He Came, He Saw, He Muddled – Herb Keinon
(dailyalert.org, July 28, 2014)

It takes a certain artistry to irritate and annoy not only the Israeli left and the Israeli right at the same time, but also both Jerusalem and Ramallah. Secretary of State John Kerry has found that artistry.

Kerry presented a proposal to Israel that included many of Hamas’ demands but none of Israel’s. This provided Hamas with a badly needed tailwind. Sure, they were getting clobbered, but they were getting what they wanted. The world was talking to them, recognizing their standing in Gaza, presenting their demands.

In 2002, just a week after Israel launched Operation Defensive Shield at the height of the Second Intifada and moved back into the major West Bank cities, then-U.S. President George Bush lost patience with Israel and said he expected Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to withdraw “now, not tomorrow.” Sharon’s answer: Israel would continue to “fight relentlessly” against terrorism. Israel views its interests differently, and when it feels its vital interests are on the line, will act as it sees fit. (Jerusalem Post)

Kerry’s Intervention in the Gaza War Empowers Hamas – David Horovitz

It seemed inconceivable that the American secretary of state would have drafted a cease-fire initiative that did not require the dismantling of Hamas’ rocket arsenal and network of tunnels dug under the Israeli border. It seemed inconceivable that the initiative would specify the need to address Hamas’ demands, as though Hamas were a legitimate injured party.

    Israel and the U.S. are meant to be allies; the U.S. is meant to be committed to the protection of Israel in this most ruthless of neighborhoods; together, the U.S. and Israel are meant to be trying to marginalize the murderous Islamic extremism that threatens the free world. Yet here was the top U.S. diplomat appearing to accommodate a vicious terrorist organization bent on Israel’s destruction, with a formula that would leave Hamas better equipped to achieve that goal.

    What emerges from Kerry’s self-initiated cease-fire mission – Israel had already accepted the Egyptian cease-fire proposal; and nobody asked him to come – is that Jerusalem now regards him as duplicitous and dangerous. (Times of Israel)