The editor of Ha’aretz pressed Condoleezza Rice to impose a Mideast peace settlement, saying Israel wanted to be “raped” by the Americans.
David Landau recently acknowledged that he made the comments during a Sept. 10 meeting with the U.S. secretary of state at the private residence of America’s ambassador to Israel, Richard Jones.
“I did say that in general, Israel wants to be raped – I did use that word – by the U.S., and I myself have long felt Israel needed more vigorous U.S. intervention in the affairs of the Middle East,” Landau told the New York Jewish Week.
Landau, a British-born Orthodox Jew with dovish political views, also said he told Rice that “it had always been my wet dream to address the secretary of state” on these vital matters.
According to the Jewish Week, attendees said Rice told the assembled guests that the United States had no intention of imposing a settlement on the Israelis and Palestinians.
Landau’s comments have attracted harsh criticism from Isi Leibler, a right-leaning columnist for the Jerusalem Post known for his high-profile campaign against alleged corruption and mismanagement at the World Jewish Congress.
Ehud Ya’ari, a respected Israeli journalist who initially reported the incident but did not mention Landau by name, called it “embarrassing.”
Landau expressed no regret. “I articulated what many Israelis feel,” Landau said.
