On a campaign of change from that of the past administration, the American people have elected a new president who represents, in many ways, the antithesis of President George Bush. Barack Obama’s election has ignited celebration around the world for the potential of a new era of international peace in contrast to that of his predecessor. Key among the reasons for such optimism is Obama’s stated wish to end the war in Iraq as soon as possible. Furthermore, Obama has stated that a necessary aspect of ending the various conflicts in the Middle East, and weakening the terrorist movement and recruitment effort, is a solution to the situation in Israel-Palestine. Closer inspection of his policy on the situation in Israel-Palestine, however, reveals little difference from that of the Bush Administration.
Like the policy of the Bush Administration, the Obama policy, as stated on his official website, centers around working towards a two-state solution in which Israel and Palestine live side-by-side in peace and security. As a senator, Obama cosponsored the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006. Introduced in the wake of Hamas’ victory in the Palestinian elections, this act outlaws direct assistance to any entity of the Palestinian Authority controlled by Hamas until it meets the conditions of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations to renounce violence, recognize Israel, and agree to abide by all agreements signed by the Palestinian Authority.
Obama also signed a letter urging President Bush to make it clear to Palestinian leaders that terrorist groups must either disarm or be barred from the political process (a position that President Bush agrees with). Obama has stated that Israelis must have a “true Palestinian partner for peace”. He has also stated that he will encourage the strengthening of Palestinian factions who work to isolate Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
While Obama has spoken aggressively against Palestinian factions such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, his stated policy has mentioned nothing of Israel’s ongoing colonization of Palestinian territory. Like past American presidents, Obama faces two interrelated obstacles to permanent peace in the Middle East:
First, for more than four decades, the Israeli government has occupied, confiscated and systematically colonized Palestinian land and has attempted too justify the sustained subjugation of increasingly hopeless and aggravated Palestinians; and Second, while the majority of Palestinians have challenged this system of subjugation through nonviolent means, some Palestinians have reacted through violent means, including by targeting Israeli civilians through suicide bombings.
Unless the underlying American approach to the conflict fundamentally changes, there is little reason to believe that a repeat of past American positions would yield a different result. If a different result is to be reached under the administration of a President Obama, he must adopt two important policy changes that that will address the obstacles to peace in the Middle East and strongly enhance the possibility of reaching equality and peace for the people of Israel-Palestine.
The first policy change that an Obama administration could make, that would lead to substantively different results in Israel-Palestine, would be to strongly pressure Israel to end its settlement construction and begin to dismantle its settlement infrastructure in the occupied Palestinian territories. For decades, Israel has constructed Jewish settlements on Palestinian land. Since 1967, Israel has placed more than 435,000 settlers on Palestinian land. Those settlers enjoy substantially more rights than Palestinians living on that land, including greater access to roads, water, land and other natural resources.
Israel and the U.S. have managed to frame the argument by questioning Palestinian recognition of Israel's right to exist; however, the continued erosion of Palestinian territory through settlement activity and colonization, begs cynicism of Israel's recognition of Palestine's right to exist.
Therefore, the United States must insist that Israel cease all settlement activity and colonization. It would be difficult for the leaders of the Palestinian people to end any and all violent attacks against Israel, while those same Palestinian people see the Israeli settlement activity on their land continue. The U.S. had requested that Israel cease settlement activity in the past; however, the method used in those requests have yielded little adherence.
The next administration must differ in their approach on that issue by using the leverage that the United States has. Much as the United States and Israel leverage their influence on the Palestinian leaders by refusing to resume the road to Palestinian autonomy until the people of Palestine cease all violence, likewise the United States must threaten a freeze on financial and military aid to Israel unless it ceases all settlement activity on Palestinian territory.
The second policy change that a President Obama could take that could support an equitable and peaceful solution in Israel-Palestine is to support the nonviolent activities of Israelis and Palestinians. Many Palestinians and Israelis have already made peace. Many work together through nonviolent actions to achieve an end to Israel's occupation and settlement construction, and reconciliation for Palestinians and Israelis. Rather than provide these efforts with strong rhetorical and substantive support, the Bush Administration - like previous American administrations - has ignored them entirely and has, instead, provided Israel's government with nearly unconditional economic, military and diplomatic assistance. Such unconditional assistance has had extremely negative implications for Israelis, Palestinians and Americans.
The United States can support the Palestinian movement for peace and equality in a number of ways: (1) through Congressional Resolutions expressing solidarity with Palestine's large and growing peace community, the US can show that it stands with the many courageous Palestinians nonviolently working to achieve their inalienable rights; (2) by helping to fund the programs of Palestinians organizations working for Israeli-Palestinian peace and reconciliation; and (3) by visiting with peace and human rights groups in Palestine.
Settlement activity combined with the excuse of security as the reason for continued occupation, despite the fact that more Palestinians are dying, is the number one recruitment tool utilized by terrorists and primary reason why America is perceived as an unfair broker in this conflict. It is also an important reason why America has failed to win the hearts and minds of certain people in the Arab and Muslim world who do, in fact, value justice. It is also the reason why the majority of the world does not have a favorable opinion of Israel, or the United States, for that matter.
If the Obama administration hopes to truly make progress on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people, it must support the Palestinian non-violent resistant movement, and it must also put as much pressure on Israel to end the colonization and settlement activity with the same zeal and leverage that it has been demanding the cessation of violent resistance from the people of Palestine. Unless those changes are made from the past approach of the Bush administration, there is little reason to have more hope for the prospect of success from the Obama administration on this problem.
*Ahmed Soliman is a veteran print and television journalist and commentator in the United States. As one of the few who can speak as an American, Muslim, Arab, and nationally televised journalist, Soliman offers a unique and essential perspective of the post 9/11 world. Currently, Soliman's weekly column appears every Thursday in The Record (a large daily newspaper based in Hackensack, New Jersey).
http://ahmedsoliman.net.
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