RSS Feed MenuNext week, European Union foreign ministers will meet to discuss a draft document that calls for a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
If approved, this resolution will mark the latest failure of President Barack Obama’s remarkably sloppy Middle East policy. After all, American leadership in brokering peace – or attempting to broker it – has been a cornerstone of international consensus regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict for over four decades. Even the Bush administration – which was routinely (and unfairly) lambasted for “waiting too long” to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace – managed to bolster American diplomatic preeminence in this sphere by drafting the Roadmap and assembling the “Quartet” as its sponsor. But with the EU breaking off from the Quartet and developing its own set of policies regarding the conflict, America’s leadership on this issue is severely in doubt.
It is worth emphasizing that Washington’s longtime involvement in managing the Middle East conflict is as much about showcasing American diplomatic strength as it is about minimizing violence between the two sides. For this reason, the sudden shift in the diplomatic environment is likely to have devastating results. With the EU recognizing Palestinian claims along the 1967 borders – including to lands on which Israeli settlements stand – it is giving Palestinian terrorist organizations the ultimate excuse for attacking. Essentially, these groups would argue that they are fighting to end the occupation of their now-internationally recognized state, and the newfound legitimacy of their violence would encourage it.
These developments – and the extent to which they anticipate renewed hostilities – should give pause to those who doubt the relevance of American primacy to preserving international order. President Obama is one of these doubters.
balconesfault // Dec 2, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Allowing the EU to break off from the Quartet and develop its own policies, is the latest misstep by the Obama administration.
Allowing?
What is President Obama supposed to do – bomb them? Impose sanctions?
In actuality, it is a good thing if some other nations start taking the lead in solving some of these problems. For example – why is it that the US has to pay billions of dollars to the Egyptians and Israelis to keep them from fighting one another? Is every shit-fight in the US our responsibility?
LFC // Dec 3, 2009 at 2:09 pm
But with the EU breaking off from the Quartet and developing its own set of policies regarding the conflict, America’s leadership on this issue is severely in doubt.
There is not doubt. Netanyahu is in power. He will do as he wishes. Nobody else will have any level of leadership if Netanyahu doesn’t want it.
With the EU recognizing Palestinian claims along the 1967 borders – including to lands on which Israeli settlements stand – it is giving Palestinian terrorist organizations the ultimate excuse for attacking.
So what? The Palestinians have never needed an excuse from the outside to attack. Ararfat declared an intifada after being offered 90% of what the Palestinians said they wanted. The Palestinians attacked after settlements were removed from Gaza. What makes you think EU backing of part of their position will mean squat?
I personally don’t care what Obama does in terms of Israel and the Palestinians. They have both decided that talks without preconditions (always from the “other side” only) won’t happen. Until they want help and mediation, let them work out their problems between themselves … or, if it’s their preference, live in a perpetual state of war.
advocatusdiaboli // Dec 4, 2009 at 1:22 am
If Obama really had the guts and wanted peace (the US too) we’d just cut off any aid to both sides and tell them to sink or swim. They’d have to come to terms with each other or go down fighting. Our tacit support of Israel perpetuates the war–just as a misbehaving child will continue to misbehave is he can hide behind his mother’s skirt. And the Palestinians act like unrepentant delinquents who, the more they are disciplined, the more they act out pointlessly. I am tired of the misbehavior on both sides. We need to focus on building our own nation and let them work it out alone. I’ll bet they wake up fast.