In the news of late is the prospect of the Palestinian people taking their cause for establishing a Palestinian state alongside that of Israel to the United Nations where they will apply for recognition as a sovereign state. In the eyes of the member nations the effect of this would be that it would designate the Israeli settlers and military who are occupying the land outside the 1948 boundaries as an occupying force. This would legitimize efforts to remove such occupying force.
Support for Israel is strong in the United States and it is generally accepted that Israel could not exist in the Middle East were it not for the protection of the United States regardless of their military prowess as shown in the several wars to drive them out. It is the military materiel and financing that makes the Israeli Defense Force a formidable enemy. There is a large Jewish population in the United States and over the past few decades there has been an increase of support from the American evangelical community. I mention these because of the effect they have of the political posture of the United States through lobbying efforts and conservative politics.
The effect that the United States/Israeli relationship has had on international relations can't be overstated. Since the end of the Cold War it has been the most influential relationship that the United States has had. From the support of the Israelis in their conflicts with the native Palestinian peoples comes the source of all of the conflict with Islamic nations worldwide. If Israel and Palestine were to reach an agreement to settle borders today most of our problems world wide would vanish tomorrow. The exceptions would be Syria, Iran and Afghanistan where our past relationship with those countries has poisoned the well for international relations. Of course, any agreement between Israel and its neighbors will have to include a recognition of Israel's right to exist in its present location.
It bears mentioning that until the United Nations mandate of 1948 the nation of Israel did not exist in any form anywhere. In that year the UN set aside a portion of the nation of Palestine for the creation of a Jewish state. The reason for this was not so admirable. It was largely a reaction to the need for a location to move the European Jewish refugees to since no one else in the world wanted them including the United States. The boundaries set by the United Nations included far less territory than Israel now claims. The 1967 war allowed the Israelis to expand their boundaries under the guise of creating a more defensible line. Since that time the Israeli government has seized more territory and allowed the establishment of kibbutzim on land set aside for the Palestinians. In an effort to maintain secure positions the Israeli government has isolated the Palestinians who live in poverty and are unable to establish trade with any one not sanctioned by the Israeli government. This has angered Islamists world wide who see this as an attack on their religion. In retaliation they take their anger out on us in addition to the Israelis.
Our government has been trying to persuade Israel and the Palestinians to return to negotiation with the belief that negotiation is the only path to peace and a two state solution. The United States has made it clear that it will veto any attempt to grant statehood to the Palestinians and our commitment to Israel is firm. At the same time it has to be recognized that Israel has placed the United States in a position that creates enemies in the Middle East and elsewhere that could be made friends but for our commitment to the security of Israel. It is incumbent upon the Israelis to respond to our allegiance with understanding and allegiance to the United States. To that purpose the United States is right to expect Israel to go the extra mile to create a peaceful and just climate in their area of the world and should apply pressure to achieve that.
Into this fray jumps Governor Perry of Texas who arrives in New York just as the President is hosting the worlds leaders and holds public meetings to undermine that purpose. If this man can call Ben Bernanke treasonous for his administration at the Federal Reserve what can one be called who would undermine the government of the United States during a sensitive time in its diplomacy? What does this say to Islamic nations when our President is accused of not showing unflinching support for Israel. Unflinching support is what Israel has always gotten from the United States which is more than we have gotten from them.
This is an important instant in time for our country and the world. At stake is our ability to help achieve stability in the Middle East and our power to demonstrate that we can be friends with Islamic nations. Our government's position is the same as it has been for thirty years through both Republican and Democratic administrations.
My take is that Governor Perry should butt out and be called out.
No comments:
Post a Comment