by Faiz Shakir, Amanda Terkel, Matt Corley, Benjamin Armbruster, Zaid Jilani, Max Bergmann, and Alex Seitz-Wald
Ensuring the U.S. Interest
The strong ties between the United States and Israel are not in doubt. President Obama said on Fox News yesterday that the two countries have a "special bond that is not going to go away." The Israeli ambassador wrote in the New York Times today, "Israel and America enjoy a deep and multi-layered friendship, but even the closest allies can sometimes disagree." Tensions between the two allies heightened last week when Vice President Biden traveled to Israel to demonstrate America's commitment to Israel's security and to reaffirm the deep bond between the two nations. Yet Biden was greeted by an announcement from the Israeli Interior Ministry pledging "to build 1,600 new housing units for Jews" in an occupied neighborhood of East Jerusalem. This move was seen throughout the region and the world as a slap in the face of the Obama administration and elicited a strong rebuke from the U.S. government. The vigorous response from the administration, however, was not simply a result of anger at a personal snub, but rather about the damage that this announcement -- as well as continued Israeli settlement activity -- was inflicting on the peace process. Nevertheless, some American conservatives saw this dispute as an opportunity to attack the United States and urge the administration to back down in its push for peace. But as CentCom Commander Gen. David Petraeus forcefully argued this week, advancing the peace process is of vital interest to the national security of the United States, making it imperative that the country continues to be an honest broker and a strong advocate for peace.
STAYING ENGAGED: Over the last year, despite administration efforts, the peace process has stalled and calls from the Obama administration for Israel to honor its previous commitments to halt to settlement activity have been ignored. Biden's visit coincided with a small, but hopeful, announcement that after a year without public talks, indirect "proximity" talks between Israelis and Palestinians would soon begin. The timing of the Israeli announcement to expand settlement activity in disputed territories was therefore widely seen as an act that would undercut the peace process, since Palestinians oppose "all Israeli building in East Jerusalem," as they hope to make East Jerusalem the eventual capital of a Palestinian state. Former congressman Robert Wexler, president of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace and Cooperation, explained in an interview with Middle East Progress, "the announcement by the Israeli government was a rather striking example of an action that makes creating trust and developing the formula for an end of conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis more difficult." Obama told Fox that the Israeli move was "not helpful." In a phone call to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged a "halt to new building projects in East Jerusalem and other acts that could be deemed provocative in the delicate atmosphere surrounding the peace talks." This level of U.S. engagement has brought pressure on both sides of the conflict and has inevitably led to areas of disagreement. But as Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA), who recently traveled to the region, wrote, "Over and over, we heard that U.S. leadership is vital to a diplomatic solution." This approach is in stark contrast to the approach of the Bush administration, which disengaged from the peace process, leading to continued violence and mounting distrust.
U.S. INTERESTS IN THE REGION: Underlying the strong U.S. response to the settlement announcement from the Netanyahu government is a clear recognition that forging peace is vital to the national security interests of the United States. Upon hearing of the Israeli announcement, Biden reportedly confronted Netanyahu saying, "This is starting to get dangerous for us. ... What you're doing here undermines the security of our troops who are fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. That endangers us and it endangers regional peace." In a speech at Tel Aviv University, Biden confirmed that there was a direct link between Middle East peace and U.S. security, as working toward peace is "a key component to our broader efforts to secure this region and a wider world, as well as our own security." Biden's arguments were similar to those made by Gen. Petraeus. According to a report in Foreign Policy Magazine, Petraeus dispatched a team to give an unprecedented briefing to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen that said, "Israeli intransigence on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was jeopardizing U.S. standing in the region." The thrust of the Foreign Policy report was essentially confirmed by Petraeus in his testimony to the Senate Armed Service Committee, where he said the Israel-Palestinian conflict "foments anti-American sentiment, due to a perception of U.S. favoritism for Israel," and that "Arab anger over the Palestinian question limits the strength and depth of U.S. partnerships with governments and peoples in the AOR [CentCom's Area Of Responsibility] and weakens the legitimacy of moderate regimes in the Arab world."
RIGHT WING PUTS POLITICS FIRST: In the wake of what was widely seen as an insult to the U.S. government, many conservatives were quick to attack the response and urged the United States to back down in pushing for peace. House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA) noted that "the administration had real justification for being upset with the timing of the settlements announcement." Wexler added that, "ultimately, respect for the United States should be given more weight and attention. ... And, quite frankly, it's the element of disrespect for America that does not sit well with many Americans, particularly those like me who cherish the unbreakable bond between America and Israel." Yet many conservatives saw this as a chance to score political points by attacking the Obama administration. Republican House members sent a partisan letter to the President yesterday arguing that the administration's response would "embolden Israel's enemies." The Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol blamed Biden, saying on Fox News Sunday that it was a "dispute the White House picked." In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, former U.N. ambassador John Bolton went so far as to advocate that the leader of another country simply ignore the president of the United States. This continues a disturbing trend of conservatives speaking out against the United States -- something that was vividly demonstrated by conservatives celebrating when the United States was not awarded the Olympics, as well as their negative reaction to the announcement that Obama would win the Noble Peace Prize. Ultimately, the United States and Israel have a shared goal: comprehensive Middle East peace, including a two-state solution. As Israel's closest ally, contrary to conservative calls, the United States cannot and should not stay silent when actions are taken by either side that get in the way of achieving this shared goal.
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