Let’s blow away the Israel lobby’s insistence that the two parties can come to terms on their own

by on April 8, 2009 3
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Bruce Wolman picks up a good piece by Gershon Baskin in the Jerusalem Post. Wolman:
Gershon Baskin was always one of the most wired Israelis when it came to what it would take to make peace with the Palestinians.
During the reigns of George Bush and Ariel Sharon he almost became a tragic, comic figure. His advice seemed irrelevant to the times.
But if Obama is serious about the two-state solution, he ought to be listening to Gershon.
Baskin:
Israeli political intransigence or elements of Palestinian fanaticism should no longer stand in the way of bringing the conflict to closure. The majority of Israelis and Palestinians are tired of this conflict, yet because of the failures of the peace process which were entirely dependent on bilateral agreements and willingness to move forward, they have lost hope. This conflict will not be resolved solely on the basis of bilateral agreement. Now is the time to demonstrate that the international community has the tools and the determination to lead us all to a more peaceful future.

About Bruce Wolman

Bruce Wolman is a citizen journalist who has lived in Norway and the Washington area.
Posted in Israel Lobby, Israel/Palestine

{ 3 comments... read them below or add one }

  1. Citizen says:
    April 8, 2009 at 4:41 pm

    Sayeth truth to power (Baskin):
    "The Quartet is the international mechanism existing to push the two parties forward. A real partnership of the US, the EU, Russia and the UN represents the primary actors with the interests and power to lead toward the resolution of this conflict which so endangers the stability of the world. The road map and the Arab Peace Initiative, supported by Obama, provide the tools and the direction. Obama's leadership is the ingredient that has been absent."

    Too bad he's an empty suit.

  2. Sand says:
    April 8, 2009 at 5:55 pm

    I've always thought "the Quartet" couldn't sneeze unless the US said so.

    I wish there was an audio clip available of Phyllis Bennis recently on the Ron Reagan show. Because if my memory is correctly she was implying that regarding the IP peace plan — that the Europeans were just as much to blame as the US were?

    Well, my question is — if President Obama can't fight against AIPAC, with an AIPAC owned SoS, and US Foreign Affairs committee, how can the Europeans possibly make a difference?

  3. Citizen says:
    April 9, 2009 at 1:54 pm

    Again, the Quartet can make some difference; again, they may follow Obama's lead, if he gives one. Without Obama taking a stand, of course the Quartet is that much less influential–jeez,
    don't we have to assume the most powerful have some power, at least comparatively speaking?

    If not, who does?

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