Obama dismisses new offer from Boehner as 'still out of balance

By Justin Sink

 VIDEO

President Obama on Tuesday dismissed the latest deficit-cutting proposal from Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) as "still out of balance."

"I think that we have the potential of getting a deal done, but it's going to require ... a balanced, responsible approach to deficit reduction that can help give businesses certainty and make sure the country grows," Obama told Bloomberg TV. "Unfortunately, the Speaker’s proposal is still out of balance."

Republicans on Monday countered the president's call for $1.6 trillion in tax increases with an offer to cut $2.2 trillion from the deficit with a combination of spending cuts, entitlement reforms and $800 billion in new tax revenue.

Obama said the latest Republican plan, which would raise $800 billion in revenues without increasing the tax rates on the wealthiest Americans, "didn't add up."

"There's been a lot of talk that we can raise $800 billion or $1 trillion in revenues just by cutting loopholes," Obama said. "But a lot of your viewers understand that the only way to do that would be if you completely eliminated, for example, charitable deductions."

The president said "every hospital, university, and non-profit agency across the country would find themselves on the verge of collapse" under such a plan, and that realistically, only between $300 billion to $400 billion could be raised by eliminating deductions.

"If we're going to be serious about reducing our deficit while still being able to invest in things like education ... and if we're going to protect middle class, then we're going to have to have higher rates on the wealthiest Americans," Obama said.

Boehner shot back that Republicans are "willing to make concessions" in the talks, but need Obama to put forward a credible proposal.

"If the President really wants to avoid sending the economy over the fiscal cliff, he has done nothing to demonstrate it. Instead, he has offered a plan that could not pass either house of Congress," Boehner said in a statement.

"With our latest offer we have demonstrated there is a middle ground solution that can cut spending and bring in revenue without hurting American small businesses. The President now has an obligation to respond with a proposal that does the same.”

The fate of the Bush-era tax rates for the wealthy remains the central disagreement between the president and congressional Republicans in negotiations to avoid the "fiscal cliff." Obama has made tax hikes on the wealthy a precondition for any agreement, but Republican leaders have ruled out increasing the rates.

The White House on Tuesday threw another demand into the mix, saying an increase in the federal debt ceiling must be part of a final agreement.

"We're not going to negotiate on what is a fundamental responsibility of Congress," White House press secretary Jay Carney said, referring to the debt ceiling.

The Obama spokesman said the biggest obstacle in the fiscal talks is the refusal on the part of Republicans to acknowledge that tax rates for the wealthy need to go up.

"We need Congress to be serious about what the parameters of a deal look like," Carney said. "It's not good government for one party in Congress to refuse to acknowledge what a compromise must include."

But Carney refused to say whether Obama would accept a top tax rate of less than 39.6 percent — the level scheduled to take effect in January when the Bush tax rates expire.
Republican leaders have pressed Obama to "get serious" in their negotiations by putting entitlement reforms on the table. The president on Tuesday said he was "prepared to make some tough decisions" about entitlements, but balked when asked directly if that would include cuts to Social Security or Medicare benefits.

"I can't ask folks who are middle class, seniors who are on Medicare, young people who are trying to get student loans to go to college to sacrifice by not get anything from higher-income folks," Obama said.

Pressed on the issue, Obama said he was "happy to look at how we can actually make those entitlement programs stronger" but avoided taking a definitive stance on whether benefits could change.

The president said he did not believe that negotiators were going to be able to come up with comprehensive entitlement or tax reform packages in the next two weeks, urging instead a "down payment" that would avert the fiscal cliff but allow more time to craft the eventual program.

"What I've suggested is, let's essentially put a down payment," Obama said. "On taxes, let's let tax rates on the wealthiest go up ... and then let's set up a process with a time certain at the end of 2013 or the fall of 2013 where we work on tax reform, we look at what tax loopholes and deductions both Republicans and Democrats agree we can close, and it's possible we can lower rates by broadening the base at that point."

 This article originally appeared on The Hill

Israel rejects outcry over settlement plan

 

 

Source: Al Jazeera 

Moves by UK, France, Spain, Denmark and Sweden are in protest to Israel's plan to build 3,000 homes on Palestinian land.

A defiant Israel has rejected a wave of American and European condemnations over plans to build thousands of new homes in West Bank settlements, vowing to press forward with the construction in the face of widespread international opposition.

The UK, France, Spain, Denmark and Sweden on Monday summoned Israeli ambassadors in their respective countries to protest Israel's plans to build more settler homes in east Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's office said Israel would continue to stand up for its interests "even in the face of international pressure, and there will be no change in the decision taken".
The announcement from Netanyahu's office was likely to deepen a rift that has emerged between Israel and some of its closest allies following the UN's recognition of a Palestinian state last week.

Russia and Germany have also expressed opposition to the building of additional settlements, and the White House issued a statement urging the "Israeli leader to reconsider their unilateral decisions".

The official twitter-account of Russia's ministry of foreign affairs said that, "Israeli construction on Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 is illegal, unrecognised and condemned by Russia and internationally."

Media reports on Monday also said France and Britain were considering recalling their ambassadors to Israel over the plans.

Al Jazeera's Charlie Angela, reporting from London, said that the British government was "frustrated not only by the scale of this expansion...but also by the timing of the announcement."

French President Francois Hollande said he was deeply concerned about the effect it could have on the peace process.

"I said, as the French foreign minister did, that we are highly pre-occupied by what was announced by the Israeli government - the installation of new colonies composed of 3000 settlements with all the consequences it could have on the peace process," said Hollande on Monday.

'Fatal blow'
The decision to build in a key area east of Jerusalem, called E1, sparked a storm of diplomatic protest from Washington and Brussels as well as from UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who on Sunday warned it would deal an "almost fatal blow" to the prospects of resolving the conflict.
E1 is a highly contentious area of the West Bank that runs between the easternmost edge of annexed east Jerusalem and the Maaleh Adumim settlement.

Palestinians bitterly oppose the project, as it would effectively cut the occupied West Bank in two, north to south, and sever it from Jerusalem, and make the creation of a viable Palestinian state even more problematic.

Carl Bildt, Sweden's foreign minister, told Al Jazeera that Sweden wants to "urge the Israeli government to take a step back".

"We had anticipated that they would be ready now to enter into direct peace negotiations with the Palestinians after the vote in the UN, and instead, we are extremely concerned over the announcement that we've heard from the Israeli government," said Bildt.

Josh Lockman, a professor of international law at the University of Southern California, said Israel's reaction to Palestine's new UN status brings into doubt its "genuine commitment to a two-state solution".

"[Israel's announcement] will draw a lot of condemnation, not just in the region from key actors such as Egypt, Turkey and Qatar, which are already trying to broker this undoubtedly tenuous ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, but also the European Union and the United States," he told Al Jazeera on Monday.

Is Netanyahu Trying to Make the Two-State Option an Impossibility?

By Karl Vick

Unless you’re actually driving around the West Bank – sailing down the freeways Israel has built atop Palestinian land, or steering down the two-lane roads etched into the hillsides topped with more than 200 subdivisions,  little bits of California atop stone hills straight from Bible story books  – it’s difficult to appreciate the reality of what Israel calls its “settlement project.” But a geography specialist named Danny Seidemann found a vivid point of reference for the new part of it Israel announced over the weekend:  “The doomsday settlement.”

If the U.N. has moved to declare Palestine is a state, then Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a few things to say–and do–about that.  The 1.6 million Palestinians living on the Gaza Strip are already separated by 25 miles from the 2.4 million on the West Bank.   The project Netanyahu’s government began moving forward on Friday would cut the West Bank itself in half, dividing its north from its south while barricading off a bit of Jerusalem in the bargain, and with it, in all likelihood, the plans to name the Arab sections of the city as Palestine’s capital. “The impact,” says Seiedmann, whom foreign embassies routinely consult as an expert on settlements and the boundaries of the contentious city, “is basically the creation of facts on the ground that would make the two-state solution dead. It’s not only a game-changer, it’s a game-ender.”

The reaction to Netanyahu’s bold move, both in Israel and abroad, was swift and negative. Britain and France summoned Israel’s ambassadors to hear protests, and reportedly were considering ordering their own envoys home, a move without precedent. Washington condemned the move, which came just hours after  UN ambassador Susan Rice forcefully delivered a speech of solidarity with the Jewish State on the floor of the General Assembly.

In Israel,  both the right and left wing of the Hebrew press asked why, after losing the U.N. vote 138 to 9, an Israeli government would announce a move sure to further its international isolation.  (Technically, the way Palestine is run hasn’t changed because of the vote; the Palestinian Authority simply has a different status–which happens to have the word “state” in it–within the international organization, with a few new legal prerogatives.) In Ma’ariv the conservative columnist Ben-Dror Yemeni called Netanyahu’s move “Pavlovian,” writing,  “Rather than thank the American administration for its amazing support on Thursday at the UN vote, the slap in the face came on Friday with the announcement of the construction of  thousands of additional housing units.”  In Yedioth Ahronoth, Nahum Barnea reported from the Saban Forum, a Washington gathering of prominent Israeli and Americans where the rules constrain attendees from saying who said what. The gist of a speech by a prominent American politician (identified in the same paper the next day as former Obama chief of staff Rahm Emmanuel) was:   “You Israelis are ingrates. You’ve screwed yourselves.” Barnea’s conclusion:  “Something bad has happened over the years to the production line in Israeli politics.”

The “doomsday settlement” would be built on a section of land labeled “E1” on planning maps of Jerusalem and its surroundings.  The land is currently a park – the visually striking western slope of a hillside leading toward the Jordan Valley and a massive Jewish settlement already in place, Maale Adumim.  All the land is Palestinian, but Israel has occupied it since 1967, and by filling it with Jewish housing would make it impossible to travel from, say, Ramallah, to Hebron. On maps, what looks like open space to the east is in fact the depths of the Jordan Valley, hundreds of meters below sea level where the Dead Sea lay.

“The administration warned Netanyahu publicly last Friday, ‘Please don’t do it,’’’ Seidemann says, who goes on to describe the Israeli Prime Minister’s decision to ignore the advice as consciously flagrant.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas returned from New York to cheers. “We are now a state,” he told a throng of 3,000 loyalists in the West Bank city of Ramallah.  “The world is with us, and history is with us, God is with us and the future is ours.”  The new paradigm was displayed down the length of a nearby building, where a banner unfurled in hazard yellow read, in English, Arabic and Hebrew: “Warning!  This is illegally occupied land.  State of Palestine,  29/11/2012”

“Let me just say that we are standing at a very big Palestinian wedding,” said a delighted Talal J’bara, 65. “It is the first time the world recognizes who we are and that we even exist.”
“The most important thing now is that our leaders do whatever it takes to stop the expansion of the settlements and all of Israel’s wrongdoing,” said Khateem Khatab, a retiree who had traveled from Jerusalem to Ramallah for the celebratory rally.  “Negotiations will only prevail once the Israelis stop all their provocations against the Palestinian people and their land.”  (Netanyahu also announced Israel would hold back more than $100 million in tax revenues owed to the Palestinian Authority, a punishment that Washington also had urged Israel to forgo. )

Abbas framed the bid for statehood as a last-ditch effort to revive negotiations begun almost 20 years ago aimed at creating a Palestinian state beside Israel, roughly on the border that separated the two populations until 1967, when Israeli forces defeated Arab armies and began occupying the West Bank and Gaza. But as the negotiations dragged on, Israel continued settling its people on the land – they now number 500,000, including neighborhoods built in East Jerusalem.

Having foresworn violent resistance, Abbas argued that diplomatic leverage was the only kind available to check Israel’s military and other advantages.   The UN vote naming Palestine a “non-member state” opens the door to the International Criminal Court, where individual Israelis could be charged for violations of war crimes, a threat Abbas says he will hold in abeyance for now.  A period of sorting and settling is likely underway.  Though both sides say they are wiling to return to negotiations, each are likely to be addressing mostly their own constituencies for the next few months.  Netanyahu is facing an election set for Jan. 22, a prospect that Seidemann and others say may help account for his decision to brandish E1 — it plays to the rightist and settler constituencies that have recently all but overwhelmed his Likud party.  Abbas, meanwhile, is under new pressure to find a way to reconcile with Hamas, the militant Islamist group that governs Gaza, and bring the two Palestinian territories under a unified administration, especially now that they’re nominally a state.

But in a conflict that’s finally, ultimately, about land, the lessons of November were not lost on Palestinians:

Hamas launched 1,300 missiles into Israel during the military offensive aimed at stopping the launches, and in return won territorial concessions. Under the terms of the cease-fire brokered by Egypt, Gaza’s fishermen doubled the distance they can travel from shore before encountering Israeli gunboats, and Palestinian farmers won access to the one-third of the enclave’s arable land that abuts the border fence with Israel proper.  A week later, Abbas, who heads the secular Fatah party, won the lopsided vote at the United Nations, and Israel’s response was to appropriate another chunk of the West Bank for its own use.   “We have one goal and to be honest it doesn’t matter whether it is Fatah or Hamas, the most important thing is that we achieve our freedom,”  says Manar Fathi, 40, at the Ramallah rally. “As long as the world is with us, I don’t think we even care about what Israel is and what they can do to us.”

  This article originally appeared on Time

With reporting from Rami Nazzal/Ramallah

Is Israel’s West Bank expansion political suicide?

Its plans to divide the occupied territory in half have provoked an international outcry

By Noga Tarnopolsky, GlobalPost

JERUSALEM ― Israel has suddenly found itself thrust into a diplomatic crisis.
International outcry is mounting in reaction to Israel’s announcement that it would permit the building of 3,000 housing units in an area called E1. If completed, the development would divide the West Bank in half.

“We deplore the recent Israeli government decision to build 3,000 new housing units and unfreeze development in the E1 block. This threatens the viability of the two state solution,” The British Foreign Office said in a statement. “Any decision about any other measures the UK might take will depend on the outcome of our discussions with the Israeli government and with international partners including the US and European Union.”

In almost every European capital, from Stockholm to Paris and extending even to Moscow, Israeli ambassadors were called to hear angrily-worded rebukes by foreign ministries.
For Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this latest crisis comes at a critical moment. He faces elections on Jan. 22, and is trying to consolidate his personal power base in the face of an extreme right-wing list of candidates from his own party, the Likud. In addition, he has joined forces with his hard-line foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, who represents an even more extremist party.

The announcement that planning for the controversial housing development would be given an OK may have been a nod in the direction of these political menaces.

But, coming Friday, one day after the UN General Assembly voted to grant Palestine an enhanced status, non-voting observer member state, which Israel had decried as a unilateral move and a blatant violation of the Oslo Accords, it is widely seen as retribution against the Palestinian government.

There is “a feeling of crisis,” a source in Israel’s foreign ministry told GlobalPost.

Only two weeks ago, Netanyahu portrayed the international support granted to Israel during the Gaza incursion as a personal achievement, underscoring his close coordination with the administration of US President Barack Obama. Netanyahu had been widely criticized for all but openly supporting the candidacy of Mitt Romney during the US election, and presented the US-negotiated cease-fire agreement as evidence of the close working ties between Israel and the United States.

“I told quite a few people we were treading on thin ice,” a diplomatic source distressed by the current development said. “I kept telling everyone who was so pleased about the diplomatic support we got during operation Pillar of Defense that this was very thin ice, and you know you’ve gone too far only when you find yourself in icy water.”

Netanyahu, who has a brusque personal style more appealing in Israel’s rough-and-tumble political fray than in the diplomatic corridors of Europe, is not popular in international diplomatic circles.

For many Israeli right-wingers, convinced that the world opposes Israel without criterion, that reputation serves Netanyahu as a credential of his tough stance. On the other hand, having spent much of his youth and early adult years in the United States, he is also known in Israel for his polished English and American airs.

Only one European nation supported Israel’s position at the United Nations ― the Czech Republic. This has lead a growing number of Israelis to ask, as did the diplomatic correspondent on Channel 10 news, about “Netanyahu’s message failure and his policy failure” in ratcheting up the Palestinian resolution to such importance, while apparently making no plan to move forward in the aftermath.

There are growing concerns in Jerusalem that the prime minister’s office may be confusing success in some of its messaging with support for its policies

 This article originally appeared on GlobalPost.

President Obama's Bilateral Meeting with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov of Bulgaria (Video/Transcript)

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Well, I want to welcome Prime Minister Borisov to the White House, and his delegation from Bulgaria.  I have to say at the outset that Bulgaria has proven to be one of our most outstanding NATO allies.

Obviously, there are very strong bonds between our two countries, including many Bulgarian Americans in my hometown of Chicago.  It reminds us of the strong people-to-people relationship between the United States and Bulgaria.

I've had an opportunity to work and discuss issues with the Prime Minister in the past, and he has always been a very effective leader on the world stage.  And I think it's important for everybody to know that he's also a black belt in karate, so you should be very careful crossing him.  (Laughter.)

We're going to have a lot to discuss during this meeting.  But first and foremost, I want to thank the Prime Minister for the strong partnership in NATO.  Bulgaria has been a strong supporter of the efforts in Afghanistan, and we'll have the opportunity to touch briefly on the transition that needs to take place there.  But I want to thank him and his fellow countrymen for their service and sacrifice.

We've also had excellent cooperation on criminal investigations, law enforcement, counterterrorism -- and most recently, I want to thank the Prime Minister for his very diligent investigation of the tragic terrorist attack that killed Israeli civilians in Bulgaria.  The security teams in Bulgaria have worked very hard and cooperatively in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

But of course, the relationship is not just based on security issues.  Bulgaria is a modernizing country, and I know that the Prime Minister is interested in a range of reforms to create an open and transparent government, to improve trade and commerce between our two countries, as a leader in the Balkans in moving towards further integration with Europe and the rest of the world economy.  We've been very impressed with the progress that's been made in Bulgaria, and I'm looking forward to hearing from the Prime Minister how the United States can further assist in those efforts.

So, Mr. Prime Minister, welcome to you.  And we look forward to this conversation.  The American people send their regards to the people of Bulgaria.  And the other thing I have to say is the weather is not always this good, so you should enjoy some of the sights while you're here as well.

PRIME MINISTER BORISOV:  (As interpreted.)  Mr. President, it is an honor that you invited us all here to the White House.

First of all, I would like to extend my congratulations on your winning the trust again of the American people.

Of course, the fact that you pointed out you are from Chicago, I would like to point out that this is one of the biggest Bulgarian cities -- over 150,000 Bulgarians make Chicago their home.  And everybody in Bulgaria was deeply moved at your telephone call to express your condolences for the Bulgarian citizen as well as the Israeli nationals who perished in the terrorist act.

I'm very glad that you pointed out that in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan, places where our soldiers, U.S. and Bulgaria, fight for democracy shoulder to shoulder, that we do have additional topics of mutual interest.  And I thank you for the opportunity to lay a wreath today at Arlington National Cemetery at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  As you know, a lot of Bulgarian soldiers perished and were seriously, grievously wounded in our missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.  And the way that the U.S. people -- and you, personally -- protect the memory of the perished soldiers is unparalleled throughout the world.

It is true that Bulgaria is an island of stability in the Eastern Balkans.  Our budget deficit is very low, our foreign debt is very low, and our financial stability is great.  Thank you for the opportunity in the energy sphere for Bulgaria to work towards diversification of energy sources.  We do have deep reserves in this area for the future.

Especially, I also would like to thank you for the excellent cooperation with the United States in such areas as social security, national security, counterterrorism, combating organized crime.  Our law enforcement services work together very effectively.

Of course, the Bulgarian citizens are expecting your decision on Bulgaria's joining the Visa Waiver Program.  We do have visa-free travel regime with the entire European Union.  And thank you once again for the opportunity to discuss these topics.

President Barack Obama Weekly Address, December 01, 2012 (Video/Transcript)

Hatfield, Pennsylvania

Hi, everybody. I’m here on the factory floor of a business in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, where folks are working around the clock making toys to keep up with the Christmas rush.

And I came here because, back in Washington, the clock is ticking on some important decisions that will have a real impact on our businesses – and on families like yours.

The most pressing decision has to do with your taxes. See, at the end of the year, middle-class tax cuts are set to expire.  And there are two things that can happen. 

First, if Congress does nothing, every family will see their income taxes automatically go up at the beginning of next year. A typical middle class family of four will see their income taxes rise by $2,200. We can’t let that happen. Our families can’t afford it, and neither can our economy. 

The second option is better. Right now, Congress can pass a law that would prevent a tax hike on the first $250,000 of everybody’s income. Everybody. That means that 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses wouldn’t see their income taxes go up at all. And even the wealthiest Americans would get a tax cut on the first $250,000 of their incomes. 

Congress can do that right now. They can give families like yours a sense of security going into the New Year. They can give companies like this one some certainty about what to expect down the road. And with the issue behind us, we’ll have more time to work out a plan to bring down our deficits in a balanced way – including by asking the wealthiest Americans to pay a little more, so we can still invest in the things that make our nation strong, like education and research.

So let’s begin by doing what we all agree on. Both parties say we should keep middle-class taxes low. The Senate has already passed a bill to keep income taxes from going up on middle-class families.  Democrats in the House are ready to do the same thing. And if we can just get a few House Republicans on board, I’ll sign this bill as soon as Congress sends it my way. 

But it’s unacceptable for some Republicans in Congress to hold middle class tax cuts hostage simply because they refuse to let tax rates go up on the wealthiest Americans. And if you agree with me, then I could use your help.  Let your congressman know what $2,000 means to you. Give them a call. Write them an email. Or tweet them using the hashtag “My2K.”  That’s My2K.

You and your family have a lot riding on the outcome of this debate. We all do. And as citizens, we all have a say in the country we want to build – not just on election day, but every day. So make your voice heard. I promise, it makes a difference. Thanks, and have a great weekend.

White House Time-Lapse: Raising the Commemorative HIV/AIDS Red Ribbon

To recognize World AIDS Days, the White House installed a commemorative Red Ribbon on the north portico of the house. Go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/onap to learn more on how the administration is working towards an AIDS-free generation.