In an interview with Time Magazine last week, President Barack
Obama acknowledged that his efforts to promote peace for Israel were
stymied by the forces of inertia from within Israeli and Palestinian
societies.
Obama said: "I think the Israelis and Palestinians have found that the political environment, the nature of their coalitions, or the divisions within their societies were such that it was very hard for them to start engaging in a meaningful conversation."
Now - emboldened by the Democratic loss in the Massachusetts Senate race - critics want him to put peace for Israel on the back burner.
Obama said: "I think the Israelis and Palestinians have found that the political environment, the nature of their coalitions, or the divisions within their societies were such that it was very hard for them to start engaging in a meaningful conversation."
Now - emboldened by the Democratic loss in the Massachusetts Senate race - critics want him to put peace for Israel on the back burner.
That would be a mistake. Americans are smart. They know that their interests are directly tied to Middle East peace and to Israel.
Click here to tell President Obama that it's time to step up the pressure.
Israelis and the Palestinians are never going to be able to overcome their own status-quo lobbies absent American pressure for them to do so.
Now is the time for President Obama to step up his efforts and start playing hardball. It is time for the Administration to take a tougher tone and be prepared to confront Israel, the Palestinians, and Arab states when they fail to play ball.
Putting the peace process on a back burner won't earn Obama any political points. Right-wingers will still criticize him on Israel. By sticking to his consistent, principled approach -- and by starting to back it up with real pressure - he will be better positioned to defend his policy and even to point to real achievements.
Click here to weigh in with the White House. Tell them that it is time to step up the pressure.
Stepping up the pressure doesn't mean taking actions that threaten Israel's security or undermine the Palestinian humanitarian situation. The Obama administration has many forms of leverage which it can to bring to bear, including the ability to impose real costs on the parties without cutting US assistance. Click here to read a detailed APN proposal for four ways the Obama administration should re-orient its approach.
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Unfortunately the powers that be will never allow peace to happen for one simple reason, greed. Like the idiot G.W.Bush once said, "Money trumps peace." With rationale's like that we are doomed.