Two women I've talked to in Gaza have offered me similar reports on both Senator John Kerry, who visited Gaza in February, and President Obama, who is about to come out to Cairo: that these powerful men both "get" the Palestinian issue–i.e., understand that dealing with Palestinian oppression is key to our foreign policy.
The first report is from Felice Gelman, who headed my original delegation to Gaza. She told me she was at a New York fundraiser for Obama a little over a year ago when she elbowed her way up to talk to him. "I said to him, 'I'm here to tell you that there are tens of thousands of Jewish Americans who do not agree with our policy toward Israel and Palestine. We think [and Gelman is married to a Jew, but isn't Jewish herself] it is counterproductive for the U.S. and for the Jews.'"
Gelman says that Obama responded:
"I hear what you're saying. I have studied the situation and I believe I understand it and I promise you, that I will do my best not to pander to AIPAC."
A few weeks later Obama did just that, pander to AIPAC–but Gelman is convinced, and so am I, that he signalled his agreement with her–and that it is a measure of the power of the Israel lobby that in the event he did do his best not to pander, but had no choice politically but to do so.
As for John Kerry, the other day I met Taghreed El-Khodary, the correspondent for the New York Times in Gaza who everybody who is anybody makes it a point to talk to when they come to Gaza City. (In a few days I will give a full report on this remarkable woman.) She told me that she had met Kerry on his visit and explained to him that Palestinians don't want humanitarian assistance, they want a political solution to their disenfranchisement.
"I think Kerry understood," she said. "When he started talking only about the humanitarian aspect, I said, 'To me it is work avoidance… The real issue is political. I think the administration must push toward reconciliation [between Hamas and Fatah] because you cannot endorse a peace process if you are strengthening division among the Palestinians. You have to include everyone even if they do not look like you… It is a political issue."
She said that Kerry nodded and said, "That's why I'm here. To be able to explain that to the Congress."
Two positive signs about our politics, in the Middle East.
