USIP Event Announcement Distorts the Facts

The United States Institute of Peace, based in Washington, DC, has announced an event on October 20 to discuss developments relating to the U.S., Israel, and Iran. But the announcement itself is misleading in at least two respects.

First, the USIP says that Iranian leaders have gone "as far as" to question Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state.

In fact, Iran has gone much farther. Iranian President Ahmadinejad has said Israel "must be wiped off the map." In other words, he has not just said, well, Israel maybe shouldn't exist. Ahmadinejad has actually advocated Israel's destruction, albeit leaving it unclear who should be responsible for destroying it.

While left-wing defenders of Iran have sought to excuse Ahmadinejad's remarks, saying either he didn't really mean it or his words were improperly translated, Ahmadinejad himself has defended his statement as "just" and reflecting the sentiments of all Iranians.

Second, the USIP annoucement attempts to depict the U.S. and Israel as at odds over Iran when, in fact, the two allies are much more in sync than in disagreement. The USIP says, "Israel's leaders have signaled their displeasure with any sustained U.S. bid to engage Iran."

While some Israeli leaders may have, on occasion, questioned U.S. attempts to engage Iran diplomatically, Israel's prime minister constantly speaks in support of the U.S. Administration's ongoing and more pronounced effort to target Iran with economic sanctions.

At a press conference with U.S. Vice President Biden on September 3, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said, "I very much appreciate the efforts of President Obama and the American Government to lead the international community to place tough sanctions on Iran.... I think the leading countries of the international community have to join the American effort and Israel has been helping out with key countries and will continue to do so."

Rather than attempt to highlight differences between the U.S. and Israel over Iran, the USIP could have, and should have, highlighted that the two countries are in agreement about continuing to try to change Iranian behavior through economic sanctions. That, after all, is the primary focus of U.S. efforts at the moment -- not, rather, to "engage" Iran. As is, the USIP statement is unfair to Israel and the U.S.-Israel relationship by understating the Iranian threat and mischaracterizing Israel's position on U.S. efforts to contain it.

Palestinian State No Guarantee of Peace

One myth that seems to live on surrounding the Middle East peace process is that as soon as a Palestinian state is finally created, hostilities in the region will end. This argument, of course, serves to bolster the cause for Palestinian statehood -- if peace will result, then let's get about creating that state ASAP.

Take, for example, the following...

The Associated Press, September 16, 2010: "Inconclusive talks between Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Palestinian President Abbas left in doubt the prospects for their new effort to end generations of hostilities in the region and create a sovereign Palestine alongside a secure Israel" [emphasis added].

The Washington Post, August 21, 2010: "President Obama will embark on his deepest foray into Middle East peacemaking...when he hosts Israeli and Palestinian leaders in a bid to achieve what his predecessors could not: a deal to establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel and end the two sides' bitter conflict" [emphasis added].

The fact of the matter is that creating a Palestinian state prematurely -- before the vast majority of Palestinians come to care more about their economic well-being and livelihood rather than perpetuating their conflict with Israel -- will result not in peace but in continued war, this time with Palestinians in full control of land and international legitimacy. The Arabs know this; they are just smart enough not to acknowledge it publicly. Westerners, who don't understand the Arabs as well as they should, fail to see the danger in Palestinian statehood and, therefore, keep pushing for it, most times even harder than the Palestinians themselves. The day peace talks renewed in Washington in early September 2010, Palestinians were photographed in the West Bank protesting the talks, which are intended to create their state.

The idea that the moment a peace agreement is signed and a Palestinian state created the Palestinians will transform themselves into peaceful neighbors of Israel is naieve and dangerous. Until there is genuine reform among the Palestinians -- and that may easily take 100 years or more -- no Palestinian state will bring this conflict to an end. It will only make it worse.