After Biden's Israel Contretemps, Stepping Back

Palestinian unwillingness to compromise for peace and to stop the hate are the real obstacles to peace. The administration should not let its temporary unhappiness with Israel divert it from these essential truths.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

On some level, it couldn't have been worse. We have a situation where the most trusted member of the U.S. administration, Vice President Joe Biden, is in Israel seeking to win over the hearts and minds of the Israeli public which, according to the polls, is highly suspicious of the Obama government. And in his opening public remarks, the vice president shows he's cognizant of the need by the administration to state more clearly and vociferously than it had heretofore that the American-Israeli special relationship is as strong as ever.

Included in his comments was the important statement that when it comes to matters affecting Israel's security, there is no space whatsoever between the American and Israeli positions.

In sum, the administration was paying attention to those of us who have been saying for some time that it was imperative for the president and vice president to use their bully pulpits to make clear that the outreach to the Muslim world did not in the least mean any erosion in the U.S.-Israel relationship. This was important for at least three reasons: to keep the trust of the Israeli people; to prevent illusions about a weakening American support among the Palestinians which could lead them to conclude that peace is not necessary; and to make clear to anti-Israel forces around the world, who are feeling their oats these days, that America is not a ripe target for their campaigns against Israel.

The stage was set therefore for the most successful effort for strengthening U.S.-Israel relations since the new administration entered office. And then came the announcement of plans for building 1,200 new apartments in East Jerusalem.

One doesn't have to accept the most cynical interpretation of that announcement, and I surely don't, that the prime minister knew about it, to recognize what a disaster it was. Whatever the motivation and whoever the responsible party, it is the government of Israel that justifiably is held accountable for converting an optimal moment in U.S.-Israel relations into a moment of crisis. The crucial point is that the government had an obligation to anticipate what might go wrong during the vice president's visit and to give firm instruction to all cabinet members about avoiding such pitfalls, particularly on the subjects of settlements and East Jerusalem.

That the administration was angry was not surprising. First was the sense of personal embarrassment to Mr. Biden, especially since part of his mission was to enhance the relationship. Second was the need to separate itself from the Israeli actions, lest it be perceived that the coincidence of the Biden presence and the building announcement be linked in the minds of the Palestinians and Arab world. And third, with the proximity talks in the works, the administration undoubtedly saw a vociferous reaction as necessary to mitigate Palestinian anger so that the talks would proceed.

While much of this is understandable, there needs to be some stepping back so that there are no long-term deleterious results from this contretemps. The vice president's comments in his Tel Aviv University address softening the U.S. response was helpful. Less helpful were his comments that Israel's announcement on building in East Jerusalem was endangering American troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. This is the kind of rhetoric that does exactly what Mr. Biden has studiously avoided doing, linking the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to America's larger Middle East challenges, and it unnecessarily calls into question Israel's role as an ally and the impact on American interests. The Mearsheimer and Walts of this world will delight in this kind of criticism of Israel.

It is also in America's interest not to let this unfortunate incident give the Palestinians another excuse not to do what is right, to finally negotiate a compromise peace with Israel and to stop the preaching of hatred. I'd like to see some of the kind of passion and emotion just exhibited in criticism of Israel be employed to condemn the continuous teaching of hatred of Israel in Palestinian schools and television and in the ongoing honoring and martyrdom of Palestinian terrorists who murder Israeli civilians.

Ultimately, Palestinian unwillingness to compromise for peace and to stop the hate are the real obstacles to peace. The administration should not let its temporary unhappiness with Israel divert it from these essential truths.

Abraham H. Foxman is National Director of the Anti-Defamation League and the author of "The Deadliest Lies: The Israel Lobby and the Myth of Jewish Control."

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot