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U.S.-Israel Relations after the American Midterm Elections
(Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Zalman Shoval - Even the Bush-Baker Administration never declared the settlements to be illegal. As construction in the territories and Jerusalem continued, the U.S. and Israel agreed that certain amounts were to be deducted from U.S. loan guarantees - an example of how things can be worked out in spite of the basic position of the U.S. Israel does not want to see a weakened American presidency, which means a weakened America, especially in the Middle East where the only possible alternative to a weakened America is a strengthened Iran. The Palestinians now want the UN Security Council to adopt a new resolution which will supersede Resolution 242. It will not mention secure borders or that Israel is not required to withdraw from all the territories. If the proposal passes, this would create a new reality and put an end to the peace process, which depends on the agreed formula of 242. If this is done away with, neither peace nor any sort of interim solution is likely. The writer served twice as Israel's Ambassador to the U.S.