Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is scolding Israel, saying the Jewish country needs to "come to the table" on peace talks with the Palestineans and other hostile countries. Panetta must not understand the concept of not negotiating with terrorists.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta urged Israel on Friday to "reach out and mend fences" with Turkey, Egypt and other security partners in the Middle East, saying he is troubled by the Jewish state's growing isolation in the volatile region.
He also pressed Israeli leaders to do more to restart peace talks with the Palestinians -- "Just get to the damned table" -- and underscored President Obama's determination to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. He called Iran "a very grave threat to all of us" and said any Iranian disruption of the free flow of commerce through the Persian Gulf is a "red line" for the U.S.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear he cannot negotiate with the Palestineans until they recognize Israel as a State and separate themselves from the terrorist organization Hamas, which continues to launch rockets into Israel on a regular basis. Palestinean Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has said he will never recognize Israel as a State.
Over to you, Dennis Prager: