President Barack Obama�s nomination of Chuck Hagel as the next U.S. secretary of defense has caused jitters in Israel, where some circles view the former Nebraska senator as unsympathetic or even hostile. Meanwhile Iran, Israel�s arch-foe, says it is hopeful that Hagel will be appointed to lead the Pentagon.
Hagel�s positions on Israel�s two most pressing foreign policy issues, Iran�s nuclear program and relations with the Palestinians, appear to be at odds with the Israeli government, and critics fear the appointment could increase pressure on�Israel�to make unwanted concessions. The appointment could also signal further strains in what is already a cool relationship between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

�Because of his statements in the past, and his stance toward Israel, we are worried,� Reuven Rivlin, the speaker of the Israeli Parliament and a member of Netanyahu�s Likud Party, said. Rivlin�s comments reflected what has been a common sentiment among analysts and commentators in recent days. In their evening news broadcasts, Israel�s three main TV stations Jan. 7 all portrayed Hagel as cool toward Israel.

Known as a maverick in the Senate, Hagel has raised eyebrows in�Israel�with a series of comments and actions over the years that some here have deemed insufficiently supportive of Israel. Hagel once said �the Jewish lobby [in the United States] intimidates a lot of people here� and does some �dumb things� that aren�t �smart for Israel.� He also said that �I�m not an Israeli senator. I�m a United States senator.�

�I support Israel, but my first interest is I take an oath of office to the Constitution of the United States, not to a president, not to a party, not to Israel,� he said. Six years ago, he refused to sign a letter pressing the�European Union�to declare the Lebanese Hezbollah a terrorist organization.
Hagel�s call in a bipartisan letter in 2009 for a �pragmatic� approach toward Hamas has also drawn criticism. The 66-year-old Hagel, who faces a tough confirmation battle in the Senate, also has criticized discussion of a potential military strike by either the U.S. orIsrael�against Iran, and has backed efforts to bring Tehran to the table for future peace talks in Afghanistan.

Countering widespread beliefs in Israel, a senior Israeli diplomat has given gave a positive view of Hagel�s nomination. �I have met him [Hagel] many times, and he certainly regards�Israel�as a true and natural U.S. ally,� Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, a former envoy to the United States, told the daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

In Tehran, asked about Hagel�s nomination, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said yesterday that Tehran was hopeful that there would be �practical changes� to U.S. foreign policy, and that nations would change their attitude towards the U.S. if it respected their rights.

Hagel meanwhile pledged �total support� for�Israel�on Jan. 7. There is �not one shred of evidence that I�m anti-Israeli, not one vote [of mine] that matters that hurt Israel,� Hagel told The Lincoln Journal Star, a newspaper in his home state of Nebraska.

Hagel and Obama did not address the controversy as he was nominated at the White House. But the Nebraska newspaper quoted the famously blunt senator as saying critics have �completely distorted� his record. Hagel said that, until his nomination was announced, he had been �hanging out in no-man�s land unable to respond to charges, falsehoods and distortions� and that he has shown �unequivocal, total support for Israel.�

By Hurriyet Daily News

 

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