Imagine a sheriff offering the head of a criminal gang the following deal: 'If you agree to stop stealing from your neighbours for three months, I'll give you cutting edge weaponry and block any efforts by other law enforcement authorities to restrain your criminal activities.'

Sounds absurd? Then how about this: in return for a three-month freeze of illegal construction in the occupied West Bank (but not in occupied East Jerusalem, where it may continue), Barack Obama has promised to deliver 20 F-35 fighter jets to Israel, a deal worth $3 billion. Moreover, his administration has vowed to curb action by the United Nations on the Goldstone Report, block anti-Israel UN resolutions concerning the Gaza flotilla raid, and defeat resolutions aimed at exposing Israel's nuclear programme at the International Atomic Energy Agency.

In such situations it's important to keep in mind that the sheriff (Obama) and not the gang leader (Netanyahu) is the major culprit. This article appeared first appeared on the LRB blog. Neve Gordon can be contacted through his website www.israelsoccupation.info

Neve Gordon is the author of Israel's Occupation (University of California 2008) and can be reached

ENDS