America's alliance with Israel is a significant burden
Gulfnews
22-Jul-2010

Two senior officials of the Obama administration are doing their utmost to ensure that Israel is fully protected against any potential threat from its regional enemies and that the US-Israeli alliance remains as unshakable as ever.

They are Stuart A. Levey, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the US Department of the Treasury, and Andrew J. Shapiro, Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs in the Department of State.

Are Levey and Shapiro shielding America from attack by angry and frustrated Muslims or are they, on the contrary, feeding the fires of anti-Americanism? Are they helping to persuade Israel to take risks for peace, or are they encouraging hardline Israelis to thumb their noses at the American president?

In other words, are the tireless efforts of these two key officials promoting or obstructing President Barack Obama's declared objectives of resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict and of reaching a negotiated settlement with Iran over its nuclear ambitions?

Levey has for years been leading the push to cripple Iran's economy. His special interest has been to convince — and pressure — banks around the world not to do business with Iran. He wants to cut off Iranian banks from access to the international banking system, and he has achieved some considerable success. Whether it makes Tehran more amenable to reconciliation with Washington or more furiously defiant is another matter.

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