Soccer Dad

Be kerry-ful what you wish for

Elder of Ziyon notes some wishful thinking on the part of administration surrogate, Sen. John Kerry.

"So there is a new reality - moderate Arab countries and Israel alike are actually more worried together about Iran than they are about each other. As a result, they are now cooperating in ways that were unimaginable just a couple of years ago. The truth is that an international initiative to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon is an essential building block of stability in the Middle East. If we succeed, Arab moderates will be stronger and Israel will be much more likely to take the risks for peace," he said.

To which the Elder responds:

So on what does Senator Kerry base his thinking that the Arab nations consider Iran to be more pressing than the sixty-year old "Palestinian issue" that they themselves work assiduously to prolong?

I understand the objection. Elder of Ziyon is correct..However, if Sen. Kerry and, by extension, the administration feels that it can get Israel and "moderate" Arab dictatorships to counter Iran, how do they explain this (via memeorandum):

The Obama administration is considering lifting a ban on regular diplomatic contacts with Iran and looking at ways to develop a direct line of communication to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said officials briefed on the deliberations.

American and European officials say Mr. Khamenei is the only Iranian leader who can make the ultimate decision to suspend or freeze Iran's nuclear program.

"The key issue is now to find a channel to Khamenei," said a senior Western diplomat briefed on the Obama administration's policy review in recent days. "If the supreme leader moves, he's going to do it in a very prudent and incremental way."

If the United States has leverage over Iran, why reach out? Or does the administration have that little faith in that Israel and moderate Arabs scheme? It would seem that to the Saudis and the rest of the Arab world, perpetuation the grievance against Israel outweighs all other considerations, even the Saudi-Iran Cold War.