The Self-Destructing Bibi

Wherever Benjamin Netanyahu shows up, he leaves behind dissension. Now, Israel’s Prime Minister has really done it: Europe and the United States are hopelessly divided on the Middle East. But the central problem is Barack Obama.

Bibi and Bieber — they would make a wonderful couple. Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, was supposed to meet teen idol Justin Bieber, but the whole thing fell apart due to supposed “misunderstandings.” Bibi wanted to have young Israeli victims of his Gaza incursion in attendance; Bieber wanted the affair to be non-political. But there’s no such thing as “non-political” when it comes to Israel.

Benjamin Netanyahu has a problem with his friends. Misunderstandings seem to be common with him these days. The prime minister seems to have a “Tullius Destructivus” effect, that master of dissension from the Asterix comics. Last week he visited the German Chancellor and managed to destroy European unity on the subject of a Middle East peace plan and statehood for Palestine.

Just a reminder: The Palestinians intend to put statehood for their nation to a vote by the U.N. General Assembly in September. Their chances of achieving a symbolic victory appear pretty good, despite the obvious veto that will be cast by the United States in the Security Council. The political dynamics of the issue are already causing trepidation in Israel. That’s why Netanyahu is practically in need of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation already.

Since Merkel, for no apparent reason, already announced that Germany wouldn’t recognize a Palestinian state (thereby sacrificing European unity) the United States has since driven a second wedge in the European phalanx by announcing it would not be attending the Middle East Quartet meeting scheduled for this Friday in Berlin. Washington refuses to be driven by any European agenda, not to mention the fact that the White House is miffed because the Europeans supported a resolution calling for a halt to Israeli settlement expansion that came before the Security Council on the Feb. 18. The United States was obliged to exercise its veto in standing alone against the resolution.

So President Obama stands as a lonely figure — even his Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has indicated in word and deed that she favors tougher measures to get Israel to abandon its expansion and force them back to the negotiation table to try for a comprehensive peace accord. Time is running away, the Middle East is taking on a new form and Israel is losing its friends.

The main problem now is Obama. He went on record with two major demands: no settlement expansion and the creation of a Palestinian state by the end of 2011. But his security advisors don’t keep their European counterparts informed, and he gives the general impression of not wanting to be bothered by foreign policy matters until after the 2012 elections.

Clinton may have promised a major statement by her boss, but people still await Obama’s great initiative in the Middle East, as they do a presidential visit to Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Netanyahu comes to Washington in May, garners the applause of Republicans in Congress and further walls Obama off. Bibi Destructivus is already looking forward to the encounter.