|
| FILE - In this Feb. 21, 2007 file photo, then-Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., speaks during an appearance at Bellevue University, in Bellevue, Neb. The nomination of Hagel as the next U.S. secretary of defense is causing jitters in Israel, where the former Nebraska senator is viewed in some circles as unsympathetic and even hostile. |
JERUSALEM (AP) -- President Barack Obama's nomination of Chuck Hagel as the next U.S. secretary of defense is causing jitters in Israel, where some circles view the former Nebraska senator as unsympathetic or even hostile.
Hagel's positions on Israel's two
most pressing foreign policy issues - Iran's nuclear program and
relations with the Palestinians - appear to be at odds with the Israeli
government, and critics here fear the appointment could increase
pressure on the Jewish state to make unwanted concessions. The
appointment could also signal further strains in what is already a cool
relationship between President Barack Obama and Israeli
Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, who is expected to win re-election later this month.
"Because
of his statements in the past, and his stance toward Israel, we are
worried," Reuven Rivlin, the speaker of the Israeli parliament and a
member of Netanyahu's Likud Party, told The Associated Press. But, he
added, the strategic partnership between the U.S. and Israel is strong
and "one person doesn't determine policy."
Netanyahu's
office refused to comment on the appointment, as did officials in the
Israeli foreign and defense ministries. But Rivlin's comments reflected
what has been a common sentiment among analysts and commentators here in
recent days. In their evening news broadcasts, Israel's three main TV
stations on Monday all portrayed Hagel as cool toward Israel.
Known
as a maverick in the Senate, Hagel has raised eyebrows in Israel with a
series of comments and actions over the years that some here have
deemed insufficiently supportive of the Jewish state.
Hagel
once said "the Jewish lobby (in the United States) intimidates a lot of
people here" and does some "dumb things" that aren't "smart for
Israel." He also said that "I'm not an Israeli senator. I'm a United
States senator."
"I support Israel, but my
first interest is I take an oath of office to the Constitution of the
United States, not to a president, not to a party, not to Israel," he
said.
Six years ago, he refused to sign a
letter pressing the European Union to declare the Lebanese Hezbollah
guerrilla group a terrorist organization.
Hagel's
call in a bipartisan letter in 2009 for a `pragmatic' approach toward
Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that rules the Gaza Strip, has
also drawn criticism. The letter called for engaging Hamas to moderate
its behavior, though it said direct U.S. engagement "may not now be
practical." Critics, pointing to the letter, have accused Hagel of
supporting dialogue with Hamas.
The
66-year-old Hagel, who faces a tough confirmation battle in the Senate,
also has criticized discussion of a potential military strike by either
the U.S. or Israel against Iran, and has backed efforts to bring Tehran
to the table for future peace talks in Afghanistan.
While
Hagel's positions on these issues are shared by many in Israel itself,
including Netanyahu's own critics, they run counter to those of the
Israeli prime minister and could antagonize him if, as polls forecast,
he wins a new term in Israel's Jan. 22 elections.
Netanyahu
has identified the Iranian nuclear program as his top priority.
Convinced that the Islamic Republic is trying to develop a nuclear bomb,
a view shared in many capitals around the world, Netanyahu says Tehran
must be stopped. Iran says its program is only for peaceful purposes.
While
voicing hope that international diplomatic pressure will halt the
Iranian program, Netanyahu has said that the use of force must be
seriously considered as well. Netanyahu has repeatedly threatened to
attack Iran, unilaterally if necessary, if he concludes that diplomacy
has failed.
Israel also considers Hamas and
Hezbollah to be terrorist groups, although it has held indirect
cease-fire talks with both organizations. Israel refuses any direct
talks with Hamas, which recently battled Israel during eight days of
fighting in November, unless the group renounces violence and explicitly
recognizes Israel's right to exist.
Ahead of
Hagel's appointment, White House officials tried to play down such
differences, saying his positions on Israel and Iran have been
misrepresented and that he will be "completely in line with the
president." They said that in the Senate, he voted in favor of billions
of dollars of military assistance to Israel and supported multilateral
sanctions on Tehran.
Despite such promises,
the Hagel appointment is likely to fuel the common perception in Israel
that Obama does not share the warmth toward Israel held by his
predecessors.
In part, that impression stems
from the relationship between Obama and Netanyahu. The two leaders took
office just months apart in early 2009, and from the beginning, have
appeared to be at odds both on the personal level and on key policy
issues.
The men have sparred over Israeli
settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, the borders of a future
Palestinian state and the Iranian nuclear program. Last year, Obama
rebuffed Netanyahu's calls to set "red lines" that would trigger an
attack on Iran. The perception here that Netanyahu favored Mitt Romney
in the U.S. presidential election - an allegation denied by Netanyahu -
has further strained ties.
The U.S. is
Israel's closest and most important ally, and the relationship is
critical for Israel. Further cracks in the ties could make for a stormy
second term for Netanyahu.
The one area where
relations have remained strong is in security ties. The Israeli and
American defense establishments cooperate closely in monitoring the
Iranians, military training and weapons development. Israel's new "Iron
Dome" rocket-defense system, which performed well during the recent
fighting in Gaza, was developed with American financial aid.
Speaking at an event for mostly North American Jews in Jerusalem on Monday, Netanyahu thanked the U.S. for its support.
While
he did not mention Hagel directly in his speech, Netanyahu he did warn
of dangers ahead - including Iran's nuclear program - and said "it is
time for many who don't see these dangers to wake up to them."
Eytan
Gilboa, a specialist on U.S.-Israel relations at Israel's Bar-Ilan
University, said he thinks if Hagel "will be a total disaster for
Israel."
He said Obama's choice for CIA
director, John Brennan, is considered good for Israel and could be a
"stabilizing factor" on U.S. policy toward Israel. But overall, he said
Obama's foreign policy team creates a "potential recipe for many
problems with Israel."
"Obama is sending a
message to Israel that rough times are ahead and if it doesn't
accommodate U.S interests, there will be tense relations," he said.
But
Dov Weisglass, who served as a top adviser to former Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon a decade ago and was involved in sensitive dealings with
the Americans, said concerns about Hagel are overblown.
"Ties
between countries are not decided by this person or that. The ties
between Israel and the U.S. are so important and complex that I don't
see any reason why they should change,' Weisglass said, predicting that
in his new role, Hagel would, generally speaking, revise his outlook on
things.
What's more, "ultimately, he is not the only decision-maker," he said.
