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How Prominent Will Israeli-Palestinian Peacemaking Be in Obama's Second Term?

(JTA) Ron Kampeas - The Obama administration does not seem eager to wade back into the Israeli-Palestinian morass - preferring to keep it on the back burner. David Makovsky, director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy's Project on the Middle East Peace Process, dismissed suggestions that Obama would ramp up pressure on Israel over the peace process in his second term. "Obama's going to want to use his replenished political capital carefully," he said. Between tough negotiations with the Republicans on fiscal issues and foreign policy challenges looming - including Iran's nuclear program and tumult in the Middle East - Obama is not going to make Israeli-Palestinian issues a priority. Moreover, Makovsky suggested, "right now there's no grand deal to be done between Israelis and Palestinians." Steve Rosen, a former foreign policy director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, said, "I think Obama no longer buys the catechism that we are this close to an agreement and all we need is presidential involvement." Israel's ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren, said that the two countries were in agreement that the fault for the lack of negotiations belongs to the Palestinians.
2012-12-20 00:00:00
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