Hillary to talk about Arab state obligations in peace process
On Monday, Jewish leaders asked President Obama why there had been so much attention on the Israeli settlements issue and much less on the obligations of the Palestinians and Arab states toward the peace process. Obama reportedly replied that it was the media coverage that had focused on the "man-bites-dog" story of a U.S. president pressuring Israel, and assured the group that he was expecting the Palestinians and the Arab states to take certain steps as well.
While Obama is correct that the media finds the settlement issue more interesting, the administration also has been much less vocal in public statements about the actual obligations of the other side. (Just one example was the Cairo speech, in which Obama specifically mentioned settlements but was far less specific about the concrete actions the Arab world or the Palestinians needed to take.) Today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will start to rectify that imbalance with a speech at the Council of Foreign Relations. Greg Sargent at The Plum Line has an excerpt of what the secretary of state will say about the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Here's some of that excerpt:
We have been working with the Israelis to deal with the issue of settlements, to ease the living conditions of Palestinians, and create circumstances that can lead to the establishment of a viable Palestinian state. For twenty years, American administrations have held consistent positions on the settlement issue. And while we expect action from Israel, we recognize that these decisions are politically challenging. And we know that progress toward peace cannot be the responsibility of the United States –- or Israel -– alone. Ending the conflict requires action on all sides. Arab states have a responsibility to support the Palestinian Authority with words and deeds, to take steps to improve relations with Israel, and to prepare their publics to embrace peace and accept Israel’s place in the region. The Saudi peace proposal, supported by more than twenty nations, was a positive step. But so far, those who embrace it seem unwilling to do anything until the Israelis and Palestinians reach an agreement. This may be understandable, but it is not helpful. Anwar Sadat and King Hussein crossed important thresholds, and their boldness and vision mobilized peace constituencies in Israel and paved the way for lasting agreements. By providing support to the Palestinians and offering a concrete opening, however modest, to the Israelis, the Arab states could have the same impact. So I say to all sides: You can’t claim to be sending messages of peace until you also act against the cultures of hate, intolerance and disrespect that perpetuate conflict.
The Associated Press has another part of the speech, in which Clinton says Iran has limited time to accept U.S. engagement.
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Also this statement does not contain any “concrete actions the Arab world or the Palestinians need to take”.
This is not understandable and it also is not helpful.
It is just blabla.
I stated from the outset that the peace effort by Obama is not just on Israel, but on all Middle East parties to cooperate. Peace takes everyone contributing, and can be ruined by one or more who refuse to do so.
The log jam can be opened in measured steps of confidence building. The freeze on settlements, improved interactions with Arabs on the West Bank, Hamas making a good faith gesture by releasing the Israeli soldier, Israel lowering its blockade of Gaza and allowing more food, medical aid, assistance, building materials to flow into Gaza so rebuilding can take place, Middle East nations stepping up and recognizing Israel and exchanging ambassadors, increasing trade and eliminating travel restrictions. With each step comes the possibility of the next step being taken.
The Obama administration is right, Arab nations need to give more than just lip service to peace, they need to be actively engaged on that goal. If Israel feels the pressure to stop settlements and does, the expectation is that other Arab nations, Hamas, and the Palestinians will be reciprocating. Otherwise, there is nothing to justify continued pressure on Israel to help facilitate the peace process. You can’t have peace if only one nation is willing to make an effort in that direction, every American understands that simple concept.
I hope that isn’t the case, but only time will tell. If the Arab promises are empty, we will at least know them for what they are and those responsible for the failure will not be able to hide behind empty gestures. Rest assured these nations will be reminded of their failure each and every time they meet Obama or members of the State Department over the duration of his term(s) in office and whenever they begin to raise some objection about Israeli actions. With great power comes great responsibility, but that does not mean those with less power can be irresponsible. That is also a clear message from the Obama administration.
Eu Wei Choi - your 6/11/09 post never to “forget the role of the Palestinian Arab leader...in the Holocaust” also calls to mind never to
forget that in the Reich’s political negotiations with their Arab allies
no specific political promises were offered because:
the mutual understanding and hopeful expectation was, that in due course, with the right powers in place, not only “Palestine”, but even more so, the world at large was to become “Judenrein”.
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Michael Liebowitz
07/15/09 11:18 AM
Terrific. Where’s the reminder to everyone that Israel uprooted her own people and evacuated the Gaza Strip and in return, got bombings and worldwide criticism? It’s always up to Israel to make sacrifices.