Love of the Land: What's really behind the housing freeze? A plan against Iran - or spinelessness?

What's really behind the housing freeze? A plan against Iran - or spinelessness?

Weekly Commentary by
Dr. Aaron Lerner
IMRA
26 November 2009

There are two possible explanations for the housing construction freeze Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu just announced:

The freeze could be Israel's "pound of flesh" to facilitate the launching of a critical operation to thwart Iran's nuclear weapons program.

Or the freeze could no more than an attempt to appease the international community in general and the Obama Administration in particular.

I fervently hope that the former is the case.

Then again, I also hoped that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was retreating from the Gaza Strip as part of a secret plan worked out with America to act against Iran rather than a move to get the criminal justice system off of his back.

That apparently wasn't the case.

If the freeze is in fact an attempt to appease the world then Mr. Netanyahu should pack his bags tonight.

Granted, the freeze is considerably less than what the Obama team first demanded. But it only serves to encourage more pressure for Israeli concessions in the future.

And the world's appetite for Israeli concessions is insatiable.

Love of the Land: What's really behind the housing freeze? A plan against Iran - or spinelessness?