What a Difference a Decade Can Make

When Benyamin Netanyahu last came to Washington as Prime Minister of Israel the setting was quite different. Back then, President Bill Clinton was distracted, beset by scandals that culminated in his impeachment. Republicans, who had formed a partnership with Netanyahu's Likud party in opposition to both Clinton and the Labor Party-led Oslo Peace Process, were in control of both houses of Congress. And while many American Jews were uncomfortable with Netanyahu's anti-peace posture, there were only faint voices heard in opposition to his policies.

What a difference a decade can make.

In 2009, Netanyahu met a US President who had won election by a handsome margin, and whose victory helped his party expand their control over both the Senate and the House of Representatives. A popular President, Obama has wind in his sails, and has demonstrated both the vision and commitment to make real change on many issues--including the Middle East.

At their White House press briefing last week, Netanyahu may have been stubborn, but Obama, too, held his ground. Addressing his remarks directly to the cameras, the US President lectured Netanyahu about the steps that must be taken: "all the parties involved have to take seriously obligations they previously agreed to," "settlements have to be stopped," "if the people of Gaza have no hope, if they can't even get clean water...if the border closures are so tight it is impossible for reconstruction or humanitarian efforts to take place, then that is not going to be a recipe for [the] peace track to move forward," and much more.

But it wasn't only a new and tougher President that Netanyahu ran into last week, it was also a very different Jewish community. A recent poll of American Jews commissioned by J Street, the Jewish pro-peace lobby, found that substantial majorities of American Jews (in the 70% range) support President Obama and support a two-state solution that includes a Palestinian capital in Jerusalem and some limited "right to return." In addition, a strong majority oppose settlement construction and opinion is split down the middle on whether or not to cut aid to Israel if they become an obstacle to achieving peace!

It has been clear for many years now that majority opinion in the Jewish community was not represented by AIPAC's hawkish voice. This pro-peace orientation has taken an institutional form, and is now stronger and more vocal than it was a decade ago. Groups like J Street, Israel Policy Forum, Americans for Peace Now and Brit Tzedek v'Shalomare, are active, working not only within the Jewish community, but also in coalition with Arab Americans to change US-Middle East policy. The efforts of this pro-peace lobby were on display this week for Netanyahu to see.

Even before the Prime Minister's arrival in Washington, the Israel Policy Forum published full page ads in major US newspapers which urged President Obama to use his meeting with Middle East leaders to insist on a number of steps, including:

1. A freeze on West Bank settlement construction, the dismantling of superfluous checkpoints and illegal settlements, and the cessation of demolitions of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem;
2. The immediate reconstruction of Gaza with a focus on civilian needs, and the local economy;
3. The pursuit of a comprehensive peace between Israel and its neighbors, including Syria, using the Arab Peace Initiative as a basis for negotiations.

Also last week, a number of the pro-peace groups joined together in support of a congressional letter to the President. The letter was specifically designed to counter an earlier letter circulated by AIPAC which had called on the President to leave the parties to negotiate among themselves without US interference. The AIPAC letter asks nothing of Israel, instead putting stiff burdens exclusively on the Palestinian side, making fulfillment of these a prerequisite for statehood.

The letter by pro-peace Members of Congress, on the other hand, was dramatically different in tone and substance. It expressed concern with settlements, "tensions in Jerusalem and other changes on the ground [which] threaten the opportunity for a two-state solution." Since "left to themselves, the parties have been unable to make progress," the peace letter urges the President to become directly engaged in peace-making. And then, in a bold move, the letter notes that while building Palestinian capacity in the economic and security sectors are important goals, "these goals can be effectively realized over time once a Palestinian state has been created."

It is clear the AIPAC still remains a powerful lobby with a strong voice and strong support in Washington. The 280 or so congressional signatures on their letter is evidence of that strength. But the fact is that AIPAC is no longer uncontested in Washington, as evidenced by the near 70 (and still growing) list of congressional endorsers compiled by the pro-peace organizations. All this means that Washington is changing. The environment for Middle East peace making is better than it was a decade ago--with a strong President determined to take on big issues and pro-peace groups within the Jewish community working, with Arab Americans, to support the President's efforts. Would that the environment among Israelis and Palestinians were as ripe.

Comments

[Rog49Thomas]

If wishes were horses ...

[vascopyjama]

Those wonderful Israelis. They do so much for their Arab neighbors.

[alexa07]

Thanks for a very complete analysis of the new climate in Washington. O

[varran]

There are so many bad actors and obvious villains in middle east problems that it hard to name them all but here are few-(1)Ham­as,Hezbull­ah,Aipac,I­ran,Islami­c fundamenta­list,illeg­al settlers,extreme rightwing Jewish jealous of extreme strings what else oh one forgets the American politicians,their cycle of election every 2 or 4 years,this makes peace impossible­.Add to this list the total helplessness of The Palestians­.Peace is signed and concluded by equal enemies,and adversaries,that is simple rule of peace making.Une­qual parties can not achieve lasting peace and lasting agreements and even if they do ,it can not endure.His­tory has simply passed by,and we can all naively and fondly hope for peace,it simply would happen in our life time,why life time for generations,did not Israel came into existance in 1947?,arguments against peace are many, one is mainly ,there are no strong leader in both camps who can survive politically or physically the politics of middle east,no room to mention in this columns.Is­rael can win 100 wars and the Arabs have to win only one.Peace is loop sided here that is why there will not be peace for a long time and Mr James Zogby is a smart man and he knows better and one is disappointed that his optimism is misplaced and he would allow himself and the readers misdirecte­d.I'm so disappointed by him.

[mommamia526]

Mr Zogby would do well to acknowledge that there are other players in the region. Iran via its spokesman Ahmadinejad supports in word and with means both Hamas and Hezbullah, and he wants a finger in the pie in oversight of Jerusalem. Is he a Palestinian? Is Iran sharing a border with Israel/Jerusalem? He has also tried to make agreements in S. America, a.o. and he has openly spoken out not only against Israel, but against the U.S. He is a convert to Islam, and it is said that he has claimed to have spoken to the Messiah in a cave in Iran. The whole picture of Mr. Ahmadinejad and his being put forward by the Iranian regime has some dimensisons to it which put my antennae out.

[mommamia526]

If I remember correctly Ariel Sharon changed his mind and agreed finally to the roadmap. He had always been a settler. Mr. Netanyahu was part of Sharon's government in two different functions, but departed this government over the Gaza Disengagement Plan. Later, however, he was the one who implemented the actual disengagement. Those who are zionists and for a JEWISH Israel may differ with Mr. Netanyahu, however, and they see his as a dove, rather than as a hawk on this issue. Here in the U.S. he is viewed as a rightwinger. Not so by the Israeli rightwingers. They see him as at best a middle of the road person, or even as a lefty. I think Mr. Netanyahu is a practical and intelligent politician, with enough experience about what will work and what will not. He went to court to push Mr. Feiglin out of his position in the latest elections, going as far as the Israeli Supreme Court. However, Likud is more rightwing than it used to be and certainly for a JEWISH Israeli State. And anything else really does not make any sense. That was why Israel was created by the UN. That has always been the dream of the jews, not only zionists. But, again, the danger is not only against Israel and as a JEWISH state. It is against the world at large.

[mommamia526]

The Saudi initiative set the socalled roadmap on its tracks. The first installment of that was delivered with Gaza.There are still missile attacks out of Gaza.Israe­lis kidnapped from Israli territory still have not been returned, either by Hamas or Hezbullah. Hamas refuses to recognize Israel in any shape or form. There are demands not only to concede territory, but to give oversight of Jerusalem to a consortium of Arab Nations and Iran, which is Persian. Already today Jews are not allowed to go on certain areas of the Temple Mount, and neither, by the way, is anyone else who is not a muslim. If control over Jerusalem is in the hands of Muslim Arabs and Persians that means that all connection to the most holy site of the jews will be breached.T­he objective is killing off both Christianity and Judaism in favor of Islam. Just as muslims should be respected and allowed the free exercise of their religion and culture, so should that be extended to all other religions, including christianity and judaism, bahai, the kopts, etc. That is also at stake. Not only geography and territory. Look at the vast Arab territories, a.o. Palestine Jordan! Obviously that is not the issue. See also *the Israel-Palestine Seesaw*, Moshe Feiglin, www.israelnn.com , 05/05/09, *Bibi, Obama and Yerushalayim*, blog 05/22/09, www.israelnn.com, and www.jewishisrael.org (Moshe Feiglin), for some further opinions.

[mommamia526]

Mr. Zogby is right. Israelis want PEACE. They want to live in peace with their Arab and Persian neighbors and with everyone else. They also want, what everyone else wants, a place where they can live their life, practice their religion and culture and to be what they are without continuous attack. Indeed, that is why zionism started in ernest in the 1800's, and that is why, after WWII, the UN declared the creation of a jewish state, Israel. Mr. Zgoby's view of matters on the ground, however, is different from that of many others. Mr. Netanyahu has said that a condition is that Israel be recognized as a JEWISH state, and Mahmood Abbas has said that he will NEVER agree to that, no matter what the borders are. I wonder IF Abbas and the Palestinians get what they want, why is it that they still wish to determine what is done in what will be left of Israel? Read an article by Jeff Jacobi on 05/21/09 on the www.israelnn.com website. It is a chronology which is important to keep in mind. Moshe Feiglin who ran for the position Netanyahu has attained has secured a majority in the Knesset which wants a JEWISH State. It may, or may not be, Netanyahu's position. It is, however, what Israelis have voted for. It is also what Mr. Netanyahu clearly put forward during the press conference with Mr. Obama.

[Liberal2]

Okay, Mr. Zogby, what if "peace" comes but Hamas and Hezbolla just use it to continue attacking Israel?

[ApolloSpeaks]

SAME OLD CONFLICT

The very Clintonized Obama administration is about to repeat the tragic mistakes of Bill Clinton in trying to play the honest broker between the Palis and Israelis when the former sees peace as a Middle East without Israel. The President is blindly blundering his way into another disaster. The more things change, Mr. Zogby, the more they remain the same. New US President change in US public opinion, same old Pali-Israeli conflict-with the Pllis in one voice (PA and Hamas) demanding unlimited return of refugees.

[medi22]

Thanks for highlighting the recent positives. It's interesting how much less press attention is given to small, constructive steps towards resolution of this conflict, than to the violence, divisive framings, or mud slinging.

[johnsonc20]

Hear, hear. I thought the meeting with Netanyahu was interesting in that it was not the same formula we have come expect of complete capitulation to the Israeli point of view. If the two state solution is going to work, it is going to have to be implemented very soon before "facts on the ground" make it even harder to obtain. I hope that President Obama empowers George Mitchell and follows his lead as he attempts to work some Irish magic on this supposedly intractable situation.

[bobdob]

It's long past time the U.S. took its place as an honest broker in this process. For far too long, we have sided with Israel on every issue and assisted the hawks in their oppression of the Palestinian people. It's got to end, or there will never be peace. I've seen the struggles over the course of my lifetime. This will not be easy. But with Barack Obama in the White House, the iron is hot and the time for action is now.

[robiform]

I hope Mr. Zogby is right--I visited Israel in December, and I noticed that just as we have the J Street group here in the U.S., there are also pro-peace groups in Israel. As Zogby says in his last statement, the atmosphere in Israel and the Palestinian areas might not be as good for peace talks as we would like, but with the efforts of the Obama Administration, that could change.

[FloresdelaHoz]

The world is going multi-polar, the Islamic world hate us, Iran is going nuclear, the Russians have won the great game for control of Central Asia's hydrocarbon reserves, the German Colossus is going to bed with the Russians and will redraw the economic map of eastern Europe and the middle east, the US$ as the world's reserve currency is slowly evaporating and in all likelihood China will dominate Eastern Asia within 10 years. If that is not bad enough, we are losing LatAm to the Left and Chinese economic expansion.

In this new world order it behooves Israel to resolve the Palestinian issue. If peace fails, Israel may very well be facing nuclear armed Islamic states within five years. As to the US, we cannot afford another war in the middle east. We need to become energy independent and thereby retrench out of the middle east. No more poor and middle class Americans dying in the middle east for Oil and Gas interest to keep the US$ as the reserve currency for a few more years. Time that all Americans focus on what they can do for America rather than what America can do for them.

[Sentientbeing09]

If Israels priority was peace, the illegal Israeli settlement would have stopped decades ago.

The settlements have no support or legitimacy anywhere outside Israel. The settlers are the most serious and dangerous impediment to peace.

The occupation of Palestine by violent, armed Israeli civilians has to stop.