by Zalman Shoval
Statements like Obama's and those made by the White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough at J Street's annual conference -- according to which Israel is responsible for the most recent breakdown of peace talks -- hint at the administration's plan to drop America's long-standing requirement of direct talks as a condition for any arrangement, and to instead adopt an international approach that would essentially be an imposed solution -- whether it is called one or not.
Some believe that the
recent outbursts from Washington were caused by frustration at Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's election victory, rather than being an
expression of policy. If only that were the case -- tiffs between
friendly nations come and go. Much more alarming is the possibility of a
planned political shift -- with the Israeli elections and Netanyahu's
words that were twisted and distorted used only to justify measures
decided on in advance. The well-timed media leak accusing Israel of
spying on the U.S. during nuclear negotiations with Iran also fits into
this plan, with its goal of maligning Israel in the eyes of Congress and
the public.
By the way, Washington
veterans were not surprised by the "espionage" report. During a conflict
between late Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir and then-U.S. President
George H. W. Bush, false reports were released, alleging that Israel had
provided China with Patriot missiles. It was not a coincidence then,
and it is not a coincidence now, that these stories were planted in
newspapers with a reader base known to be supportive of Israel.
Netanyahu said in an
election speech that a Palestinian state will not be established "on my
watch" -- meaning that with all the chaos in the Middle East and the
near-certainty that under the current circumstances Hamas would take
over any territory ceded by Israel, a two-state solution will need to be
delayed for now. Only a fool would believe that this remark was to
blame for the White House's "reassessment" of its basic approach toward
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Washington Post also expressed
surprise at how anyone could possibly connect statements made by U.S.
President Barack Obama and his aides to Netanyahu's pre-election
comments.
Statements like Obama's
and those made by the White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough at J
Street's annual conference -- according to which Israel is responsible
for the most recent breakdown of peace talks -- hint at the
administration's plan to drop America's long-standing requirement of
direct talks as a condition for any arrangement, and to instead adopt an
international approach that would essentially be an imposed solution --
whether it is called one or not.
Some diplomats believe
that this would mean American support for a U.N. Security Council
resolution determining the borders of the two states. As the outgoing
U.N. Mideast envoy Robert Serry said, a new resolution would replace
Resolution 242, which has been the basis for a deal until now. Just a
reminder: Resolution 242 notes the necessity of secure borders and does
not require Israel to withdraw from all territories captured in 1967.
Since the start of the
Obama administration, there have been signs that the American president
is considering a major turning point in his country's policy in the
Middle East, with the goal of strengthening America's relationship with
the Muslim and Arab world, including a sort of "affirmative action" for
Iran (which we saw with his letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei). However,
the violence in the Middle East is forcing Obama to make some changes to
his planned course of action. It is not only the Palestinian issue, but
also his efforts to draw nearer to Iran -- despite upsetting America's
traditional allies in the region -- that show he has not changed his
original approach.
All this does not, of course,
excuse Israel from making its best effort, through diplomatic and other
means, to stop the erosion of its relationship with the current U.S.
administration -- but we must still recognize the facts.
Zalman Shoval
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=12133
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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