It couldn't happen to a better group of people.

This blow-up with the US couldn't have happened in any better way. Imagine if we were talking about 1600 apartments in Talpiot or in Pisgat Ze'ev (or a Settlement). Bibi could and would have shut down the project without a second thought.

But instead it happened to a Chareidi neighborhood (just like last week at Beitar). Unlike the rest of us sheep, the Chareidim don't take it lying down when someone goes after their housing. They've got major housing shortages, an easily roused population, and aggressive politicians representing them (and we've only got the first).


Bibi can desire to back out of this as much as he wants, but the Chareidim are not going to let this go. They're willing to rip apart the coalition and the country before they allow someone to block housing for their rapidly growing population.

I doubt Obama and the US administration even understand what they are asking (much less even know where Ramat Shlomo is, with it's 20,000 Chareidi population).

Obama is taking on a people that built an exact duplicate of 770 in Israel. Does he really think they're going to let a Cossack like him raid their neighborhood.


Michael Oren is saying the the Israel-US crisis is the worst it's been since 1975 when the US tried to force Israel to evacuate the Sinai. Obama's secret plan isn't even secret anymore. It's all coming out of the horse's mouth. Jerusalem is to be divided.

Bibi may not have what it takes to stand up to Obama by himself, but he is right to be more afraid of the Chareidim. So if that is what it takes for him to stand up to Obama and defend Jerusalem (and hopefully the rest of Eretz Yisrael), then this clearly could not have happened to a better group of people.