti-Semitic position anyone could ever have. Have you forgotten the Holocaust? Six million killed for the ambition and lunacy of one. This is where you're true feelings show themselves vk, and frankly we certainly DO disagree.

Very well said, sir.