(Newswire.net — December 29, 2014) — US President Barack Obama surprised the world by declaring a u-turn regarding US relations with Cuba. After 50 years of sanction, presidents Obama and R. Castro announced reestablishing diplomatic relations by opening an US embassy in Havana. President Obama promised US will lift sanctions against Cuba so the two neighboring countries could trade goods, however, US congress has to verify this course and Republicans will not likely follow the White House move. Due to a strong ties with the Republicans, Israel has opted not to publicly support the Obama administration’s Cuban initiative, Israeli officials say.
Furthermore, Israel complained they have been left in the dark over Washington’s reunification plans with Havana, which left Israel ‘playing Solitude’ since Fidel Castro repealed diplomatic relations with Israel back in 1973.
“They didn’t even give us a few minutes’ notice,” a senior Israeli official was quoted as saying.
According to top Israeli officials, Israel has decided to withhold public support of the US-Cuba breakthrough decision, despite a formal request from the Obama administration.
Analysts say the decision not to back Obama’s move has more with Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, and its close ties with the Capitol Hill, who are opposed to Obama’s new priorities.
Those opposed to the pro-Cuban stance in Congress – primarily in the Republican Party – are viewed as “being closer to Israel than are the supporters of Obama’s opening to the communist island near Florida,” Haaretz observed.
Israeli feels betrayed, as they were one of the few UN countries, which, as strong US allay, backed US sanctions against Cuba in 1960.
Israeli officials, however, decided to wait and not issue statements about policy changes that could annoy Israel’s friends in Congress who object to the reconciliation, since it remained unclear where the Vatican-brokered reconciliation between Washington and Havana was heading.
“We followed the United States’ lead on this issue. … There was no love lost between Israel and the Castro regime. Castro had supported some of the worst enemies of Israel, terrorist organizations that were fighting Israel, attacked Israel in international forums,” Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer said in an interview with Fusion, a US television station on Tuesday.
He said Israel had always supported the US embargo against Cuba, partly due to the regime’s aggressive attitude toward Israel, and partly due its strong ties with United States.