Video: Vice President Biden at AIPAC Policy Conference

Related Post: An Israeli-Syrian Peace? Biden, US Give Conflicting Signals

Vice President Joe Biden addressed the Policy Conference of The American Israel Political Action Committee this morning. His most challenging statement was a call on Israel to freeze settlement expansion and grant greater freedom of movement to Palestinians as a means of demonstrating Israel's commitment to Palestinian statehood: "Show me." Biden received polite, if far from rapturous, applause.

Biden also stood firm on the Obama Administration's pursuit of engagement with Iran but, as Josh Mull notes below, appeared to waver on an Israeli-Syrian settlement over the Golan Heights. We'll be watching closely whether that is a misstatement or an unexpected shift in US policy.

Here is the video.

UPDATED A Very Religious War: US Military "Hunt People for Jesus" in Afghanistan

UPDATE: Responding to Pentagon claims that it had "grossly misrepresent[ed] the truth", Al Jazeera has released extended, unedited footage from Brian Hughes recording the statements of US military in "Bible Study". The footage supports the original claim that US soldiers were advocating evangelism in Afghanistan. We've posted the video and Hughes' further comments in a separate blog.

This is the video report from Al Jazeera, compiled from footage taken by documentary maker Brian Hughes last year, that has sparked controversy over the last 48 hours:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVGmbzDLq5c[/youtube]

The most sensational call to arms comes from Lieutenant-Colonel Gary Hensley, the chief of the US military chaplains in Afghanistan, who tells soldiers that they have a responsibility "to be witnesses for" Jesus Christ:

The special forces guys - they hunt men basically. We do the same things as Christians, we hunt people for Jesus. We do, we hunt them down. Get the hound of heaven after them, so we get them into the kingdom. That's what we do, that's our business.

US commanders moved quickly to discredit the report and to limit any damage. Colonel Greg Julian claimed, "This is irresponsible and inappropriate journalism....The Bibles were taken into custody and not distributed. There is no effort to go out and proselytise to Afghans." Asked in his Monday press briefing about the incident, Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, denied any knowledge and added, "From the United States' military's perspective, it is not our position to push any specific kind of religion."

The US military is no stranger to controversy over evangelism in its wars. Lieutenant General William Boykin provoked controversy in 2003 when he bragged about hunting down an insurgent in Somalia:

He went on CNN and he laughed at us, and he said, "They'll never get me because Allah will protect me. Allah will protect me." Well, you know what? I knew that my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol.

Bright Idea of the Day: Attack Pakistan's Nuclear Weapons

Noah Pollak on the blog of Commentary magazine: "The current chaos could provide a pretext for a U.S. operation to seize or destroy the Pakistani arsenal."

Mr Pollak doesn't explain how the US military might fulfil his brilliant idea or, perhaps how importantly, how this would contribute to the stability of Pakistani society and its government (which, I think, is still nominally a US ally). He doesn't make any connection between this whiz-bang strategy and the US approach to minor groups like Al Qa'eda and the Taliban.

Why, however, let any of this stand in the way of blowing up nuclear weapons?

Afghanistan: Karzai Out-manoeuvres the United States

Somewhere there are cats marvelling at the lives of Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai.

At the start of this year, Obama Administration were considering how to oust Karzai from office. Supporting local authorities, the US blocked the President's attempt to hold elections in April and, through American media, they put forth political alternatives. Only last week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a public warning to Karzai, “We have made it very clear that we expect changes. We expect accountability, and we’re going to demand it.”

In the last 72 hours, however, Karzai has shown the political skills and tenacity that prompted the US to support him as the first post-Taliban leader in 2001. He has met Washington's challenge by ensuring --- barring a political catastrophe, coup, or assassination --- that he will be returned as Afghanistan's President in August elections.

The first sign of Karzai's victory came Saturday when the Governor of Nangarhar Province, Gul Agha Shirzai, announced that he was withdrawing his Presidential bid. Shirzai was being played up as a strong contender, and only last Friday, Vice President Ahmed Zia Masood --- who had already said he would not run with Karzai --- would be Mr. Shirzai’s running mate. However, after a four-hour meeting with Karzai on Friday night, Shirzai said he was withdrawing. The U-turn took his campaign staff by surprise; his spokesman said, “Shirzai did not consult with his friends in this decision."

Shirzai was seen by some Washington officials as a preferable alternative to Karzai. Six weeks ago, The Wall Street Journal had a fawning profile of the Governor. Although he was "a semiliterate former warlord" with "an autocratic style, a reputation for doling out government contracts to family and friends, and a personal fortune allegedly amassed via corruption and the opium trade"....

....Many in Afghanistan think he might also be the country's best hope for stability. As the head of one of the country's most peaceful provinces, Mr. Shirzai has ensured that roads get built, opium poppies are plowed under, and the Taliban are held at bay.

With Shirzai removed as a contender, Karzai could then make his next move. As he registered as a candidate on Monday, he announced that former Defence Minister Mohammad Fahim as one of his two Vice-Presidential candidates.

Fahim, Karzai's Vice-President from 2001 to 2004, has been criticised as a "warlord" responsible for the killing of thousands in Afghanistan's civil war of the 1990 and for involvment in crime and drug trafficking. However, he brings Karzai support from former mujihadeen. Karzai's second Vice-Presidential candidate, Muhammad Karim Khalili, is a former mujihadeen commander and a leader of Afghanistan's Shi'a.

How secure is Karzai, despite the continued American pressure? An article in The Washington Post on Sunday offered the answer: "Karzai's Would-Be Competition in Disarray". Former interior minister Ali Jalali waved the white flag:

We tried to put together a team with a national agenda, but so far we have failed. As a result, Karzai is growing stronger by the hour. The problem is ego. Everyone thinks he has the best chance of winning, so no one is willing to compromise.

The newspaper identified three failed or failing alternatives: Shirzai, former finance minister Ashraf Ghani, who was being pushed by Washington but made the mistake of spending too much time in the US, and --- almost bizarrely --- long-time US Government official Zalmay Khalilzad, who, despite teasing signals, is unlikely to give up American citizenship and return to Afghanistan.

Another Afghan analyst, Haroun Mir, has given up on prospects of an immediate change to look at future battles:

Karzai is in a very strong position now, but even if he is reelected, Afghanistan will badly need better governance and better leadership. We need to look beyond who wins the elections. I am much more worried about the future of Afghan institutions and democracy.

Fair enough. But when Karzai visits Washington, his smile will be genuine. The Obama Administration officials with whom he will be chatting tried to pull the strings in Kabul, and they snapped. The "puppet" has escaped his masters.

Iran: Roxana Saberi Appeal to Be Heard Next Week?

The case of Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, jailed in Iran for eight years on charges of espionage, may be moving to a legal and diplomatic conclusion. Iranian judiciary spokesman Alireza Jamshidi said today, "The case has gone to ... the appeal court and it is being studied there. There has been a date set for next week (for the court session)."

The announcement comes days after widespread international attention to and criticism of Iran's execution of Delara Darabi on Saturday. Darabi was 17 when she killed her father's cousin more than five years ago.