Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently in Washington, DC and had a meeting with President Barack Obama. Obama keeps pushing Israel’s leaders to re-boot on peace planning with the Palestinians, but it seems that things are on hold indefinitely.
Within the PA, many leaders are pushing for PA President Mahmoud Abbas to step down. Others have started rumors of dissolving the PA as it exists today. Others still are pushing for the unilateral creation of a state called Palestine in all of Judea and Samaria.
If the PA can’t even decide who is in charge, who should Israel be working with? Even if Abbas signs a deal, what would really come of it? Hamas does not recognize Abbas or the PA as having authority to make a deal, so any agreements reached would only be with part of the Palestinians, and not the part that continued to lob rockets at Israeli civilians.
Thomas Friedman, well known columnist and author, suggests that Obama pickup something from Bush 2. And, in a rare instance, I agree that Obama needs to take something from Bush’s playbook. Do nothing.
If Obama would stop pushing Israel and the Palestinians, he might be surprised with what could happen. Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent push for Palestinian economic independence has led to a small resurgence in Palestinian quality of life. Roadblocks have been removed, people are moving more freely, businesses are doing better. I agree with the Netanyahu philosophy that peace cannot be achieved if the Palestinians are in constant poverty. Obama is so focused on a Jerusalem apartment building and natural growth in the settlements that he is missing the big picture.
What do you think? Should Obama back off or do more? What will lead to a real peace, if one can be reached at all? Please say your thoughts in the comments.
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I'm not sure it's about backing off so much as it is about encouraging Israel to do positive things for the everyday situation of the Palestinians. Undermining the source of terrorism is a lot more effective than bombing an area from a plane.