Obama's Hellfire Missile Decision Is on the Wrong Side of History

The Wall Street Journal wrote a long report Thursday about how US State Department officials who were leading Obama administration efforts to rein in Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip were caught off guard last month when they learned that the Israeli military had been quietly securing supplies of ammunition from the Pentagon without Department approval. Following the revelation, the Obama administration has tightened its control on arms transfers to Israel. Some characterize the response as Obama's answer to what he perceives as “heavy-handed battlefield tactics” by Israel, including the use of artillery instead of precision-guided munitions. The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has abruptly halted the imminent delivery of Hellfire missiles requested by Israel, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The White House instructed DSCA and other agencies, including the US military’s European Command, to consult with them before approving any other weapons requests from Israel. Israeli and US officials say Israel had also requested tank shells and other munitions. But Israeli and US officials also say privately that the bureaucratic maneuvering made it plain that both sides know how little influence the White House and State Department have with the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The munitions surprise and previously unreported Obama response added to a history of behind-the-scene arguments and minor insults that have marked the Gaza conflict, the WSJ wrote, citing events related by senior American, Palestinian and Israeli officials involved. The battles have pushed US-Israeli relations to the lowest point since President Obama took office. One result is that Egypt has become the 'honest broker' in negotiations between Israel and Hamas, trying to find a long-term deal to end the fighting, American officials are bystanders instead of mediators. US officials told the WSJ that Obama had a particularly combative phone call on Wednesday with Netanyahu, who they say has pushed the administration aside but wants it to provide Israel with security assurances in exchange for signing onto a long-term Hamas deal. The current 5-day cease-fire is holding. But, the weakened Israel-US relations raise questions about whether Obama and Netanyahu can effectively work together. Relations between them have long been strained over other issues, including Obama's outreach to Iran. Administration officials say the Gaza conflict - the third between Israel and Hamas in under six years - has persuaded them that Netanyahu and his national security team are both reckless and untrustworthy. Israeli officials, in turn, describe the Obama administration as weak and naive, and are doing as much as they can to bypass the White House in favor of allies in Congress and elsewhere in the administration. While Israeli officials have privately told their US counterparts that poor relations isn't in Israel's interest long term, they also said they believed Netanyahu wasn't too worried about the tensions because he can rely on the firmness of Israeli support in Congress, even if he doesn't have the White House's full approval for his policies. The prime minister thinks he can simply wait out the current Obama administration, something Israeli sources close to Netanyahu deny. ~~~~~ Dear readers, the Hellfire missile situation does not sit well with friends and allies of Israeli in Washington. While Prime Minister Netanyahu lashed out at the Obama administration Thursday for halting the Hellfire missile shipment to Israel, Representative Peter King told the New York Post : “The Obama people came into office with almost a chip on their shoulder against Netanyahu. He was treated worse than most enemies are treated. They were almost looking for a fight with Netanyahu and they got it.” The WSJ revelation Thursday that Israel has been sneaking stockpiles of ammunition behind Obama’s back through the Pentagon was proof of the non-existent working relationship between Obama and Netanyahu. But, when Obama ordered the Pentagon to halt the transfer of Hellfire missiles to Israel, he turned a sparring contest into a main event. And, given the extremely low popularity of Obama and the high esteem in which Israel is held, and especially the bi-partisan support for Israel in Congress, it is hard to see how Obama can win this fight of his own choosing. Obama is sending a message, yet again, about how much he dislikes Israel. In this, as in so many other battlegrounds this President has chosen, he stands virtually alone, with only his senior White House advisors for support. But, we should not forget that President Obama had no problem writing a check to Gaza for $47 million in financial aid. On July 21, the Associated Press reported that the US is sending the $47 million in humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip to help Palestinians there who have been forced from their homes since war broke out on July 8. A State Department breakdown of the aid showed that nearly a third of the money - $15 million - will go to the United Nations’ refugee mission in Gaza. But, Gaza gets billions of dollars already from the US, the UN, and the EU. It is the world’s biggest welfare case. Its open air food markets are overflowing and visiting jihadists can stay in five-star hotels. Gaza doesn’t need this money, which will certainly wind up in the hands of Hamas so it can buy more rockets and build more tunnels. Is Obama, with his US taxpayer money and the halting of Hellfire missile shipments, trying help Hamas while he slows down Israel? If so, he has chosen the wrong side in a long-term political and philosophical struggle that Hamas cannot win.