Media Faults Obama on Israel Policy

Voices criticizing President Obama's policy toward Israel are increasing. Anyone interested in developments in US-Israel relations and the Israel-Palestinian issue must drop everything and read the following three referenced items:

On July 30, the Washington Post published an outstanding editorial arguing Obama's very public anti-settlement stance and general hostility toward Israel may backfire.

This followed an equally stellar piece in the Jerusalem Post by Isi Leibler calling on American Jews who voted for Obama to cash in their chits and demand a more understandable approach to Israel from the White House. (They should also, by the way, beg forgiveness from us American Jews who knew better and voted McCain.) Among Leibler's points: none other than the Zionist Organization of America was excluded from a White House meeting about Israel between Obama and American Jewish groups at which the ZOA's defense of Jewish housing in Jerusalem and the West Bank could otherwise have been heard. Shamefully, no other group reportedly presented such a perspective.

Finally, the Australian reminded anyone who needed to be reminded -- which excludes the MiddleEastContrarian -- that reformed Palestinian leadership "mature enough" to confront terrorism -- and not Jewish settlements -- is the key to Israel-Palestinian peace.

Obama/Biden: Right Turn on Israel

After blowing way out of proportion U.S. opposition to Israeli settlements policy and redirecting world attention from Palestinian reform efforts, where it ought to be, the White House is now starting to head in the right direction on Israel.

Over the weekend, Vice President Biden said Israel has a "sovereign right" to decide for itself whether a military strike on facilities associated with Iran's nuclear weapons program is in its national security interests.

Israel “can determine for itself as a sovereign nation what is in its best interest,” Biden said. "If the Netanyahu government decides to take a course of action different than the one being pursued now, that is their sovereign right to do that. That is not our choice."

Later, asked to respond to Biden's comments, President Obama, while traveling abroad, insisted the U.S. had "absolutely not" given Israel the proverbial "green light" to attack Israel but that "We can't dictate to other countries what their security interests are."

It is important that the U.S. continue to publicly recognize Israel's prerogative to determine for itself what, if any, actions are necessary to ensure its security and to assist Israel in any way possible to help provide security.

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.

Making Excuses for Iran

In a news article today, the Washington Post reports that Iran has cut back on some of its nuclear activities, though it continues to make progress in other areas of its nuclear program.

By highlighting areas that suggest Iran is rethinking its nuclear ambitions and de-emphasizing those areas that demonstrate otherwise, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the news media follow the example set by a U.S. Office of National Intelligence report last year which said Iran had "halted" its nuclear weapons program in 2002 0r 2003, when in fact it was only a temporary tactic.

By cherry-picking facts and using half-truths, critics of a more aggressive stance toward Iran hope to recruit others to their cause. Their efforts, however, are extremely dangerous, as they lead others to a false sense that the Iranian nuclear program is not an urgent threat. Such interference makes it more difficult to confront Iran on this issue.

Even IAEA head El-Baradei is contributing to efforts to pull the wool over our eyes, when he said: "[The Iranians] haven't really been adding centrifuges" [for uranium processing].

Well, either they have or they haven't. El-Baradei's attempts to obscure the truth are shameful.

The Dilemma Facing the Israeli Left

In an interesting editorial today, the Israeli daily Yediot Achronot calls for dramatic change among Israel's two major left-wing political parties. Their quandary, it sounds, is much like that facing U.S. Republicans -- how to find a new message that resonates with the populace.

The collapse of the Labor Party and of Meretz in the recent elections is so dramatic that it must lead to a genuine shake-up in the Zionist Left...to stop devoting all resources to the Palestinian issue.

For too long, left-wing Zionists have fixated on a "peace process" with the Palestinians while completely ignoring reality. That reality -- over the last nine years, in particular -- has been that the Palestinians are unprepared to compromise on anything while demanding more of Israel, literally. Yet, left-wing Israeli Zionists still aim to forge a peace deal. Instead, they've lost all credibility, as shown in the February 10 balloting.

Former Labor party leader and current Israeli President Shimon Peres's contrition regarding his support of a Gaza withdrawal sets the right tone.

[Gaza] should have been done otherwise. I was for leaving Gaza. I consider myself as one of the persons mistaken.

Left-wing Israeli would do better to refocus their energies on other, domestic challenges facing Israel. Meanwhile, Israel's soon-to-be, right-of-center coalition government will work to ensure Israeli security until Palestinians are truly ready for a productive peace process.

UAE Gets Away With Turning Away Israeli Athlete

Officials in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, citing security concerns, say they have refused entry into the country to a female Israeli tennis player.

It should be clear to anyone that this is not the real reason. Rather, she was turned away because the UAE seeks to protest Israel's recent actions against Hamas in Gaza.

The World Tennis Association (WTA) says it had warned the UAE after the UAE previously denied entry to other Israeli athletes and that it had expected the UAE to work out appropriate "security" arrangements. The WTA is reviewing what to do after the most recent incident but says the current competition will go on.

The WTA and the international community should not buy the UAE's excuses. They should press the UAE to explain any aleged security risk and demand that appropriate security be afforded all athletes or the competition will be canceled. It is time for the international community to publicly repudiate such inexcusable Arab behavior.

Editorial Urges Pressure on Egypt's Mubarak

Kudos to the Washington Post for today's editorial calling upon President Obama not to invite Egyptian President Mubarak to Washington unconditionally.

If he does, the administration will send the region the message that the corrupt old status quo -- in which the United States backed Arab dictators in exchange for help with U.S. strategic interests -- has been restored. That would inflict crippling damage on Mr. Obama's attempt to restore U.S. credibility and prestige, particularly with the millions of secular, middle-class Arabs who chafe under corrupt autocracies.

With Bush gone, it is important that Washington continue to call for political reform in Arab countries. Not that Bush was so successful in this regard, but at least he raised the issue for at least a while. Obama, too, needs to recognize that Middle East stability and the fight against terrorism depend upon spreading freedom in the Arab world. U.S. relations with the Arabs need to be conditioned on measurable progress in this regard.