Not an Encouraging Start

Ok, here is my letter to President Obama advising that all this high-level attention to Israeli settlement policy is a very, very bad idea:

June 3, 2009

Hon. Barak Obama
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500


Dear Mr. President:

Regarding your initial forays into Middle East peace-making, predominant attention to Israeli settlement policy is ill-advised and will prove counter-productive.

As demonstrated in Gaza, dismantling settlements or otherwise curtailing settlement activity is ineffective in assuaging Palestinian demands or encouraging Palestinians to compromise. Refocusing attention on Israel and settlements signals to Palestinians that the need for Palestinian reforms is less urgent. Though you may continue to highlight the need for such reforms, putting settlements first gives Palestinians an excuse to delay any actions of their own. Indeed, as Palestinian President Abbas recently told the Washington Post, he will not intervene with Arab leaders to encourage relations with Israel.

The Bush Administration was mistaken in taking a perceived quick path to victory in Iraq – that is, the military ouster of Iraq’s leadership – rather than the slower path of nurturing political change from within Iraq. Similarly, the longer but surely more effective way to reach a secure and lasting peace between Israel and Palestinians is to increase, not lessen, pressure on Palestinians for accountability, transparency, and counter-terrorism. Unfortunately, only after years of stagnation, and in the face of continued advancement and progress elsewhere in the world, will increasing numbers of Palestinians demand more effective leadership and recognize the need to make compromises for peace.

Your advisers are mistaken in calculating that focusing attention on settlements will win Arab support and Palestinian concessions. Rather, such a policy will only result in further Palestinian intransigence and expectations of more U.S. pressure on Israel. On the other hand, if you maintain focus and pressure on Palestinians to reform and meet their previous commitments, their leadership may not immediate oblige but the Palestinian people, in order to have a better life, will eventually demand of their leaders more reasonable policies. This is the proper, though admittedly more difficult, path to Middle East peace, and if none of your advisers have shared this perspective, then you ought to replace them or seek more diverse input.

Thank you for your time and attention.