Time to mend the fences
The United States' ties with Israel appear to have run into rough weather after documents leaked by Edward Snowden, the former US National Security Agency contractor on Friday, accused the US of spying on Israeli leaders. Unless the US shows real sincerity in redressing its blunders, it seems that the nightmare caused by Snowden's leaks will wreak further havoc on its ties with other nations.
Lengthy global media coverage on the Snowden leaks has put more pressure on US President Barack Obama's administration and tarnished the image of Uncle Sam in the global arena.
True, Washington has tried to dispel the repercussions of the mishap and vowed to put some checks on its massive surveillance activities. But it is also true that it has tried even harder to defend its spying system. High-ranking US officials have repeatedly attributed the massive tapping to anti-terrorism efforts. Some have even gone to extremes by trying to divert global attention and put the blames onto others.
