Israelis and those of us concerned with Israel’s security are rightfully concerned about President Obama’s intentions in the waning days of his presidency, when he will no longer be concerned with or constrained by potential political fallout from any Mideast diplomatic moves.
It is no secret the president is frustrated by the evaporation of Arab-Israeli peace talks, with no apparent movement toward reconciliation. Inasmuch as Mr. Obama has in the past publicly mused that moving the dispute substantially toward a solution was one of the things for which he hoped to be remembered, many wonder whether he is now reconsidering his longstanding insistence that any solution must not be an imposed one but rather one that emerges from direct negotiations between the parties.
Some are suggesting that he is thinking about finally allowing – by withholding for the first time during his presidency an American veto – passage of one of the periodic Palestinian-inspired resolutions in the UN Security Council calling for one plan or another to be imposed on Israel. Others speculate he will propose his own resolution setting parameters for Israel’s future borders.
Either scenario would be a troubling development since it would reward Palestinian recalcitrance, insert non-Israeli thinking into what is best for Israelis – thereby striking at the very meaning of national sovereignty – and shield the Palestinians from having to make the kind of concessions that would allow for a realistic agreement.
The issue has recently become even more acute with the emergence of a French proposal to convene an international peace conference before the end of the year. Such gatherings tend to become venues for majorities to seek to impose their will on others and are thus unhelpful. So while Israel would be invited, Israel has already said it opposes the conference. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office stated that “genuine advancement of the peace process and reaching an agreement will only come through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians…. All other initiatives only distance peace in the region.”
Nonetheless, the French have announced plans for sending several of its diplomats to the U.S. to try to coordinate its efforts with the outgoing Obama administration. So the pot is boiling and, to make matters worse, European Union foreign ministers have announced that they fully support the French conference.
The gang-up on Israel is gathering momentum. We hope President Obama will continue to hold to the principle that the only way toward peace in the Middle East is for the Palestinians to recognize that they cannot count on others to run interference for them.