'US no longer sees Israel as an asset' - Two Arrested as Thousands Protest Second Freeze

While it is perhaps premature to call the Obama Administration hostile toward Israel, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said in an interview withThe Jerusalem Post that it has become clear that Washington no longer sees its relationship with the Jewish state as a strategic asset.

“There is definitely a new American perception that does not see Israel as a strategic asset in the Middle East for both the United States and the free world,” said Rivlin. “This is a development that even we, the veteran politicians, see as something new.”

Perhaps even worse than that, Rivlin believes the US government no longer considers itself as having a moral responsibility toward Israel.

“Today we find ourselves facing an American administration that does not see as a basic point of reference the moral responsibility for the existence of Israel,” Rivlin stated. “[The US] certainly supports the Zionist idea, the idea that the Jews of Israel live here, but it does not feel any moral responsibility for Israel’s existence.”

Rivlin’s remarks provide a good reference point for how average Israelis view the growing tension between Jerusalem and Washington, which is being fed by a burgeoning movement within the US to paint Israel as a liability, both ethically and politically. That movement has even found support among many younger Evangelical Christians who have been caught up in various forms of “Palestinian liberation theology.”

Israel Today covered the growing Palestinian liberation theology, which is really just a new strain of Replacement Theology, in our latest issue. A follow-up story regarding the reaction of local Messianic Jewish leaders will be printed next month. Don’t miss it.

Two people were arrested on Sunday shortly after thousands of people protested in Jerusalem against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's agreement tocontinue the the freeze on construction of homes for Jewish people in Judea and Samaria. The protest took place outside the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem.

After the protest, dozens of youths blocked the entrance to Jerusalem. They were subsequently removed from the area by police and proceeded to block other sections of the city. Eventually they left without a confrontation with police.

Right-wing activist Itamar Ben-Gvir, who participated in the demonstrations, said that Netanyahu is "igniting in the street, causing the public to go to out to the roads. Netanyahu's government divides the people and betrays its voters."

After the demonstrators cleared the streets, MK Michael Ben Ari (National Union), said that "if the Arabs are allowed and students are allowed, there is no reason that residents will not be allowed to block intersections, when [Netanyahu] is leading racist policies against Jews and brings destruction."
Netanyahu's plan is being peddled by US President Barack Obama, who has threatened to back a unilateral Palestinian Authority declaration of statehood if Israel does not do as he wishes.
The government is awaiting a letter from the US Administration that is to spell out the exact terms of the agreement the White House desires, and to make clear that no further freeze extensions will be demanded.