 |
|
Foreign Policy: Washington urged to engage.
More here.... But in the years since, amid Hamas’s surprise victory in the 2006 Palestinian elections, Israel’s rising alarm over Iran’s nuclear program, and the growing strength of Hamas and Hezbollah, many former Israeli officials have come to see the U.S. position of refusing to engage with adversaries as detrimental to Israeli security interests. And as President Bush visits Israel this week for its 60th anniversary celebrations, his administration’s policy of not talking with bad guys is coming under growing pressure from some veteran Israeli security officials and diplomats who favor a more pragmatic approach. ....
Although current Israeli political leaders appear to be in close step with the Bush administration, the country’s former security officials did not wait for Bush’s trip to make their case. The impasse over Gaza and the peace feelers regarding Syria have drawn a number of veteran Israeli officials to Washington to urge the Bush administration to reconsider its approach. Among those who have recently traveled to Washington are a former director of the Mossad and a parade of former senior members of the Israeli Foreign Ministry. [...]