US-Israeli relations may become awkward soon. The newest party in the Knesset, the Pensioners Party, is about to join Ehud Olmert's coalition. Rafi Eitan, their 79-year old leader, will become a cabinet minister. That will be a problem for the United States, where he's probably a persona-non-grata, for two reasons: he recruited Jonathan Pollard, who spied on the Pentagon for Israel, and he's gained quite a fortune from doing business in Cuba (Israel doesn't have an embargo on Cuba, just like most of the world other than the US).
When the United States is upset with Israel, it knows how to express its feelings. Last year, Amos Yaron left his post as general director of Israel's Defense Ministry after the United States refused to have any contact with him, cancelled a few deals with Israel and delayed others. The Pentagon held him responsible for selling American military technology to China. Eitan, Pollard's boss and Castro's friend, may get the same treatment.
Tags: Israel, Israeli Politics, Politics, Israeli Elections, Cuba, Jonathan Pollard
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