Tuesday, March 16, 2010
As Max Boot relates, Mark Perry's big scoop of a supposed Petraeus briefing that lead to the big blow out between Obama and Bibi and promised a subsequent ushering in of the great Age of Aquarius where anti-Zionist academics, Arabist diplomats, and Jewish Lobby paranoiacs strode the planet like Philosopher Kings...well, that day is looking to be disappointingly (for them) still remote. It's much ado about not very much: Is General Petraeus Behind Obama's Dressing Down of Israel?
...I further queried this officer as to whether he had ever heard Petraeus express the view imputed to him by Mark Perry -- namely that Israel's West Bank settlements are the biggest obstacle to a peace accord and that the lack of a peace accord is responsible for killing American soldiers. This officer told me that he had heard Petraeus say "the lack of progress in the Peace Process, for whatever reason, creates challenges in Centcom's AOR [Area of Responsibility], especially for the more moderate governmental leaders," and that's a concern -- one of many -- but he did not suggest that Petraeus was mainly blaming Israel and its settlements for the lack of progress. They are, he said, "one of many issues, among which also is the unwillingness to recognize Israel and the unwillingness to confront the extremists who threaten Israelis."...[More.]
Boot also links to this Josh Rogin piece at Foreign Policy which would seem to be another straw putting paid to Perry's fantasy: Petraeus: I never formally asked for command of the Palestinian territories
Perry allowed himself to be made a fool, and it's been pretty obvious from the start, as I said in my first post on the subject. The story was just too perfect, designed to market directly to a certain mindset just waiting to consume this type of tale.
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Mark Perry's Big Scoop: No There There.
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The rumored turn against Israel by General Petraeus that was supposedly one of the factors behind the Obama/Netanyahu fracas has been stomped on by none other than General Petraeus himself. Mark Perry was the huckster behind this supposed scoop, and... Read More
I am relieved because this story was a) upsetting b) didn't ring true and c) really almost approached the conspiracies blaming Israel for the Iraq war, 9/11 and other assorted disasters.
Nevertheless, this was widely published so it's out there.