Soccer Dad: Why Israel Will Have To Be A Priority For Obama (Updated)

November 6, 2008

Why Israel Will Have To Be A Priority For Obama (Updated)

Regardless of the priorities that Obama may face as President, he is likely to be forced to address the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict--according to Mitchell Bard of Myths and Facts Online.

Among the factors pressuring Obam to take action:

The general view of the Democratic Party is that President Bush neglected the 'peace process' and US involvement is necessary to see it through.
The EU has also called for the US to get more involved--possibly leading to more demands for Israeli concessions and giving a larger role to the EU.
Arab allies of the US will look for an early indication of just where Obama stands
The State Department--and Obama's own advisers--think they know how to bring peace to the region and are eager to pursue diplomatic efforts (again, focusing on Israeli concessions--including Jerusalem).

On the other hand, there are forces that would restrain Obama from pushing Israel to make concessions:

Jews who were active in the Obama campaign will pressure Obama to fulfill his promise to ensure Israel's security.
Congress is still friendly towards Israel and will try to limit the pressure Obama might put upon Israel.

Read the whole thing.

There are going to be a lot of high expectations from Obama and different interest groups are going to want to see their agenda put into action. The politician of few accomplishments will be expected to make up for lost time.

UPDATE: According to the Washington Post:

· Obama wants to make an early push on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, despite political turmoil in Israel. He has learned from watching Presidents Clinton and Bush that you can't wait until the eleventh hour to be an active mediator.

If that is the main lesson Obama learned from Clinton and Bush vis-a-vis Israel, then Israel is in big trouble.

by Daled Amos

Posted by daledamos at November 6, 2008 10:54 AM

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Comments

On the last update, I think it would be better to have a measured and well-thought out peace plan instead of trying to base it on leaving some sort of legacy. Both Bush and Clinton were trying to be the first president to achieve a lasting peace.

Who would have thought 8 years ago President would seriously consider Israel giving up the Golan Heights? Who would have thought that some of the Bush decisions in the past few years would have left Israel in a more precarious situation?

Examples of my last statement, instead of just having Iran seeking nuclear development, we know see Saudi Arabia and others trying to go in that direction. Instead of breaking Iran's hold on Hezballah in Lebanon, we know see Hezballah being part of the government. In Iraq, we see Christians fleeing their homes much like they do in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority. Iraq still does not recognize Israel's right to exist.

I thought Bush's strategy of going into Iraq would have helped reduce Iran's influence. Initially, I opposed his plan and wrote my Congressmen to oppose going into to Iraq. After Bush explained in further detail what he hoped to accomplish and by looking at the map, it made sense. Also, seeing the faces of Iraqis as they voted for the first time, made me proud. The men and women in our armed forces are continuing yo do a great job.

Going into Iraq failed in the purpose it was intended. What is going to hurt Iran's influence more than anything is the low price of oil.

Posted by: shira0607 at November 7, 2008 9:29 AM

True, Bush did upset the ecological balance in the chaos that is the Middle East by removing Iraq as a counterweight to Iran. However, the same token Saddam was out of control as well.

Just a couple of years ago, there were a couple of months when it seemed that the war in Iraq was going to bring democracy to Lebanon, Georgia and the overall region.

Who even remembers that time? But Iraq is edging towards stability and Al-Qaeda has been bloodied badly--and lost face in the Muslim world.

At a time that Islamism is growing, that is a not inconsiderable achievement.

Posted by: Daled Amos at November 7, 2008 10:01 AM