Friday, April 30, 2010

It's Official: Obama Removes Any Reason For Abbas To Come To The Table

Abbas now gets what he's wanted all along--someone to do his work for him so he can sit and do nothing:
U.S. President Barack Obama has told several European leaders that if Israeli-Palestinian talks remain stalemated into September or October, he will convene an international summit on achieving Mideast peace, senior Israeli officials told Haaretz on Thursday.

The officials said the conference would be run by the Quartet of Middle East peacemakers - the United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia - in a bid to forge a united global front for creating a Palestinian state. The summit, they said, would address such core issues as borders, security arrangements, Palestinian refugees and the status of Jerusalem.


Obama is determined to exert his influence to establish a Palestinian state, the officials said, and several European leaders have vowed that the EU would support any peace plan proposed by Washington. Therefore, though so-called proximity talks are set to start in the coming weeks, Obama is already readying for the possibility that the indirect Israeli-Palestinian talks might reach a dead end.
Abbas has said before that he wants to go to the UN and have them declare a state. Now all he has to do is play the same game he has been playing till now, making excuses not to come to the table. Instead of paying for his intransigence, Abbas is rewarded.

By going from the US, which these days is nominally a friend of Israel, the creation of a second Palestinian state is in the hands of the UN, the EU and Russia as well.

Obama is fixated on the creation of that state, and has basically arranged for it to be handed to the Palestinian Authority on a silver platter

Even assuming that this report is accurate, there is a fly in the ointment for Obama:
Israeli officials said they believe Obama could postpone the international summit, or the unveiling of his own peace plan, until after the midterm Congressional elections in November, in which his Democratic Party is widely expected to suffer heavy losses.
If the prospects for a trouncing of the Democrats at the mid-term elections continue, there might be pressure on Obama to postpone such a summit. Then a lot would depend on the makeup of Congress afterwards, if Republicans--who are friendlier towards Israel and more respectful of its security needs--retake majorities in the House and Senate.

For now, let's see if Obama continues to play possum.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad

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5 comments:

NormanF said...

Like I said over on Soccer Dad, the Palestinians haven't been serious about the statehood business for 17 years. They are so dependent on foreign subventions that just getting a state off the ground in the next two years will be a tall order. And it will take more than a piece of paper pushed by the Obama White House to make it a reality.

Daled Amos said...

And it will take more than a piece of paper pushed by the Obama White House to make it a reality.

True, but once this is put into the lap of the Gang of 4, those who consistently call for the creation of a second Palestinian state will have the means ($$$) and the opportunity to do it.

NormanF said...

Sure, the Palestinians can be given money. They are already given a lot of it and I'm not sure a change in their legal status will materially improve their lives or make them a responsible country.
Who says they are acting responsibly now towards the goal they say they want?

Daled Amos said...

Who says they are acting responsibly now towards the goal they say they want?

At this point, the question may not be "who says" but rather if any of TPTB care. All they see is the goal of a state--at this point I don't think they care much about how it gets created.

As for what happens after it is created, that is something they will worry about later.

Anonymous said...

Another good move by Obama! With vision like that we can finally hope for the Palestinian problem to be resolved.