What, the White House reads JWN?

In yesterday’s post about Lebanon, remember, I wrote:

I think Shalom and the Israeli government in general made a really stupid mis-step when they decided openly to throw their hat into the Lebanese political arena over the weekend.

In Wednesday’s HaAretz, Akiva Eldar has this:

The United States has asked Israel to stop making statements about the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon. Washington believes these comments undermine American interests in the area by serving the interests of extremists in Arab countries who oppose the reforms that President George W. Bush wants to bring to Syria and other Arab nations.
U.S. Ambassador Dan Kurtzer delivered the message to the Foreign Ministry after Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom turned an Israeli demand for the withdrawal of all Syrian forces from Lebanon into the centerpiece of his latest visit to the United States, making it the main subject of all his public addresses.
… The message from Washington criticizes leaks to the press about contacts between Lebanese opposition figures and Uri Lubrani, the government’s special adviser on Lebanon, over the opening of a communications channel between Israel and its northern neighbor.
The Americans are also displeased with reports that Israel is demanding that the United States and Europe not reduce their pressure for a complete withdrawal of both Syrian forces and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. A Western diplomatic source said, “You don’t have to be a political genius to understand that public pressure from Israel for steps to be taken against Syria on the Lebanon issue could boomerang, since it would turn the U.S. and Europe, in Arab eyes, into puppets of Israel.”

Oh yes, the Keystone cops “do” Lebanon once again, indeed. Including the ever silly, ever ill-informed, ever dangerous Uri Lubrani, it seems.
And in other news in HaAretz, it seems the Israeli general staff and “security” circles I referred to yesterday (well, I quoted Ze’ev Schiff referring to yesterday), haven’t completely lain down after their apparent “defeat” in terms of policy advice re Lebanon, at the hands of the Foreign Ministry…
Amos Harel writes:

Israeli security officials are concerned that a Syrian pullback of forces in Lebanon to the Bekaa could spur Hezbollah to renew violence on the Israeli-Lebanese border, outgoing Israel Defense Forces chief Lt. Gen. Moshe Ya’alon said Tuesday.
The Syrians may want to “bring about an increase in the terror threat” on their way out of Lebanon, Ya’alon told reporters in Tel Aviv.

I guess Shalom is having his knuckles rapped in Washington a little right now, so it’s probably a good time for his domestic opponents on this issue to try to regain some ground from under his absent feet.