Is There Such A Thing As Putting Too Much Pressure On Israel?

Dr. Aaron Lerner of IMRA thinks there might be--and that it may backfire on the Obama administration:

It appears that the people who advised the Obama team to maximize the
pressure on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, confident that he would
buckle, failed to take into account that grossly unreasonable pressure would
actually empower him to stand his ground.

Today Washington is arguing that Israel should sacrifice its interests so
that it will be easier for America in its dealings with Iran, the Arab
world, the entire Moslem world - and more.

But at the very same time they are proposing the quick conclusion of a deal
creating a sovereign Palestinian state with a house of cards arrangement
involving various third parties in order to guarantee Israel's security.

But here's the intuitive problem:

If today Washington claims Israel must subordinate its interests to serve
American needs, who is to say that the very same thing wouldn't happen when
the "two state solution" fails.

The nightmare scenario: a sovereign terrorist Palestinian state in the very
heart of Israel and it runs counter to America's pressing interests to do
something about it.

When Olmert was Prime Minister, it seemed there was nothing--no concession--that the US could require of Israel that would not be complied with. A lot has been written about how Netanyahu would be different, and about how his 'Unity Coalition' would give him the backing to stand up to US pressure.

Here comes the first test.

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