Memo to President Obama -Jim Hoagland
Cling to one thought as you work on your greatly anticipated speech to the Muslim world Thursday in Cairo, Mr. President:
There is no American solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict that you can heroically deliver from on high. It would be pleasing to your hosts to suggest a made-in-the-USA plan for the Middle East. Some of your aides believe this is a special moment that can end the region's Sixty Years' War if you intervene forcefully enough. But that neglects history and the internal logic of the conflict.
Your own face-off with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu two weeks ago suggested that you hoped to bring a West Bank settlement freeze to the Cairo masses and a global Muslim audience this week.
Netanyahu pushed back by ruling out unilateral gestures, insisting that Israel, the Palestinians and moderate Arab states move simultaneously. The settlements cannot be treated in isolation or used as trophies with which to win Arab favor.
(Washington Post)
Obama: U.S. Needs to Be "Honest" with Israel -Michele Norris & Steve Inskeep
In an interview President Obama said: "I think that we have to retain a constant belief in the possibilities of negotiations that will lead to peace."
(National Public Radio)
Paradigm Shift -Editorial
When American decision-makers denigrate [previous] painful Israeli sacrifices, when they disregard the commitments of their predecessors, they are not fostering peace. Rather, they're giving mainstream Israelis cause to fear making further sacrifices.
(Jerusalem Post)
*
Cling to one thought as you work on your greatly anticipated speech to the Muslim world Thursday in Cairo, Mr. President:
There is no American solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict that you can heroically deliver from on high. It would be pleasing to your hosts to suggest a made-in-the-USA plan for the Middle East. Some of your aides believe this is a special moment that can end the region's Sixty Years' War if you intervene forcefully enough. But that neglects history and the internal logic of the conflict.
Your own face-off with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu two weeks ago suggested that you hoped to bring a West Bank settlement freeze to the Cairo masses and a global Muslim audience this week.
Netanyahu pushed back by ruling out unilateral gestures, insisting that Israel, the Palestinians and moderate Arab states move simultaneously. The settlements cannot be treated in isolation or used as trophies with which to win Arab favor.
(Washington Post)
Obama: U.S. Needs to Be "Honest" with Israel -Michele Norris & Steve Inskeep
In an interview President Obama said: "I think that we have to retain a constant belief in the possibilities of negotiations that will lead to peace."
(National Public Radio)
Paradigm Shift -Editorial
When American decision-makers denigrate [previous] painful Israeli sacrifices, when they disregard the commitments of their predecessors, they are not fostering peace. Rather, they're giving mainstream Israelis cause to fear making further sacrifices.
(Jerusalem Post)
*
2 comments:
Appeasement has never worked in the past (i.e. Gaza, Hitler in Europe in the 1930's etc.). Repeating the past and expecting a different outcome is one of the tongue-in-cheek definitions of insanity!
Indeed. It will be interesting to see what President Obama reaps.
Post a Comment