- Nov 6, 2005
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While the mideast peace talks waited for the US mid-term elections to conclude, its game back on as Netanyuhu announced plans to build another 1000 housing units in East Jerusalem.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/10/world/middleeast/10jerusalem.html?_r=1&ref=middleeast
Plans the EU and the USA roundly condemn. Meanwhile the Arab League has tabled its decision until after the US mid-term election, but its not hard to predict its going to put pressure on any previous and future Egyptian and Jordian co-operation with Israel.
Meanwhile Abbas is not only proved correct that Israel choose settlements over peace, the Palestinians are likely to simply go to the UN and ask for recognition of a Palestinian State.
If that passes in the UN, it would end any charade of Israel having any building legitimacy in any of the disputed territories gained in the 1967&73 wars. Obama has asked the Palestinians not to go that route, but offers no other alternative.
As it is, both Netanyuhu and Obama now have few options.
Netanyuhu's government will collapse if Netanyuhu voluntarily extends a settlement freeze,
but if the UN dope slaps Israel over the refusal, Netanyuhu has a chance of political survival in explaining to the settler parties that Israel has no choice but to extend the settlement freeze while peace talks go on.
The USA and Obama face a far worse choice should the Palestinian recognition proceeds in the UN. As it is, the mid-terms weakened Obama, but still, as POTUS, Obama has a free hand in foreign policy by constitutional right. But after GWB put Arab trust in the USA in grave doubt, Obama is now on the horns of a dilemma. On one hand Obama can veto any Palestinian State recognition in the UN security council, but then three things are likely to happen. (1) That will end all Arab Trust in the USA as a legitimate negotiator for Palestinian Israeli issues. (2) The rest of our allies are unlikely to support the USA and instead side with a Palestinian State affirmation in the UN. (3) Since the idea of a Palestinian State will not go away, and the USA can't lead, some other nations of block of Nations like the EU may be the next to champion a settlement. And if so, it will not be advantage USA or Israel, because the USA is the most sympathetic nation in the world to Israel. And any other nation brokering Israeli Palestinian talks are very unlikely to take anything but a harder line with Israeli talk, stall, and build tactics.
But after 43 years of kicking the disputed territories can down the road, it may be crunch time now. And I suspect Obama will have to act or the Arabs may choose to sell their oil to India and China as they cut the traditional Western powers off.
As for the now stronger GOP in the USA, the GOP will hate Obama no matter what Obama does in regard to his mid-east peace plan.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/10/world/middleeast/10jerusalem.html?_r=1&ref=middleeast
Plans the EU and the USA roundly condemn. Meanwhile the Arab League has tabled its decision until after the US mid-term election, but its not hard to predict its going to put pressure on any previous and future Egyptian and Jordian co-operation with Israel.
Meanwhile Abbas is not only proved correct that Israel choose settlements over peace, the Palestinians are likely to simply go to the UN and ask for recognition of a Palestinian State.
If that passes in the UN, it would end any charade of Israel having any building legitimacy in any of the disputed territories gained in the 1967&73 wars. Obama has asked the Palestinians not to go that route, but offers no other alternative.
As it is, both Netanyuhu and Obama now have few options.
Netanyuhu's government will collapse if Netanyuhu voluntarily extends a settlement freeze,
but if the UN dope slaps Israel over the refusal, Netanyuhu has a chance of political survival in explaining to the settler parties that Israel has no choice but to extend the settlement freeze while peace talks go on.
The USA and Obama face a far worse choice should the Palestinian recognition proceeds in the UN. As it is, the mid-terms weakened Obama, but still, as POTUS, Obama has a free hand in foreign policy by constitutional right. But after GWB put Arab trust in the USA in grave doubt, Obama is now on the horns of a dilemma. On one hand Obama can veto any Palestinian State recognition in the UN security council, but then three things are likely to happen. (1) That will end all Arab Trust in the USA as a legitimate negotiator for Palestinian Israeli issues. (2) The rest of our allies are unlikely to support the USA and instead side with a Palestinian State affirmation in the UN. (3) Since the idea of a Palestinian State will not go away, and the USA can't lead, some other nations of block of Nations like the EU may be the next to champion a settlement. And if so, it will not be advantage USA or Israel, because the USA is the most sympathetic nation in the world to Israel. And any other nation brokering Israeli Palestinian talks are very unlikely to take anything but a harder line with Israeli talk, stall, and build tactics.
But after 43 years of kicking the disputed territories can down the road, it may be crunch time now. And I suspect Obama will have to act or the Arabs may choose to sell their oil to India and China as they cut the traditional Western powers off.
As for the now stronger GOP in the USA, the GOP will hate Obama no matter what Obama does in regard to his mid-east peace plan.
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