Morton Abramowitz and Henri Barkey in the Washington Post are concerned about the Turkey-Israel tensions, and want the U.S. to convey to Turkey that it won’t take its side against Israel. They regard “American interests” and Israel as fully aligned, but recognize that the lobby may become politicized:
Israel could become a significant issue in the 2012 presidential campaign, especially if the United States is defeated in its opposition to a General Assembly vote to create a Palestinian state. The situation will generate concern on Capitol Hill and give Republicans another opportunity to attack Obama for not defending American interests and Israel….
A resolution recognizing the 1.5 million Armenians killed by Ottoman Turks has repeatedly failed to garner enough support for a floor vote. But its backers may calculate that the worsening conditions between Israel and Turkey would prompt the powerful Israel lobby to no longer support Turkey on this matter, raising the likelihood that the resolution would pass.
