On Friday, the US vetoed a UN Resolution that would have condemned the illegal settlements Israel builds inside Palestine. President Obama, in his less than infinite wisdom on this issue, has refused to do what is in the best interest of Israel, Palestine, and most importantly, America.
It's hard to understand why America would sit by idly as Israel, rather than embracing the Jasmine revolution that is sweeping through neighboring countries, continues to build settlements on territory that the entire world agrees rightfully belongs to the Palestinians. Even the American counter-proposal labeled the settlements "illegitimate." But over an issue of semantics we refused to send Israel a forceful message that the time for peace is now. As a result, we've placed Israelis, Palestinians and Americans in a predicament.
For the first time in its history, Israel finds itself faced with a Palestinian leader who truly desires peace, and who has done much to stabilize the West Bank and make peace a real possibility. The onus is now on Israel to take the minor steps of withdrawing settlers from occupied territory in order to finalize a peace deal that was tantalizingly close to completion in 2007. But instead of taking the steps necessary to make peace a reality, Israel has expanded settlements. The timing has been terrible as the intoxicating scent of Jasmine has drifted out of Tunisia and led hundreds of thousands of Arabs in half a dozen countries to demand their rights. Rather than capitalizing on this momentum and making Palestine a reality, Israel has taken steps to ensure the youth of the West Bank have reasons to dislike Israel. In Egypt, young people are taking to the streets demanding freedom, opportunity and control of their country. Israel has nothing to do with the protests in Egypt. But what are young Palestinians who want the same thing as young Egyptians to think when they see an ever-growing population of settlers in their lands?
Instead of urging Israel to take advantage of the opportunity and work towards a deal that would lay the groundwork for a lasting regional peace, the United States has refused to further the interest of any of the parties involved, including us. What is a young, disenchanted, disenfranchised Muslim in the West Bank, Gaza, Iran, Lebanon or anywhere in the Middle East to think the next time he hears Osama bin Laden or Anwar al-Awlaki preach about the evils of America and our war against Islam? Would such a young man think to himself that all of that is a bunch of crap (which it is), or would he think that by refusing to advocate for an independent Palestine, America may very well just be the enemy that terrorists make us out to be.
Meanwhile, the world's only Jewish democracy continues on the demographic path towards having to disavow one of those descriptors. Maybe Israel will continue to be Jewish and turn into an apartheid state with a large population of Arabs and Palestinians who have no homeland and no rights. Maybe Israel will continue to be a democracy with a majority of elected officials being Arab. Without the creation of a Palestinian state, Israelis are ultimately going to have to decide on one or the other.
But since Israel has no intention of doing what is in its own best interest, the United States should at least have the will and urge to help them. After all, an independent Palestine is in our best interest too. It would undermine the myth of America's war on Islam and it would go a long way towards stabilizing a region that could be described as chaotic on a calm day. But apparently President Obama and our government have no intention of doing things differently than we've done them in the past. We'll continue to make short-sighted decisions that undermine American, Israeli and Palestinian interests. We'll continue to put the lives of Americans, Israelis and Palestinians at risk by supporting illegal settlements in occupied territory. Maybe one day the Israelis and Palestinians will get their act together enough to do this without our help. Maybe that's what needs to happen since apparently our help means maintaing a status quo that has led to decades of violence in Israel, the entire Middle East and in America as well.
It's time for President Obama to take a stand on this and make peace happen. The two sides are close, but one needs a little push. If America really wants to stand by our ally, then we'll help them make the choice that makes Israel safer. That choice does not involve expanding settlements in Palestine.
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