Those now blaming Barack Obama and his administration for the diplomatic spat between Israel and America do rather seem to miss the point, or so I see it anyway. Jackson Diehl is representative in this regard: slicing and dicing about the timing of announcements, the niceties of diplomatic insult, changing explanations for White House motivation, and the follicles inside the left nostril of a tubatoba.
Think bigger: Jewish settlement activity in the occupied territories is an obstacle to peace and a continuing provocation; just as, on the other side, attacks on Israeli civilians and the denial of Israel's right to exist are an obstacle to peace. The settlements have been a disaster for Israel because they contradict Israel's stated desire to live in peace with its neighbours and stoke the perception that it is - as its enemies charge - an expansionist enterprise. The settlements are a barrier in the way of the two-state solution. Defending Israel against hateful and slanderous attacks is an almost daily necessity in these times, but I part company with those of Israel's friends unable to see, in the round, where the Israeli government is acting unjustly and against the interests of its own people.