In The News:

We're still getting commentaries on the meeting this week between President Obama and PM Netanyahu as more useful information leaks out:

Caroline Glick has the most detailed and comprehensive analysis if the current state of affairs between the U.S. and Israel:

Obama Makes The Case For Israeli Strike

From Israel's perspective, Iran's nuclear program will reportedly become unstoppable as soon as the Iranians move a sufficient quantity of enriched uranium and/or centrifuges to the Fordow nuclear installation by Qom. Since Israel reportedly lacks the ability to destroy the facility, Israel's timeline for attacking Iran will likely end within weeks. The US reportedly has the capacity to successfully bomb Fordow and so its timeline for attacking Iran is longer than Israel's.

The reason this is important is because it tells us the true nature of Obama's demand that Israel give more time for sanctions and diplomacy to work. When one recognizes Israel's short timeline for attacking, one realizes that when Obama demands that Israel give several more months for sanctions to work, what he is actually demanding is for Israel to place its survival in his hands. Again, once Iran's nuclear project is immune from an Israeli strike Obama will effectively hold the key to Israel's survival. Israel will be completely at his mercy.

The bolded statement above is the key to this whole issue. Once Iran moves their capabilities deep underground, Israel loses their ability to attack such facilities. The U.S. would still have the capability, so any delays beyond a few more months places Israel's security completely into U.S. hands. That would be a very dangerous position for Israel.

Additionally, lets ignore the rhetoric and look at the facts:

Aside from these rather uncooperative comments, under Obama the US has adopted policies and taken actions that have endangered Israel militarily on all fronts and in fundamental ways. With Obama at the helm the US not only stood back and allowed Hezbollah and Iran to take over Lebanon. The US has continued to supply the Hezbollah-controlled Lebanese military with sophisticated US arms.

Under Obama, the US intervened in Egypt's internal politics to empower the Muslim Brotherhood and overthrow Hosni Mubarak. The transformation of Israel's border with Egypt from a peaceful border to a hostile one is the direct consequence of the US-supported overthrow of Mubarak and the US-supported rise of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists. These are indisputable facts. Their military repercussions are enormous and entirely negative.

By failing to act against Assad, the Obama administration is effectively acting as the guardian of Iran's most important regional ally. That is, far from enhancing Israel's military posture, Obama's behavior towards Syria is enhancing Iran's military posture. He is acting in a manner one would expect Iran's ally to behave, not in the manner that one would expect Israel's ally to behave.

Beyond Israel's immediate borders, and beyond Iran, Obama's behavior towards Turkey has had a destructive impact on Israel's military position and strategic posture. Obama has said that Turkey's Islamist, anti-Semitic Prime Minister Recip Erdogan is one of the five foreign leaders he is closest to. He reportedly speaks to Erdogan at least once a week. The Turkish leader is the Middle Eastern leader that Obama trusts the most.

The bottom line?

The fact is that Obama's actions and his words have made clear that Israel cannot trust him, not on Iran and not on anything. The only thing that has been consistent about his Israel policy has been its hostility. As a consequence, the only messages emanating from his administration we can trust are those telling us that if Obama is reelected, he will no longer feel constrained to hide his hatred for Israel.

What these messages make clear is that if our leaders are too weak to stand up to Obama today, we will pay a steep price for their cowardice if he wins the elections in November.

Sen. Carl Levine After Meeting With Netanyahu: Israeli Attack Likely If Iran Doesn't Stand Down

Senior Democratic Sen. Carl Levin says he thinks an Israeli attack on Iran is likely if Tehran doesn’t follow international demands to stop uranium enrichment and allow inspections of its nuclear program.

Levin, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, made his remarks to reporters Tuesday after meeting privately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

The Michigan Democrat said Tehran was violating a half-dozen U.N. resolutions. He said that as long as Iran refuses to open up its uranium enrichment facilities to U.N. inspections and refuses to stop the nuclear processing, “then I would say an attack on them by Israel is very likely.”

The Real Meaning Of Obama's New Policy: War Is Inevitable

As mentioned before, the quote below may be the single most important aspect of the recent meetings:

What a lot of people are going to miss is not that Israel now thinks Obama is reliable — it doesn’t — but that Israeli leaders know he has now locked publicly into a major commitment. If Israel ever were to attack an Iran on the verge of getting nuclear weapons, how is Obama going to bash Israel for doing so after telling it to do so? In effect, then, Israel has traded patience for freedom of action.

What is important is that Obama’s speech provides a green light for an Israeli attack.

The question is only one of timing. Obama asks Israel to wait in order to give sanctions a chance to work. But we know that sanctions are almost certain not to work, since work is defined as Iran giving up its drive for nuclear weapons. And there is no reason to believe that this will happen.

We are now on the road to war. That’s what is important, not whether Obama gained votes or whether he is sincere or at precisely what second U.S. policymakers decide Iran has met the conditions for getting bombed.

Minor Earthquake Felt In Northern Israel

A 3.7 magnitude earthquake was felt in northern Israel on Wednesday morning. The Geological Survey of Israel told Ynet that the quake's epicenter was in south Lebanon and that it was primarily felt north of Metula. Israelis reported feeling the quake in Kiryat Shmona, Shlomi and Safed as well. No injuries or damage were reported.