Snub? Kerry Omits Israel from Middle East Itinerary

Helped along by VIP priority clearances, the journey from wheels up in Cairo to touchdown in Tel Aviv is less than one hour. But when US Secretary of State John Kerry visits the Middle East on his next mission to assuage allies’ fears over the Iranian nuclear deal, Israel won’t be on the itinerary. And given the theater of the sinking relations between the Obama and Netanyahu administrations, pundits everywhere are calling the Kerry trip-planning a snub rather than suggesting, for instance, that the closeness of the two governments obviates the need for the SecState to use the time in Israel that he could better spend with a lesser ally. State Department spokesman John Kirby said an Israel visit was not necessary because of the frequent telephone contact between President Obama and the Israeli prime minister; but the last time the two leaders spoke was more than a week ago, before Kerry’s statement – interpreted as a threat in Israel – that if the Iran deal is defeated in Congress Israel will be blamed and it will result in greater isolation of the Jewish state by the world community.