Watch for the demonization of the Rethuglican(c): Marco Rubio told the world that of course Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. Because Israel has declared it so. And he also said that Iran, not Israel, is the greatest threat to Middle East peace. Cue the hysterical ranting of the left and the Palestinians.
Gee, why would Rubio single out Iran? Because they’re upgrading to more, faster, better machines to process uranium? Because they run Hezbollah and Hezbollah’s been caught in the act and caught in the planning of terrorism against Israelis in other countries? (And still, the EU refuses to declare Hizbollah a terrorist group.)
Ratcheting up the street theater: Palestinians are planning the usual Palestinian visit for U.S. dignitaries: They’re ginning up the violence.
There are many signs that the Palestinian Authority is seeking to escalate tensions in the West Bank ahead of US President Barack Obama’s visit to the region next month.
Although the Palestinian Authority probably does not want an all-out confrontation between Palestinians and Israelis at this stage, some Palestinian Authority officials in Ramallah believe that a “mini-intifada” would serve the Palestinians’ interests, especially on the eve of Obama’s visit.
The officials hope that scenes of daily clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians in the West Bank will prompt Obama to exert pressure on the Israeli government to make far-reaching concessions to the Palestinian Authority.
This is why the Palestinian Authority leadership has been encouraging its constituents lately to wage a “popular intifada” against Israel, each time finding another excuse to initiate confrontations between Palestinians and Israel.
Obama is going to buy it hook, line, and sinker.