Give Us Netanyahu. Please.

Peter Berkowitz's essay in the latest issue of the Weekly Standard provides good insight into what I think is the strategic irresponsibility of those in Israel's leadership who think that they can hold steady on a course that justifies failure on an a Palestine-Israel deal using Hamas and Iran as excuses.

As things look today, the Likud Party and its chief, Benjamin Netanyahu, look like they are about to be given a stronger hand in the coming elections. And Netanyahu is pro-settlement, and in my view the continued expansion of settlements is the most toxic activity that is undermining the negotiations process and actually, in the long term, will assure a deterioration in America's support for Israel.

Berkowitz points out:

The major difference between the candidates went unaddressed at Herzliya. It concerns the future of Israeli settlements, the towns and cities built and populated by Israel in the territories it gained control over in 1967 in the Six Day War. While he almost certainly would not build new settlements, Netanyahu remains unlikely, without pressure from the United States, to freeze the natural growth of existing settlements. In contrast, both Livni and Barak would probably impose a freeze on all new building beyond the Green Line. Livni and Barak recognize, however, along with Netanyahu, that the settlements are far from the fundamental obstacle to peace with the Palestinians.

Indeed, the journalists, political analysts, and current and former national security officials to whom I spoke were in striking agreement that Livni and Barak as well as Netanyahu all see that the fundamental obstacle to progress in resolving the conflict with the Palestinians is Iran. Indeed, the case for Iran's centrality is convincing.

I respect Peter Berkowitz but disagree with his take on things -- and find the perspective of many he is interacting with strikingly narrow when it comes to a serious strategy that will secure Israeli democracy and security in the coming years.

I share Zbigniew Brzezinski's view that both sides of the Israel-Palestine divide have proven themselves completely unable to solve an arrangement on their own. A Palestinian state is still possible -- and Israel democracy without apartheid within its borders is also still possible.

However, it is time to move negotiations out of the weeds and re-engage various stakeholders on all sides of the equation - including the U.S., Europe, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Iran, Syria, and the United Nations.

Israel's bravado over Gaza and the massively disproportionate deployment of force in which so many innocents were killed or injured -- and lives seriously disrupted on so many levels -- is the type of potentially transformative act that can either radicalize a great many more Arabs against the current equations of power in the region or more optimistically, could transform the perspective of the White House to finally realize that Israel's zero-sum game approach in the region is something that needs to be curtailed and changed.

Folks in the U.S. are hoping for centrists, reasonable, rational negotiators to emerge. Some on Obama's National Security Council team think that if they only can now...finally...make Abbas and Fatah the winners in the eyes of Palestinians by showering on them goodies to deliver to their constituents, all will be well. This is well meaning "earnestness." But it is flawed sentimentalism. Taking this approach with Abbas is "too much, too late." I think that despite recent drama, Tzipi Livni falls into this "earnestness" hope -- though she has a class of detractors larger than Maureen Dowd has.

But "earnestness" in trying to move the Rubik's Cube of the region into alignment is flawed. Israel and Palestine together don't work. They can't come to a responsible deal on their own.

It doesn't matter if Livni is Prime Minister, or Ehud Barak -- who I think is the most monstrous of recent Israeli political players for his role in tightening the noose around Palestinian mobility and movement after the Annapolis process started. And yes, I said monstrous - to borrow a term from Samantha Power. And it doesn't matter if Netanyahu is PM.

Likewise, Mahmoud Abbas is essentially irrelevant at this point -- and all leaders in Palestine are with the exception of those who might be able to think strategically in a Gandhi-esque way and match the flamboyant absolutism and inhumanity of Israel's occuptation behaviors with non-violent civil disobedience on a communications scale that Gandhi achieved. Mustafa Barghouti comes to mind. . .possibly.

In fact, the more irresponsible both sides are about their situation, the more achievable a "new equilibrium arrangement" may be -- because the US and other regional stakeholders simply can't afford for the recklessness, immaturity, and sheer stupidity of leadership on all sides of the conflict to continue.

Given that. Give us Netanyahu. Please.

His re-ascension will help Americans realize that the false choice approach the Bush administration had been taking in Israel-Palestine affairs was flawed -- and that Obama's team must change the game or face a serious rebuke from Middle East watchers in the US and around the world.

-- Steve Clemons publishes the popular political blog, The Washington Note

Comments

[MagisterLudi]

Ahmed Al-Jarallah, editor-in-chief of Kuwait's Arab Times newspaper, writes:
"Forgetting the interests of their own countries the Hamas Movement and Hezbollah have gone to the extent of representing the interests of Iran and Syrian in their countries... without worrying about the consequences of their action. The operations of Israel in Gaza and Lebanon are in the interest of people of Arab countries and the international community."

It is rare that such a brutally honest opinion appears in Middle; Eastern press. These seems to be a strong current of discontent with Hamas and their irresponsible actions among moderate Arabs.

[MPeter]

Netanyahu is a Right Wing blood hound. He never saw a war he did not like. Ehud Barack would have been better but, we'll settle to the least of all the evil, Livni.

[Motorinstructor]

Tough times call for tough people! Netanyahu is the Right man for the job!

[arvay]

He will accelerate the collapse of the Zionist interloper state. If I were a member of Hizbollah, I'd want the Israelis to pick him.

[GrainOSand]

http://www.entertonement.com/clips/260/Malcolm-X/Message-To-The-Grass-Roots/Message-to-the-Grass-Roots-Part-4

[thruthseeker]

To those who worry about Israel self destroying, its internal politics, its raison d'etre, and the make up of its society..I suggest you take a hard look at your respective countries and see if yours is not the one in need of your wise and thoughtfull comments..
Israel is fine and will be fine, as long as it takes care of its enemies and defend its population.

[Liberterna]

Great! maybe we can stop paying you then. our tax money could be spent here in the US.

[BubbaC33]

More money in US aid goes to Arabs than to Jews.

[Wozzeck]

Much of the money our Congress gives each year, without debate, after borrowing it from China, is reinvested right back here in the good old USA... to influence our elections.

[Freenation]

Some more WSJ neocon rant articles:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123414344863961949.html

Murdocks News corp making billions in losses is related to this...more and more rants by so called 'experts' who are AEI confidantes...

[Freenation]

Related to above, must read:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Ledeen

Just unbelievable how WSJ which triumphs itself to be a respected publication gives writing space to these loonies...maybe it stopped being respected after Faux news started advocating article to it...

[thruthseeker]

Among the ugly lands in the world, the Land of Israel takes first place.
Its exposed mountains, bald hills, barren valleys, and sparse vegetation.
Its is a cursed, devastated land.
Jerusalem is pitiful and gloomy, full of lepers, crippled, and lovers of the eternal bakshish.
Samuel Clemens (mark Twain, who visited in 1867)

If he could go back to Israel today and see what a beautiful land the Israelis made of that desolation.

all the while fighting all kinds of enemies surrounding it.

[Hasur]

hmmm... these talking points are similar to Bubba's...

[BubbaC33]

You ought to try reading A Place Among the Nations.

[Wozzeck]

but without the eleoquence

[Prattvictory2]

A thousand years from now history will not be fully cleansed of "Operation Cast Lead." The history of thuggery against the Palestinians will not be dismissed as some irrational hostility. It is a story that will be told and retold. It's seems the Lukidists have little thought of history.

[Motorinstructor]

It is time for the Arab nations to start doing the right thing and build communities on their land for these long suffering people. They are just using these poor people as pawns in their political game to destroy Israel. Israel has a right to exist but these nations show by their actions that they want to destroy Israel. Israel has a right to defend herself and that is why Netanyahu is so popular. Years of talks and diplomacy have failed and now Netanyahu, if he wins, will show strength. This is a language that the Arabs will be forced to understand.

[jwcmass]

The problem is that "strength" isn't working anymore-- Israel finds itself killing civilians, and the soldiers who face her have nothing left to lose-- they can't be intimidated by "strength"

So deterrence by overwhelming force, which worked for Israel in the past--no longer is effective (see Lebanon 2006)

Essentially the Palestinains are saying, "Enough!"

And please explain why they should have to give up their homes? Would you be willing to give up yours? And Who gives you the right to decide?

[Motorinstructor]

My point is that the Arabs have so much land compared to the Jews who only have a little strip of land the size of New Jersey. Why can't the Arab nations get together and make an offer to the Palestinians to live in their territories. Give them a chance to make up their mind where they would like to live. Why would they want to fight to live in a land where people that they hate reside? Wouldn't it be better for them to live in peace in a land with other people who share their ideology and religion?

[Prattvictory2]

What is Israel's right to exist based on? Stealing the Palestinians land? With every right is there not a responsibility? Why is it the Arab worlds responsibility to clean up the mess Israel created?

[messy]

Israel didn't create the mess, the Arabs did. Isarel's right to exist is the same as Great Britain's.

[arvay]

This is just a reiteration of the tired, arrogant Israeli demand that the displaced Palestinians should be absorbed by the nations to which they have fled.

"This is a language that the Arabs will be forced to understand."

The belief that these people can be bombed into submission has been elevated now from delusion to a major evidence of insanity among the israeli people. Israel has just recruited many thousands of new fighters with its Gaza adventure. Did the survivors of the Jewish massacre in Europe react by being intimidated? Do they send money to Germany because they were intimidated by Nazi brutality?

What planet are you living on?

Netanyahu, if elected, and if not restrained by the US, will begin the final act of Israel's ballet of self-destruction. The two-state solution is as close to dead as anything can be without rotting away. The Palestinian population continues to grow, as does global hatred for Israel. Only deluded America continues to support this neo-Prussian state, and people here are gradually opening they eyes to its true nature -- not to mention the financial drain and enemy-generation it delivers as a consequence of its brutality.

Those who want to see Israel destroyed will be delighted at Netanyahu's election, just as bin Laden was delighted with Bush's imperious and blundering foreign policy.

[MagisterLudi]

"The Palestinian population continues to grow, as does global hatred for Israel. "

"No to Syria, Iran agents," Ahmed Al-Jarallah, editor-in-chief of Kuwait's Arab Times newspaper, writes:
"The operations of Israel in Gaza and Lebanon are in the interest of people of Arab countries and the international community."

Arab League summit meeting in Cairo on July 15, (reports Hassan M. Fattah, New York Times,) " The Saudis joined with several other Arab states publicly to condemn Hizbullah for its "unexpected, inappropriate and irresponsible acts." Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal.Australia is deeply concerned that, tragically, this conflict is profoundly affecting civilians,” he said. “All parties should avoid actions which could result in unnecessary or increased suffering on the part of innocent civilians.”

“Australia condemns any action by Hamas to deliberately endanger civilian lives."
Ambassador, Robert Hill

[stanschurman]

So, let's see, Israel steals land from the Palestinians, but it's up to the Arab countries to replace that land? Is that what you're saying? So if the neighbour on my left steals my lawn mower I should go to the neighbour on my right for restitution.

[Motorinstructor]

First of all, Israel never stole land from the Palestinians, the UN gave it to them. There never was a country called Palestine. There has been a Jewish presence in the land for 4000 years. If anyone has a right to the land, it is the Jews. The Jews aren't demanding any Arab land even though they owned much of it at one time. Let the Jews live in peace. The Arabs have way more land and they want what little the Jews have. SHAME!

[northstar11]

there is a good article in the MEDIA section. well worth reading

on this topic ---SEE TPM

[DCLiberal82]

Yes, Mr. Clemons, that's right, the only obstacle to peace between Israel and the Arabs is the settlements. Your answer can be rebutted in one word: GAZA...where no settlements exist and Hamas continues to fire rockets into Israel proper. To me, it seems like the obstacles are Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and Syria, who deny Israel's right to exist. When Egypt and Jordan accepted Israel as a reality, Israel negotiated and now has peace treatises with these two nations. While it is a cold peace, these nations have formal relations and respect for one another. When Israel's other Arab neighbors, and Iran, accept Israel as a state actor rather than a nation of Zionists that will eventually "disappear," you will see an end to the settlements and lasting Peace.

“Peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity. I see Israel as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy. Peace for Israel means security and that security must be a reality.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

[chaos4700]

Really? I'm confused. Why is Israel leaving the settlements in the West Bank? More to the point, why are they building /more/ of them? And more security walls? And exclusive access highways that cut Palestinian villages and cities off from one another and, in some cases, from their own surrounding lands?

Even during the Oslo Accords, Israel refused to agree to remove all of its illegal settlements from the West Bank. And as for Gaza? Hamas stopped firing rockets during the cease fire. Not only that, but they worked to enforce the cease fire by confronting rogue militants who continued to launch rockets -- and as a result, at the height of the cease fire, the average rate of rocket fire into Israel dropped to barely three a month.

And yet, Israel never lifted the blockade as it agreed. Not only that, on November 4th they broke the cease fire out right, staged an incursion into Gaza and killed six members of Hamas. And do you honestly think we've all forgotten the atrocious bombing campaign that has decimated Gaza of its mosques, police stations, government buildings and hospitals? How Israel even went so far as to deliberately attack the UN?

Martin Luther King was right about a lot of things, but he was wrong about Israel. Ask some other modern day civil rights leaders, like Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, what they think of Israel and how its policies compare to the apartheid they and their people suffered under.

[jwcmass]

Remember, Martin Luther King died shortly after the occupation, which has really changed the character of Israel, began.

He obviously made that statement in teh late 50's or 1960's

So much has changed since then.

I think he would have different things to say were he alive today. I won't put words in his mouth, but I also don't think it appropriate to pull a 40 year old (at least!) quote wildly out of context.

[nationalist757]

barely three a month is unacceptable that is what you dont get. Say its three a month over the mexican border not by them but by us who in america would stand for that? No one. Its not the number of rockets its the point of rockets!!!. its obvous you get your news from aljazeera considering all of your points are propoganda for the palestinians. It doesnt matter that the UN let its school harbor and provide cover for rocket squads all that matters is that innocents died. The double standard needs to be addressed and the pals need to take responsibility for electing a group that wont recognise its neighbor. The pals dont want peace if they did they would have elected someone who promoted peace not Hamas.

[JeffKolakowski]

You forget that Saudi Arabia has had a very viable peace option on the table for quite some time, to recognize Israel within its 1967 borders, or the equivalent of with minor land swaps. The problem with recognizing Israel is which Israel to recognize. What borders of Israel would you have Hamas recognize? Certainly, they are not going to recognize anything that contains settlements, so until you resolve that question, you are asking the impossible. Has Israel recognized the right of the Palestinian to have their own state, with full control of their borders , air space, and water with the right to raise an armed defense force? The answer is not at all. Every version of a Palestinian state that has been put forward by Israel leaves the IDF with total control of all these vital areas. Before Israel could make peace with Egypt, it had to give the Sinai back. It did not give Egypt a truncated version of the Sinai while maintaining control of the border, air space and water. Egypt never would have agreed to anything like that. Why should the Palestinians?

[rizvisa1]

In every culture, society and religion, it seems that the voice of reason always gets drowned by voice of hatred, anger and biases. Even though a lot of people by nature are good people, but the loud voice of hate and violence always sway them. "follow the sheep" mentality or the mob mentality seems to cloud our better senses and a lot of us join that mentality. In most cases, the voice is reason is silent or very soft. The media also seem to give more attention to destructive forces. We all seek perfection from the other side and will not give same perfection to the other side. We all are humans and have short comings and all. If we remember the after days of 9-11, there was a mob mentality that showed up very clearly. There are act of kindness and good judgment, but overall there was this cloud of hate that was spread over a vast area. It was it is "US" versus "THEM" and no if and buts. In Israel and Palestine same sort of forces are in play. The people who want peace are unable to find a pulpit from where they can be heard and it is always next to impossible to control when people are on a mob mentality.

[nationalist757]

good point

[scarecrow11]

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/975574.html

"The Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv on Wednesday reported that Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu told an audience at Bar Ilan university that the September 11, 2001 terror attacks had been beneficial for Israel.

'We are benefiting from one thing, and that is the attack on the Twin Towers and Pentagon, and the American struggle in Iraq,' Ma'ariv quoted the former prime minister as saying. He reportedly added that these events 'swung American public opinion in our favor.'"

http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2008/08/18/movers-and-shakers/

[jwcmass]

I'm not sure what the point is of bringing this up. I don't know that American opinion has ever been against Israel --Indeed I would say there's probably more debate in Israel over Israel's actions than there is here (just ask Jimmy Carter).

As for Bibi, well, as I said else where he reminds me of Richard nixon-- or, for those of you too young to remember him, Dick Cheney.

All three understood how powerful fear is as a motivator in politics, and all three exploited fear for their own gain.

they also all employed the politics of division, not unity

And they are not exactly known for being honest.

[northstar11]

i guess nutty yahoo did not notice that the guys who sought to exploit the events got the boot.

[messy]

No they didn't. They got re-elected...or is President Kerry still in office?

[ZenJu]

So much anti-Israel, anti-Semitic hatred here...When will people realize that hatred and anger only beget hatred and anger? If you want to see Israelis ready to endorse peace and a Palestinian state--as they started to in the 1990s with the Oslo peace process (which Arafat and his cronies made into a nightmarish joke for both Arabs and Israelis), then why not start toning down the hate-filled rants and rhetoric and start treating Israel as you would any other nation? Force someone into a corner, and you get what you deserve. Deal peace, wage peace, and you'll find peace. EVERYone involved needs to learn this.

[jwcmass]

ZenJu,

I'm a little hazy on this, but who was it that assassinated Prime minister Rabin? It wasn't the Palestinians. It was an Israeli settler.

And then Israel went and gave the assassin EXACTLY what he wanted--they elected BibI Netanyahu, who undermined an agreement he was completely opposed to

Meanwhile the settlements grew, life on the ground got WORSE for the average Palestinain,

And then in 2000, Ariel Sharon proves the second Intifada by going up onto the Temple Mount--an extremely provocative act (for what --it's not like he was particularly religious) And then Israelis elect HIM to be PM!

What are we supposed to think?

Israel is free to act as it likes, but as an American, I have a view in where our tax dollars are going--so if Israel wishes to behave like this (now we have Avigdor Lieberman's "loyalty oath" -- an attempt to strip Israeli Arabs of THEIR citizenship) then Israel should do it on its own dime.

And believe me, we're as tough on our government -- you may have noticed that the Republicans were just tossed out of office for their malfeasnce.

i can only speak for mysel, but I don't blame ALL Jews (or even all Israelis -- look at B'tselem) for the actions of its government or some groups.

[ZenJu]

A common logical flaw is mistaking correlation and causation. Rabin was assassinated, yes, but by a man motivated by fear, which is always at the root of hatred, and delusion. This was AFTER Oslo started and Arafat was preaching quite a different message in Arabic while mouthing "peace" for the English-speaking press. As for Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount, I remember that this was AFTER Arafat's notorious betrayal of peace in summer of 2000, when the Barak government offered everything that the PLO supposedly wanted. During the summer of 2000, the Palestinians (remember, Oslo is still in effect) were conducing training camps for Palestinian kids to learn to throw rocks at soldiers, kidnap young soldiers, and get in front of Western cameras. Sharon's visit was just the excuse Arafat was waiting for to start his "intifada." Palestinian press, during the 90's (and up to today) preached hatred of Jews, the illegitimacy of Israel, and ran anti-Semitic cartoons and rants that would do Josef Goebbels and Julius Streicher proud.
What, indeed, are we supposed to think?

Israel has consistently sought peace. As a liberal, I'm appalled by Lieberman but also disenchanted with the Left that got us into a flawed "peace process" at Oslo with a "partner" that was only seeking to dismember a strong Israel through "diplomacy." I, like most Israelis, WANT to live in peace with an Arab world that wants to live in peace with our very tiny country.

[GardenerNorCal]

I agree totally. If Israel wants to act the bully let them do it on their own dime.

[messy]

Sharon went to the temple mount every week and no one cared. The Second intifada was a war of agression by the palestinians.

[derWahrheit]

". . .start treating Israel as you would any other nation. . ." Okay. With their illicit nuclear arsenal, and constants threats against Tehran, and their threat to peace and stability in the Middle East, I guess we have no choice but to invade!

[chaos4700]

LOL! Yeah, really.

[artsandminds]

When its not my tax dollars that are paying to allow Israel to bomb the innocent I will support Israel, when Israel starts allowing food and medicine into Gaza I will support Israel, when Israel stops acting like a bully, I will support Israel, and finally when Israel stops manipulating our media and our politics I will support Israel. Until then...

And stop trying to use words like anti Semitism” to stifle argument. Israel gets way too much of our money and our good will to be held to the incredibly low standard with which they currently do. Israel opens its big mouth and America gets the bloody lip.

[JeffKolakowski]

I am not sure what you are referring to as anti-Semitic hatred. I have read many blogs that state facts about the activities of the Israeli state. Criticism of the actions of a state is not racist. As an American, I criticize my own government all the time. That does not make me anti-American. Criticizing the state of Israel does not make me anti-semitic. As for the Oslo peace process, one glimpse of the terms offered to Arafat, and the idea that we was to blame for the failure of that process is absurd. He was not offered sovereignty. He was offered a state in name only with the IDF in full control of its borders, air space and water. Any credible leader could not have accepted such an offer and retain the respect of his people. At Taba, however, things were getting very close to viable deal, until Ehud Barak pulled the plug. So who is the true obstacle peace?

As for your reference to Israel being forced into a corner, do you realize the ironly of these words? The people of Gaza are the ones being forced into a corner, literally. Do you apply the same standard to Gaza as you do Israel?

[stanschurman]

Jeff, Jeff Jeff. Israel has always played the anti-Semite card whenever they get called on their policies. You know that.

[blico]

It should be obvious that there are no solutions here that haven't been tried or thought of before. There will be no end to the problem untill one of the participants is eliminated. I don't remember who said this statement but I agree. "Isreal's biggest mistake at the end of the '67 war was to not call the captured territories 'Isreal' ".

[jwcmass]

And done what with the inhabitants-- they (and the Israeli Arabs) would soon outnumber the Jewish population, particularly if the refugees from outside the country were allowed to return (as is their right under the Geneva Accords)

This is the demographic problem that Jewish Israelis would dread-- they wouid be a minority in their own country.

Actually, there are some Israelis who now think the biggest mistake of the 67 War was capturing the West Bank-- thus becoming occupiers of a large Palestinaina population. They argue that it should have been left in Jordanian hands (the Jordanian participation in that war was little more than symbolic--a few shots wer fired in Jerusalem, because King Hussein was pressured to participate in a war in which he wanted no part of-- but Egypt and Syria were Israel's main strategic enemies)

[WoodyTanaka]

"This is the demographic problem that Jewish Israelis would dread-- they wouid be a minority in their own country."

That presumes that political control by a certain ethnicity is a desirable thing. Why for these folks and not for, for example, Afrikaners? Why shouldn't the Jews be expected to share political power with the Palestinians?

[blico]

Of course you are assuming that the Palestinian population would of grown more than the Isrealis. If all the refugees returned you might have been correct. If the captured Palestinians were assimilated as stated into Isreal it could very well be a very different situation today. There are many Palestinians that work in Isreal even though they don't live there. If they were given citizenship (had they wanted it) years ago they would have a vested interest in the prosperity of their families and their country. Yes there are Zionists and Muslim Fundamentalists that would fight this prospect to the end, however there are more Israelis and Palestinians that would much prefer peace and prosperity to the current situation.

Kudos to the posters on this subject - very insightful!

[sandra dee]

Bibi Netanyahu .. oh great been there done that during the Clinton years. The more radical the sides get the more impossible the road to solution. Leaders of more moderate solutions unite!!!! And President Obama, please some tough love with Israel. Talk about your co-dependent relationships.!
Israel, I am just not that into you !!