Sent to you by Sean McBride via Google Reader: Scowcroft and Brzezinski Tell Obama Israel/Palestine Is Issue #1 via Mondoweiss by Philip Weiss on 11/21/08 A forceful piece in today's Washington Post by the realists: We believe that the Arab-Israeli peace process is one issue that requires priority attention. In perhaps no other region was the election of Obama more favorably received than the Middle East.
Their diplomatic/political analysis is also helpful, interesting. My emphasis: To date, the weakness of the negotiating parties has limited their ability to come to an agreement by themselves. The elections in Israel scheduled for February are certainly a complicating factor, as is the deep split among Palestinians between Fatah and Hamas. But if the peace process begins to gain momentum, it is difficult to imagine that Hamas will want to be left out, and that same momentum would provide the Israeli people a unique chance to register their views on the future of their country. I.e., apply pressure now, and make the Israelis vote for Livni: This weakness can be overcome by the president speaking out clearly and forcefully about the fundamental principles of the peace process; he also must press the case with steady determination. I'm thinking of blogging every day this other great thing that Scowcroft said recently: [with the election of Obama] we have finally come to grips with a problem which has plagued us since the founding of the republic, [treatment of blacks] and now, we have dealt with it. And people will feel good about the United States. [T]he Palestinian issue, while it's not important to many states in the region, it's nonetheless -- it gives the members of the region a deep sense of injustice. And we have removed in this country, with this election, a lot of that sense of injustice in this country. We ought to try to do it in the Middle East. Things you can do from here: - Subscribe to Mondoweiss using Google Reader - Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
