Israel/Palestine
Related: About this forumHow Danny Danon Went From Israel's Rebel to Top Diplomat
Source: The Jewish Daily Forward
Young, brash and ambitious, Danny Danon has built his reputation in the cauldron of Israeli politics by sidelining the international community, openly criticizing the president of the United States, and kicking aside the cornerstone of Israels agreement with the outside world: the acceptance of a two-state solution to the conflict with the Palestinians.
But now Danon is trading in his rebel public persona for the hat of a diplomat. That could present a formidable task for him as he settles in as Israels new ambassador to the United Nations. Long considered one of the Likud partys enfants terribles , he is known for a quick-on-the-draw readiness to attack Israels rivals and allies, and even his own partys leadership. Danons public statements have veered so far away from the Likud mainstream that they won him a rebuke from Israels right-wing ambassador to Washington and later got him sacked from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government.
How he will represent that government in the sometimes-hostile halls of the U.N. and build relationships with the allies Israel desperately needs will determine whether Israel can hold its own on the global stage. Why he was given the post in the first place reflects either deep cynicism, clever politics or both on the part of the prime minister he now serves.
Though he was not scheduled to present his diplomatic credentials to the U.N. until October, Danon had, by late September, already started making the rounds in Turtle Bay, telling counterparts and colleagues that while he has not abandoned his beliefs, for the next few years hell toe a different line.
Read more: http://forward.com/news/israel/321903/how-danny-danon-went-from-israels-rebel-to-top-diplomat/
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Bolton - Israeli versions.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)And its contempt for President Obama.
He's a walking middle finger. Israel's cheering section in the US will be impressed, no one else will have the time of day for him. He is, at the end of the day, a Judeosupremacist neofascist.
Israel uses its diplomats for partisan political purposes, they don't trust the actual diplomacy to mere diplomats.
Little Tich
(6,171 posts)Compared to Danny Danon, it was all just friendly banter...
oberliner
(58,724 posts)The feeling appears to be mutual.