Obama's counterproductive Middle East policy

by Haim Radin


Obama's push to create a Palestinian State in the Israeli West Bank is counterproductive to the US's prime interest in the Middle East. The main interest of the US in the Middle East is oil. The major source of oil is Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has a weak army and is incapable of defending itself against invasion by radical Arab states; e.g., Saddamite Iraq, Syria, and Iran. Saudi Arabia is insulated from these radical Arab states by intervening non-radical Arab states; e.g., Jordan separates Syria, Kuwait separates Iraq, the Persian Gulf separates Iran.

The role of Israel for the US is to protect Jordan from Syrian conquest, which conquest will place Syria on the Saudi border. Israel is the aircraft carrier of the US in the Middle East. In 1970, during the Nixon administration, Syria invaded Jordan threatening a complete takeover. The US heads of state were panic stricken. Yitzhak Rabin, then ambassador to the US, convened the Joint Chiefs of Staff together with President Nixon, placed maps on the wall, and explained how Israel will move armor into the Jordan Valley threatening a flank attack on the advancing Syrian forces. This action immediately convinced Syrian Head of State, Hafez al-Assad, to pull his army back to Syria, thereby saving Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Nixon, greatly impressed by Rabin, predicted that he will become a future Israeli Prime Minister.

If a Palestinian State is created in the West Bank, Israel will no longer be able to save Jordan (and Saudi Arabia) from Syrian invasion. Saudi Arabian oil will be lost to the US. What is Obama's logic in creating a Palestinian State in the West Bank, that neither Jordan nor Egypt nor the US wants?

Haim Radin

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