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Petraeus phones IDF chief to reassure him comments spun out of context
Gen. David Petraeus, commander of the US Military's Central Command (CENTCOM), telephoned IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi on Wednesday night to reassure Israel that comments attributed to him regarding supposed Israeli intransigence were spun out of context.Last week, Petraeus testified before the Senate's Armed Services Committee. A 56-page report that CENTCOM had submitted alongside Petraeus's oral testimony caused a storm by claiming that Israeli intransigence was a problem for the US military and was fomenting conflict in the Middle East. The enduring hostilities between Israel and some of its neighbors present distinct challenges to our ability to advance our interests,' the CENTCOM report read. Arab anger over the Palestinian question limits the strength and depth of US partnerships with governments and peoples in the [Middle East] and weakens the legitimacy of moderate regimes in the Arab world.' The above words, which appeared in the report but were not uttered by Petraeus in his oral testimony, were pounced upon by critics of Israel as confirmation of what many of them have said for years that Israel is the source of instability in the region. On Wednesday, though, Petraeus poured cold water on the written testimony. In an appearance at St. Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire, he told reporters that his testimony had been spun by bloggers. There's a 56-page document that we submitted that has a statement in it that describes various factors that influence the strategic context in which we operate, and among those we listed the Mideast peace process,' he said, according to a transcript of the press conference that appeared on the Web site of The American Spectator monthly. We noted in there that there was a perception at times that America sides with Israel and so forth. And I mean, that is a perception. It is there. I don't think that's disputable. But I think people inferred from what that said and then repeated it a couple of times and bloggers picked it up and spun it. And I think that has been unhelpful, frankly.' Defense officials said that the defense establishment was not concerned by the possibility that the diplomatic crisis with Washington would impair defense ties. Proof, the officials said, was that an IAF and Defense Ministry delegation signed a deal this week to buy three giant Hercules military transport aircraft. The deal, which had been in the works for a year, was scheduled months ago to be signed in March, and its finalization was not connected to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's visit to the US, officials said.
Posted by: trailing wife on the other computer 2010-03-26 |
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