Ali Abunimah, an old friend of Barack Obama's and a leading member of the Arab-American community who has not yet been invited to the White House, reflects on the visit of 16 Jewish machers to the president's table on Monday and concludes that Obama's "pressure" on Israel has so far been toothless and without real effect. I wish I could write so calmly and logically (not in my skill set):
Obama has consistently
stressed his belief in the "unbreakable" US-Israeli relationship.
Considering his actions and words so far, there is little reason to
doubt him. But unless he is prepared to go much further than anyone has
publicly contemplated in pressuring Israel, his peace initiative has
negligible chances of success.
For months the focus has been on Obama's demand that Israel agree to a
complete cessation of settlement construction, including the subterfuge
called "natural growth." It was during a similar "freeze" in the early
1990s that Israel built thousands of settler housing units on occupied
land. Arab optimism and Israeli anxiety were amplified as Obama and his
Middle East Envoy George Mitchell said repeatedly that this time they
wanted a total halt.
Yet the firmness shows signs of erosion. Israeli press reports spoke of
a "compromise" taking shape in which Israel would be allowed to
complete thousands of already planned housing units. Although those
reports were denied by the United States, several participants in the
White House meeting said Obama alluded to an unspecified compromise in
the works.
Anything short of a complete cessation of settlement construction will
mark an achievement for Israel; what is important is not the number of
units the United States may approve, but the principle that this
administration, like its predecessors, will license Israel's illegal
colonization. Once that principle is established, Israel may present
more faits accomplis and build at will.
And even if Israel does agree to a verifiable cessation, the US has structured the matter as a quid pro quo
in which Israel is not required to do anything without receiving a
reward. The president has appealed to Arab states to normalize ties
with Israel if it freezes settlements, including opening diplomatic
missions and allowing overflights by El Al aircraft (recall that when
en route to bomb Iraq's nuclear reactor in 1981, Israeli warplanes
reportedly falsely identified themselves as commercial aviation). Given
how little leverage the Arab side has, it would be totally disarmed if
it conceded any such gestures in exchange for so little.
