How The US Presidential Election Is Upending Pro-Israel Orthodoxies

[Purveyor]

ASHINGTON (JTA) — When it comes to Israel, Democrats and Republicans simply do not see eye to eye, and for all their love of Zion, evangelicals will turn out for a candidate who is less than 100 percent on the issue.

Welcome to the 2016 presidential election, when the conventional pro-Israel wisdom has been turned upside down.

For years it was sacrosanct that whatever else divides the parties, backing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s line on Israel unites them. And Republicans who want to be elected better count on evangelicals and their rock-solid support for Israel.

This year, the presumptive Republican nominee is an unknowable provocateur who has said he couldn’t care less about pandering to pro-Israel donors. Democrats who bucked pro-Israel orthodoxies over the last year are confident they can reclaim the Senate and are setting their sights on the once-unthinkable — regaining control of the US House of Representatives.

Donald Trump has said repeatedly that he would approach Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking with neutrality and for weeks would not commit to recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. He also told a roomful of Jewish Republicans that he did not want their money.

more...

http://www.timesofisrael.com/the-2016-election-is-upending-pro-israel-orthodoxies/

[bemildred]

1. Netanyahu hails ‘very successful’ meeting with Putin

PM says military officials from both countries discussed coordination, to assure IDF’s freedom of movement

http://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-hails-very-successful-meeting-with-putin/

[bemildred]

2. Russia seeks bigger Middle East role through alliance with Israel

What had initially started as co-ordination between Russian and Israeli forces to avoid any clash over the Syrian airspace is now expanding into a sort of strategic alliance.

In the third week of April, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu reached Moscow to discuss with Putin the state of crisis in Syria.

While this was one of the many crucial issues reportedly discussed in the closed-door meeting, what stands out is the strong possibility of Russia’s Gazprom developing Israel’s Leviathan gas fields in the Eastern Mediterranean — a development that, if materialized, will have enormous implications for the future of the Middle East as it can, to a considerable extent, alter erstwhile regional alignments.

Russia’s tilt towards Israel, many believe, is happening at a time when Iran is equally tilting towards the West to re-capture the markets it had previously lost to its competitor, Saudi Arabia. As such, were Russia and Israel to strike a deal to develop the Leviathan, it would have enormous geopolitical implications not only for Iran but also for Saudi Arabia, Israel and the U.S.

http://atimes.com/2016/05/russia-seeks-bigger-middle-east-role-through-alliance-with-israel/

[bemildred]

3. Why are Turkey and Israel reconciling now?

“Knowing what you’ve got, knowing what you need, knowing what you can do without. That’s inventory control.”

This statement uttered by the main character in the movie “Revolutionary Road” is actually the rationale behind normalization between Turkey and Israel. Nowadays the two countries need exactly the same thing and they know that they cannot go on without cooperating with each other. This was also verified by the messages given by Israeli Consul General in Istanbul Shai Cohen during our tete-a-tete last Wednesday.

First of all, the region is in rags and tatters. The deep wave of terror and instability spreading from within Iraq and Syria encircle Turkey from its southern borders and Israel from its north, to the extent that their perpetuity starts getting threatened.

Moreover, Iraq and Syria are getting more and more into Iran’s orbit. On top of that, Iran is rapidly moving towards becoming the U.S.’ partner. Hence Israel, which considers Iran its main enemy, and Turkey, which sees Iran as its chief rival in the region, feel urged to cooperate.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/why-are-turkey-and-israel-reconciling-now.aspx?pageID=449&nID=99158&NewsCatID=466