PrintNovember 27, 2009
Obama Is an Impediment to the Mideast Peace Process
From the outset of his presidency, Obama foolishly made Israeli settlements the focal point of his administration's admonishments of Israeli policy. Beginning with his refusal to confront Iran on its nuclear weapons program, Obama barked orders at the Israeli government, requiring the full cessation of construction in the settlements without regard to the realities of the situation. In his thuggish Chicago style, Obama felt confident that he could successfully bully Netanyahu into halting construction in disputed territories and then go down in history as the president who brokered peace between Israelis and Palestinians. In doing so, Obama not only underestimated the resolve of the Israeli people, but he empowered the Palestinians by handing them an excuse to discontinue all negotiations for peace for the foreseeable future.What has since resulted from Obama's ill-informed, grandiose pronouncements is Abbas threatening to quit due to Obama's failure to achieve a settlement freeze,...(Read Full Article)
