If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
The Blog
Now is the time for President Obama to become more actively involved, working to drastically revise the Quartet's approach and show that he can make a real difference to the lives of Palestinians and Israelis.
In the past, I have opposed the Palestinian move to unilaterally seek UN recognition of their state, but at this late hour the only way to avoid what will be an unprecedented period of uncertainty is for the United States and the European Union to lead the way.
Both Israel and the Palestinians are weary of the unending conflict and yet they have been pursuing counterproductive policies undermining the very premise on which a lasting peace can be erected.
Religion has an important role to play in these self-determination movements and religious leaders and communities should be part of any international policy calculations towards the region.
When forcing him to resign under American pressure, the Egyptian Army did not exactly arbitrate between Mubarak and the protesters but rather between Mubarak and themselves.
Just as President Obama was riding the crest of his newly re-energized popularity from capturing Osama bin Laden, Netanyahu was seen publicly rebuking the American president on his home turf.
The very strong adverse reactions to elements of the president's speech shows how far apart the parties really are in reaching an accord. Despite the president's hopes, it looks like the stalemate will continue for a long time to come.
The Israel-first crowd has decided on two things: (1) They do not want Israeli-Palestinian peace, period, and (2) they want to see President Obama defeated in the next election.
There remains a sense in the Arab world, and the international community at large, that America has lost the will or perhaps the ability to shape events. At present juncture, Obama seems to be content to recap the obvious in lofty rhetoric.
We have heard all of this before -- in Cairo, at the Nobel ceremony in Oslo. The overall composition, as well as its individual ingredients, is designed to play on feeling rather than to engage thought. Certainly not critical cognition.
By demanding that Israel surrender all the territories it captured in the 1967 war without insisting that the Palestinians surrender their right of return, the president has gone further than Palestinian negotiators had during various prior negotiations.
Contrary to the hopes articulated by some Arabs and Israelis, Obama's speech did not amount to a "game changer." There is little the Obama administration can do to change the status quo. Why pretend otherwise?
For the past six months it has been clear in the region that George Mitchell practically made the decision to quit once it was clear his advice was no longer being heeded in the White House.
On Thursday, Obama will "reset" American policy in the Middle East with a major address. But barring an almost inconceivable policy shift, all signs indicate that the Pentagon will quietly maintain antithetical policies.
Friday's announcement of George Mitchell's planned resignation as the U.S. mediator in the Arab-Israeli conflict appears to be yet another sign of the disarray in Obama's handling of the Middle East.
On May 1st, as President Obama looked into the eyes of Americans and the world to announce the bizarre end to an even stranger manhunt, we looked back into his eyes and for the first time ever, there was no trace of Stanley Ann.
