Palestine?

Not if Israel has anything to say about it.  An historic chance for peace and democracy is sweeping through the Middle East but one of the the only two formerly democratic countries is the region is sitting on the sidelines rather than supporting the movement.  Sadly for Israel, their failure to act means that they could soon find themselves caught up in the wave rather than riding it.

While Arabs take to the streets for their freedom throughout the region, Israel's leader has transparently refused to put his own country on a path to future stability and safety.  President Obama took the brave and important step of calling for a return to the 1967 borders between Israel and its neighbors, lines that would create a Palestinian state in the West Bank, and Mr. Netanyahu rejected it.

Never mind that earlier in the week, Palestinians were spilling over Israel's borders to commemorate the day they fled from their homes - either voluntarily or through forced expulsion - the day that many of them still remember, and a day that is more important now than ever before.  In past years, there were no Arab uprisings from which the Palestinians could draw inspiration.  Now, as Palestinians watch Arabs all across the Middle East and North Africa claim basic freedoms, what are they to think?

Israel has criticized the president's speech yesterday, saying that he doesn't understand the realities of the Middle East.  Sad irony there.  The reality in the Middle East is that a Jewish democracy is ruling over territory that is internationally recognized as being illegally occupied and that each day, that Jewish democracy becomes a bit less Jewish; one of these days it will cease being Jewish altogether, unless of course it wants to cease being democratic.

UNLESS, Israeli leadership is willing to make tough decisions.  The United States is Israel's only true backer, but our relationship with Israel is pretty one-sided. Israel needs America.  America would be fine without Israel.  I'm not suggesting that we break up with Israel.  Far from it.  The United States should remain firmly committed to our democratic partner in the Middle East.  But friendship does not mean you tell the other side what they want to hear, it means you tell them what they need to hear.  And what Israel needs to hear is that are losing support all over the world as they move closer and closer to becoming an apartheid state.  What they need to hear is that they will soon have to choose between being a Jewish state and being a democratic one.  What they need to hear is the voices of millions of Arabs crying out for freedom.

The United States should be frank with Israel; we have given them billions of dollars, military equipment and support against the pressures of the international community for decades.  But we will no longer jeopardize our own interests.  The absence of a Palestinian state is dangerous for America.  Chump dictators all over the Middle East have made being anti-Israel the cornerstone of their foreign policy for decades.  Many of those dictators have made being anti-Israel the ONLY part of their policy, either foreign or domestic for much of that time.  Those countries are producing terrorists who buy into the mythology of America being at war against Islam.  A Palestinian state alone won't solve that problem, but it will go a long way towards undermining the mythology.

It is certainly not Israel's fault that they have become the scapegoat for years worth of failed Arab leadership.  It is not entirely their fault that a Palestinian state does not exist.  In the past, Palestinian leaders, like other Arab leaders chose not to focus on the problems facing their own people but rather used Israel as an excuse for their problems.  However that is no longer the case.  Palestinian leadership has turned the West Bank, if not Gaza, into a safe, economically vibrant place.  That leadership is willing to make concessions on a number of issues, and - especially in light of the Arab Spring - Israel would be foolish not to make a serious attempt at peace.

Apparently that will not be happening.  Just today, Netanyahu rejected Obama's proposal to return to the 1967 borders.  That rejection is not a devastating loss, as any proposal would have to include land swaps to accommodate illegal settlements inside the West Bank anyhow.  Nevertheless, Netanyahu's obtuseness is a detriment to the peace process.  Refusing to acknowledge that continued settlement building will only create an apartheid state will lead to Israel...well, becoming an apartheid state.

So in a few months there will be a United Nations vote on Palestinian statehood without a functioning Palestinian state.  That vote will pass despite efforts by both the US and Israel to stop it.  The rest of the world is fed up with Israel's ongoing illegal occupation.  It was easier to support Israel when they were the victim of irrational Palestinian and Arab violence.  It is much harder to stand up for them when they refuse to act in their own self interest.

But no UN vote is going to lead to a true Palestinian state, and without a true Palestinian state, Israel's borders will be, as Netanyahu says, "indefensible." Why? Because just like in Egpyt, Libya, Tunisia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia there will be millions of disenfranchised Arabs living inside who want nothing more than basic human rights.  Those Palestinians will not have to breach Israel's borders to make their point; they will already be living inside of them.