Ira Glunts writes:
President Obama's popularity, though never high among Israelis, has tanked following the US administration's recent confrontation with Prime Minister Netanyahu over settlement expansion. According to a recent poll sponsored by the Jerusalem Post only 6% of Israelis view the US President as pro-Israeli. The poll shows 50% of Israelis now think that Obama is pro-Palestinian, and 36% thought that his policies were "neutral." Among Jewish-Israelis the term pro-Palestinian is usually used as being synonymous with traitor.
Another significant finding was that 69% supported building in what are known as "settlement blocs." These are areas near the '67 borders, that Israel assumes it will incorporate in any future peace agreement with the Palestinians. The Israeli government claims that it should be allowed to expand these settlements since the Bush administration had previously given their consent. President Obama has called for a complete freeze and the US administration denies that such an agreement exists.
A compromise between the US and Israel on the settlement freeze could be in the works, though. The Washington Post reported that the United States is negotiating a deal with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which “building of Jewish settlements could go forward in certain cases.” The US government, which had previously called for a complete stop to settlement expansion, appears to be willing to modify its position, although it may not be willing to admit any change of policy.
In an indication that the US may be softening its demand for a complete freeze in construction, George Mitchell stumbled in trying to define what the US is demanding of Israel. At a press conference held on June 16, the Special Envoy declared that there is no change in US policy in regard to the settlements. However, Mitchell was unable to define what the US means by “natural growth,” despite the well-known American demand that the Israelis cease all settlement expansion including “natural growth.” In an awkward non-response to requests from the press to define the term, Mitchell said, “the most common definition is number of births.” In saying that "natural growth" is not an exception to the freeze, the US has been saying, no exceptions. It was noteworthy that Mitchell did not choose to make this clear at the press conference.
In what may be related news, Time claims that Dennis Ross will be getting a job upgrade by moving from State to the White House. This is contrary to earlier reports that he is being demoted. According to Time, Ross will have greater influence due to his closer proximity to the President. He will also have an expanded role, "advising the President on the Arab-Israeli peace process," according to the report.
I had assumed much of the wrangling over settlements would have been done privately, permitting the US and Israel to present a united front. The very public nature of the Obama/Netanyahu confrontation may be putting more political pressure on the US than on Israel, whose public seems to be squarely behind their PM. Could it be that Ross is being brought in to the White House to use his Israel contacts and pro-Israel credentials to ease the pressure on the administration?
