Obama's clarifications
The US does not have the same national interests as Israel, and it is not surprising that Pres. Obama expresses different positions than those of Israeli PM Netanyahu. But, nevertheless Pres. Obama was well received at the annual AIPAC conference in Washington on Sunday, contrary to earlier concerns, and his clarifications to his Middle East speech of last Thursday were mostly in line with Israeli PM Netanyahu's positions.
1. His major clarification related to the question of the so-called "pre-1967 borders" and he said "by definition it means that the parties themselves - Israelis and Palestinians - will negotiate a border that is different than the one that existed on June 4, 1967." He added, it would allow the parties themselves to take account of the new realities that have taken place over the last 44 years including the demographic changes on the ground. He averred that what he had said was no different than all leaders had been talking about for the past 20 years. This brings his position in line with that of previous Pres. George Bush.
2. He reiterated his intention to work for a two-state solution, with a Jewish State and a Palestinian State living side-by-side in peace.
3. He acknowledged that Israel could not be expected to negotiate with any Palestinian Government that included the terrorist Hamas, unless Hamas accepted the Quartet conditions, namely 1. recognizing Israel; 2. rejecting the use of violence; 3. adhering to all previous agreements.
4. He also called on Hamas to release Gilad Schalit without preconditions.
5. He reaffirmed US opposition to a unilateral declaration of statehood by the Palestinians at the UN.
6. He did not however accept Netanyahu's position that the "right of return" of Palestinian refugees must be solved "outside" Israel's borders.
Both Netanyahu and the conference generally showed their pleasure and support for Obama. Netanyahu stated that he would work closely with Obama to try to attain peace. Also, it should be remembered that most Jews are democrats and that Obama obtained ca. 70-80% of the Jewish vote. So it is not surprising that with these clarifications Obama returned to a position of strength among the Israel supporters of AIPAC. The media's attempt to portray the US-ISrael relationship as one of difficulty and tension between the two leaders was once again seen to be no more than a media construction.
In response to Obama's clarifications, Pres. Abbas of the PA stated once again that they would abandon their drive for unilateral statehood at the UN if Israel accepts the '67 ceasefire lines as their border and also stops all settlement construction. Since neither of these preconditions can be accepted by Israel, then Abbas cannot re-start negotiaitons. He has in effect ruled out any current negotiations.
Obama will be embarking on a trip to Europe today, and it is expected that the European allies and the EU will generally endorse his positions on the Middle East.
1. His major clarification related to the question of the so-called "pre-1967 borders" and he said "by definition it means that the parties themselves - Israelis and Palestinians - will negotiate a border that is different than the one that existed on June 4, 1967." He added, it would allow the parties themselves to take account of the new realities that have taken place over the last 44 years including the demographic changes on the ground. He averred that what he had said was no different than all leaders had been talking about for the past 20 years. This brings his position in line with that of previous Pres. George Bush.
2. He reiterated his intention to work for a two-state solution, with a Jewish State and a Palestinian State living side-by-side in peace.
3. He acknowledged that Israel could not be expected to negotiate with any Palestinian Government that included the terrorist Hamas, unless Hamas accepted the Quartet conditions, namely 1. recognizing Israel; 2. rejecting the use of violence; 3. adhering to all previous agreements.
4. He also called on Hamas to release Gilad Schalit without preconditions.
5. He reaffirmed US opposition to a unilateral declaration of statehood by the Palestinians at the UN.
6. He did not however accept Netanyahu's position that the "right of return" of Palestinian refugees must be solved "outside" Israel's borders.
Both Netanyahu and the conference generally showed their pleasure and support for Obama. Netanyahu stated that he would work closely with Obama to try to attain peace. Also, it should be remembered that most Jews are democrats and that Obama obtained ca. 70-80% of the Jewish vote. So it is not surprising that with these clarifications Obama returned to a position of strength among the Israel supporters of AIPAC. The media's attempt to portray the US-ISrael relationship as one of difficulty and tension between the two leaders was once again seen to be no more than a media construction.
In response to Obama's clarifications, Pres. Abbas of the PA stated once again that they would abandon their drive for unilateral statehood at the UN if Israel accepts the '67 ceasefire lines as their border and also stops all settlement construction. Since neither of these preconditions can be accepted by Israel, then Abbas cannot re-start negotiaitons. He has in effect ruled out any current negotiations.
Obama will be embarking on a trip to Europe today, and it is expected that the European allies and the EU will generally endorse his positions on the Middle East.
posted by Jack Cohen at 9:11 AM
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