Skip to main content

The wall that separates Israeli, US Jews

While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drags his feet in ensuring that all Jews can worship at the Western Wall in the way they wish, some members of his party have proposed a law that would imprison women for doing just that.
Jewish worshippers covered with prayer shawls take part in a special priestly blessing for Passover at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City April 6, 2015. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun  - RTR4W8AE

While paying a condolence call in the West Bank settlement of Ofra following a terror attack in 2001, Benjamin Netanyahu bragged about his intimate knowledge of the ins and outs of US politics. “I know what America is,” he told the bereaved family. “America is something you can easily move. Move in the right direction,” Netanyahu added, unaware of the open Channel 10 television mike. “Let’s say they say something, so what. … I wasn’t afraid to clash with [President Bill] Clinton. … In any case I’m paying the price, so I prefer at least to get something out of it. Bang for the buck.” Netanyahu learned the hard way, however, that it is not so easy to move America.

Despite the goodwill of Netanyahu's Republican friends in Congress and the fortune of his good friend and casino owner Sheldon Adelson, US President Barack Obama was not budged from his position on the Iran nuclear issue. Obama hasn't even handed the baton to Donald Trump, but Netanyahu has already announced that at his first meeting with the new president, he will present him with a variety of options for revoking the nuclear deal with Iran. That, the prime minister may find easier than he thought.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.