As you all know, this blog feeds off headlined news and centers itself around the politics of the day. Seldom will you see an original article, here, on Charlie Sheen or "J Lo" or the record setting start that is the New England Patriots. The following headline is no different. A couple of hours ago, Obama presented a well delivered speech to the UN's General Assembly. Our story comes from the related picture and this headline: UN: Palestinians shake heads when Obama demands the two sides 'stand in each other's shoes'...In the picture, we have a frustrated Abbas, the Palestinian leader, shaking his head at the suggestion that the real problem with Middle East negotiations is a failure on the part of both the Palestinians and Israelis leadership to share in the experiences of the other.
I really do not care about the Arab response. But Abbas is justified in his frustration. We all are but for very different reasons.
In a nutshell, here is this fact: if the Palestinians would cease their perpetual bombardment of Israel and the hapless firing of UN-guided missiles (1,700 per year), the Israelis would lay down its guns. Israel is not the aggressor in this matter and Obama's assertion that a certain moral equivalency exists between the two sides is absolute nonsense. More than this, his position indicates a rather simpleton approach to the Mid East conflict. This is why he is not being taken seriously by anyone.
Look at what Obama has to say: " . . . . Each side has legitimate aspirations – and that is what makes peace so hard. And the deadlock will only be broken when each side learns to stand in each other’s shoes. Each side can see the world through the other's eyes. That’s what we should be encouraging." Never mind the fact that the PLO is a terrorist organization and will not refuse terrorism as an effective and preferable alternative response. Obama completely ignores this fact.
More than this, understand that there has been a dearth of effective and prolonged diplomatic activity, lead by the United States (as in times past). Obama actually thinks he can ignore the Middle East for months, if not years, and solve the problem with a speech at the UN and a few after-market handshakes.
What you may miss in all this, is the fact that Abbas plans on seeking Palestinian statehood beginning this coming Friday. This is an especially embarrassing time for Obama in that he knew Abbas was going to make this move last April, and did absolutely nothing, diplomatically, to head off this circumstance. Obama has raised the hopes of both sides, more the Palestinians than Israel, and is now in a situation where he has to deny those hopes when he vetoes the Arab request.
But the problem is even more complicated than this. After Abbas makes his request and submits a letter of demand, the proposal will go to the Security Council. If the United States is seen as standing alone, well, that is not a good thing, diplomatically. But, worse yet, there may be a non-binding vote in the General Assembly following the Security Council vote and Obama's veto. This second vote would give Palestine "non-member state" status. In effect, this would spell a sharp decline in UN/Israeli relationships, making a disturbingly hostile relationship almost impossible. Here is a quote from a blog on Foreign Affairs that presents the increased threat to Israel:
But outside the UN, the change in status might matter a good deal. Today the Palestinians are unable to bring cases against Israel at the International Criminal Court, because only states can do so. If they try again after a UN vote gives them “non-member state” status, they can claim that the General Assembly has recognized them as a state and the ICC should follow that precedent. Governments that do not accord them full diplomatic status today might be tempted to follow as well. Campaigns against Israel for “occupying the territory of another state” might gain strength, and indeed the whole “BDS” or boycott, divestment, sanctions movement could.
Source: Foreign Affairs - you will want to bookmark this site for future reference.
Understand that this is a problematic issue that Obama, in his inexperience, has allowed to spiral out of control. Now, the United States credibility is about to take as bad a "hit" as at anytime since the beginnings of the United Nations. In three years, Obama has managed to destroy the good faith of the United States and play a role in creating the most explosive situation in the Middle East since 1948.
Update: Palestine's decision to pursue statehood, with the U.N., has been given a huge boost with the support of French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Again, we make the claim that this entire episode is one the of most embarrassing in Ameerican/U.N. history and it is all on Obama. He knew this was going to happen five months ago and did nothing. Now, he scurries about like a kid looking for his lost G.I Joe.
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