(Weekly Standard) Elliott Abrams - President Obama will make his first presidential visit to Israel in March. The White House spokesman said the president's trip is "not focused on specific Middle East peace process proposals," but given the itinerary - Jerusalem, Ramallah, and Amman - the so-called peace process will be near the top of the agenda at every meeting. The trip is a good thing: Israel is a close ally, and American presidents should visit there. Our new secretary of state, John Kerry, has favored getting an agreement on borders and security first, saying that once borders are established the settlement issue goes away. But defining borders without addressing the area around Jerusalem is impossible. When the Europeans call for a construction freeze in Jerusalem - or to be more precise, call for a construction freeze by Jews while Arabs are free to build wherever they can - they are in effect taking a strong position for the division of Jerusalem along the 1949 lines (which are often called "1967 borders"). What will the president say to the Palestinians? Will he tell them to drop any deal with Hamas - or face an American freeze on financial and political support? Will he tell the PA and PLO leadership that any move against Israel in the International Criminal Court would be disastrous and jeopardize not only their own cooperation with Israel but American aid as well? Will he demand an end to the glorification of terror and terrorists in Palestinian broadcasting, public ceremonies, and school textbooks? It seems unlikely, for all the "peace plans" have in common a squeeze on Israel while they ask little from the PA and PLO. There is good reason for Israel and the Palestinians to negotiate over incremental, practical steps, and there are steps that can be taken to improve the standard of living in the West Bank, reduce the Israeli footprint there, and build toward Palestinian statehood. The writer is a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
2013-02-13 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive