Israel's Settlement Addiction
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Breaking the addiction is never easy. Lord knows I have tried countless times with cancer sticks. Never fun. Every addict has tons of excuses, some bordering on delusional. Addicts never like giving up their vice and are loathe to admit their problem in public. Sometimes it just slips out into the air on bad timing.
The reality is that addicts need intervention. Tough love from good friends.
I'm talking about Israel, of course. Specifically, their addiction to building settlements in the West Bank.
It's never easy telling friends to clean up their act. The reality is that Israel's settlement addiction has been allowed to go on too long, and we have been enablers. All of us.
Recently, J-Street was more candid:
Tensions between the United States and Israel remain high ever since Israel's government stunned Vice President Biden and supporters of the peace process by announcing major new construction in East Jerusalem during his visit to Israel last week.
Some hawkish pro-Israel activists are seizing the opportunity to attack the Obama Administration over Israel, urging the Administration to slow down and back off.
The pro-Israel, pro-peace movement is stepping up strong. Just yesterday, J Street, the political home for pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans, delivered over 18,000 signatures to White House officials - demonstrating the many Americans who agree with the Vice President that sometimes friends need to tell friends hard truths, and urging the Administration to turn this crisis into an opportunity for progress on two states.
Maureen Dowd has a great piece on Bibi and Israel's pathology in the NYTimes:
The president and his inner circle are appalled at Israel's self-absorption and its failure to notice that America is not only protecting Israel from Iran, fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also dealing with a miasma of horrible problems at home. And Israel insults the Obama administration over a domestic zoning issue that has nothing to do with its security?
"That's not how you treat your best friend," said one Obama official.
The U.S. can help Israel treat this addiction. President Obama needs to practice some serious tough love with Israel. Go up to Jerusalem, to the Knesset and declare why this can't continue, all while declaring U.S. fidelity to its friend.
Meanwhile, Israel reverted to its favorite play: pointing out that the Palestinians are worse.
But it's not about them this time, it's about us.
The sad reality is that Israel has options. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can pretend to be a statesman, dump Yisrael Beiteinu and Shas and bring Kadima into government and actually make earnest efforts towards peace. If Bibi can sit with Ehud Barak, he can sit with Tzipi Livni. Sixty-eight seats for a unity government is a comfortable Knesset mandate. Tzipi as Foreign Minister has such a better feel and fit than Avigdor "Yvette" Lieberman. Bibi just has to want to make peace, not play Yitzhak Shamir.
The reality is that this current crisis, too, shall pass. The silver lining would be if it is used as an opportunity to reengage all sides in putting this long-festering problem to rest.
Paul Rockower is a graduate student in the USC Masters of Public Diplomacy program. He served as Press Officer for the Consulate General of Israel to the Southwest from 2003-2006.
Corrections: the original version of this article referred to settlements in the West Bank and Gaza. There are no settlements in Gaza.
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Letter to Congressman from prominent Washington Rabbi:
I am very concerned by the hostile and belligerent tone taken by this Administration towards a close ally over an administrative error made by a low-level bureaucrat, and for which Prime Minister Netanyahu has now apologized no less than four times.
While Israel is trying to downplay the issue and to show its willingness to accept responsibility for an unfortunate error in timing, it appears that President Obama is seeking to use this as a pretext to drive a wedge between us and an important reliable ally of long-standing.
One cannot help but wonder –
Why was Abbas’ refusal to accept the US request and Israeli offer for direct negotiations not an “insult and affront†to the United States and the Vice President?
Why was Assad’s meeting with Ahmadinejad the day after the US announced that we were sending an ambassador to Syria ignored by the State Department and not deemed to be an “insult and affront†to the United States?
Why is Palestinian Authority incitement of rioters in Jerusalem and elsewhere not condemned by this administration and not an “insult and affront†to the United States and the Vice President?
Why is the naming of the main public square in Ramallah by Abbas in honor of Fatah terrorist Dalal Mughrabi, murderer of 38 Israelis - 13 of them little kids not an impediment to the peace process and not an insult and affront to the US and Israel????
Not to mention – why does this administration insist on viewing construction in a vacant piece of land, adjacent to existing housing seen as thwarting the two state solution?
Israel is being asked to make concessions just to get the other side to come to negotiations, (while no demands are being made of the Palestinians) and is being told she can trust assurances by this administration that they will support her. As Seth Meyers of Saturday Night Live would say, “Oh really?!†In light of the apoplectic response over this issue how can Israel have any faith that this administration understands the risks it is taking for peace or that it will support her in a time of trouble. The administration response is doing little more than to pamper to and firm up the extremists and rejectionists in the Arab world.
I urge you to please speak out and let President Obama, Secretary Clinton and members of his administration know that friends do not treat friends in this manner – unless they are not interested in being friends anymore.
Sincerely yours,
Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt