Daily Alert Archives

Why Carter's Call for U.S. to Recognize State of Palestine Is a Mistake

(CNN) Aaron David Miller - Writing in the New York Times, former President Jimmy Carter this week called on President Barack Obama to recognize the State of Palestine. Having spent the better part of my adult professional life working to promote, facilitate and consummate negotiations between Arabs and Israelis, my advice is precisely the opposite. First, any initiative undertaken during the presidential transition in the U.S. would need to address not just Palestinian needs, but those of Israelis, too. Indeed, it was Mr. Carter's own sensitivity not just to Sadat's concerns but to Begin's that produced the peace treaty with Egypt. Second, U.S. recognition of Palestinian statehood would almost certainly buoy Palestinian hopes while having little appreciable impact on the realization of Palestinian statehood, ultimately increasing frustration and the risk of more violence. President Obama has had his shot at Arab-Israeli negotiations. In the last couple of months of his administration he should let this issue rest and adopt the diplomatic equivalent of the Hippocratic oath and do no harm. The writer, a veteran Middle East negotiator, is a vice president and distinguished scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
2016-12-01 00:00:00
Full Article