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Tough on Israel: Why President Obama's Battle Against Jewish Settlements Could Prove Self-Defeating

[Washington Post] Editorial - One of the more striking results of the Obama administration's first six months is that only one country has worse relations with the U.S. than it did in January: Israel. The new administration has pushed a reset button with Russia and sent new ambassadors to Syria and Venezuela; it has offered olive branches to Cuba and Burma. But for nearly three months it has been locked in a public confrontation with Israel over Jewish housing construction in Jerusalem and the West Bank. To a less visible extent, the two governments also have differed over policy toward Iran. After Mr. Obama chose to insist on an absolutist demand for a settlement "freeze," Palestinian and Arab leaders who had accepted previous compromises immediately hardened their positions; they also balked at delivering the "confidence-building" concessions to Israel that the administration seeks. If he is to be effective in brokering a peace deal, Mr. Obama will need to show both sides that they can trust him - and he must be tough on more than one country.
2009-07-30 06:00:00
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