The advent of the Obama Administration presents new opportunities for talks with Iran and negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. The policies and personalities that will shape the Obama Administration's approach to achieving peace in the Middle East are being determined now. Some reports indicate that former officials like Dennis Ross, who directed failed policies in the past, are angling for top positions. Allowing such officials to direct U.S. policy could compromise U.S. efforts and send a signal to the region that U.S. policy is not really going to change from the failed policies of the past. A recent report suggests that campaigns by women's groups have helped remove Larry Summers from the short list for Treasury Secretary. A similar campaign by folks concerned about peace in the Middle East could help remove Dennis Ross from short lists for top positions supervising our diplomacy in the Middle East.
Obama has proposed to make an early and sustained push to support peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and has pledged to talk to Iran without preconditions. A sustained push by the United States for Israeli-Palestinian peace would force on to the table fundamental issues that must be resolved, like Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank. Even Israeli Prime Minister Olmert said recently that Israel must withdraw from nearly all the West Bank as well as East Jerusalem to attain peace with the Palestinians. And an early push for talks with Iran could help establish security in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But we can't assume that this is the direction that U.S. policy will move.
A November 3rd article in the New York Times noted that a report from the "Bipartisan Policy Center" explores blockading Iran's gasoline imports - an act of war - and says that "a military strike is a feasible option." The article notes that the report's authors include Dennis Ross, a "top Mideast adviser to Obama." Ross served in the first Bush Administration as well as the Clinton Administration, where he played a leading role in U.S. negotiations with the Israelis and Palestinians.
Daniel Kurtzer, also an Obama adviser, has written that American and Arab negotiators saw Ross as biased and not "an honest broker." One Arab negotiator said, "The perception always was that Dennis [Ross] started from the Israeli bottom line, that he listened to what Israel wanted and then tried to sell it to the Arabs." Aaron David Miller, who also served on the U.S. team, has written that under Clinton U.S. negotiators acted as "Israel's lawyer," rather than focusing on what would enable both sides to reach agreement.
The Jewish Chronicle reports that Palestinian leaders are optimistic about Obama, but they are looking for "new faces" on the U.S. side. Walid Awad, spokesman for the Fatah Central Media Commission, called on Obama to immediately devote his attention to Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy when he takes office in January. "Bush did not deal with the conflict until it was too late and he did not pressure Israel enough to bring about a solution," Awad said. He voiced concern about reports Obama may appoint Dennis Ross to a senior foreign policy position. "He's never been fair with the Palestinians so bringing him back into the fold would be counter-productive. Obama has to bring in new faces."
As a former Clinton official told Time, if President-elect Obama wants U.S. efforts to help achieve peace in the Middle East to succeed, he must break not only with the policies of President Bush, but also with the policies of President Clinton. Ask President-elect Obama to turn a new page.
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Dennis Ross would be a disaster. How about Rachid Khalidi? He is more knowledgea
It was an insult. Arafat would have been a fool to accept it, and knew there was no way he could take it back to his people.
You can bet the Palestinin didn't think much of Ross for trying to sell them such a bill of goods...
They don't like Carter because his opinions aren't written or approved by AIPAC and the Israel-far
We want peace and justice for both Israel and Palestine!
Time may be running out for Israel.
The majority of Israelis want a two state solution.
Demographi
Israel and all the pals (Hamas & Fatah) may be serious - The world doesn't need a Dennis Ross to screw it up.
Yeah, it's not a popular solution but it's the only fair one I see. The "inherent Jewish character" that Israelis tout and want to protect are leading them further and further down the road of being a militant, oppressive and racist society and the Middle East will never be a safe place for anyone while those policies and attitudes persist.
I read and post on Haaretz news in Israel. Many of my posts are pro peace and pro dialogue.
So very true.
Either Ross has no conception of what difficult steps the Israeli's must take for a real peace or he just can't bring himself to tell them the tough news. Either way, he's not the man for the job.
Here ... fix this and maybe there'll be peace. This is what the majority of Palestinia
"Initiativ
"There is no solution for the Palestinia
JIHAD ... are you listening ? JIHAD ... and you think this has something to do with Israel? What a laugh.
"The Islamic Resistance Movement consider itself to be the spearhead of the circle of struggle with world Zionism and a step on the road.
Islamic groupings all over the Arab world should also do the same, since all of these are the best-equip
Hamas is an out and out anti semitic organizati
The enemy here are the Islamist groups NOT Islam, Islamism which is a whole other story.
First off all, how can Arabs be antisemiti
Second of all, "jihad" doesn't mean what you think it means "struggle" not "war." Taking it out of context like you're doing is just as incorrect as Muslims take it out of context when Bush uses the word "crusade."
Lebanon used to be regarded as the "France of the Middle East" because of its moderate stance. Things only went completely to pot in Lebanon in 2006 after Israel tried to bomb it back into the bronze age. Hezbollah actually gained power because it stepped in with humanitari
I don't endorse Hezbollah but at least I understand why it exists -- it's not some nihilist cult bent on mass murder, it's a militia that evolved in response to Israel's militarist