Obama's Israel mistakes
Image via WikipediaSay what you will about President Obama's approach to Israel—or of his relationship with American Jews—he sure has mastered the concept of chutzpah.There is much more.
...
But Mr. Obama's problem isn't, as he supposes, that people aren't paying close enough attention to him. On the contrary, they've noticed that on Thursday Mr. Obama called for Israel to make territorial concessions to some approximation of the '67 lines before an agreement is reached on the existential issues of refugees and Jerusalem. "Moving forward now on the basis of territory and security," he said, "provides a foundation to resolve these two issues in a way that is just and fair, and that respects the rights and aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians."
Mr. Obama neglected to mention these points on Sunday, hence the telling omission. But the essence of his proposal is that Israel should cede territory, put itself into a weaker position, and then hope for the best. This doesn't even amount to a land-for-peace formula.
...
It is an interesting slight of tongue by Obama, and it is why there was such a negative reaction to his speech in Israel and among its friends in this country. What Obama has not done is ask anything of the Palestinians. They have offered nothing of value to Israel and Obama is demanding nothing from them in return for concessions by Israel. It is a nutty non starter of an idea that is not going to be accepted.
Comments
Post a Comment