A Watched Pot That Keeps On Boiling

April 17, 2010

by Daniel E. Levenson

Although President Obama no doubt has the best interests of the United States at heart in his most recent efforts to try and broker a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and to a larger extent, a desire to create a more peaceful world on the whole, I worry about what the unintended side effects might be of such efforts. I have long stated that a just and equitable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict needs to be found, one that guarantees beyond any shadow of a doubt the security of Israel and at the same time offers the Palestinian people a chance to create a viable state of their own. To achieve such a thing would be no mean feat. In fact, to achieve anything even remotely resembling a normalized peace would constitute something of a miracle in my opinion.

For both Israel and the Palestinians there is enormous political pressure from within to resist making any kind of concessions which might make them seem weak and this pressure is more of a boiling kettle than a simmering pot. With the American military in the midst of two conflicts in the region, the Obama administration may feel strongly that increasing peace and stability in the Middle East will be of long term benefit to the United States, but whatever pressure President Obama is feeling to change the state of affairs in the Middle East this no doubt pales in comparison to the pressure that the Israeli leadership feels to maintain the security of the nation, or that the Palestinians feel, caught between Hamas in Gaza and Fatah in the West Bank. Backing either Israel or the Palestinians into a corner is not going to solve the conflict and by putting more pressure on Israel, Mr. Obama is straining ties between Israel and the United States at a time when neither country can afford to distance itself from a key ally.

Earlier this week, Ronald S. Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress, cited similar concerns in an open letter to President Obama, writing that “…what are America’s strategic ambitions in the broader Middle East? The Administration’s desire to improve relations with the Muslim world is well known. But is friction with Israel part of this new strategy? Is it assumed worsening relations with Israel can improve relations with Muslims? History is clear on the matter: appeasement does not work. It can achieve the opposite of what is intended.”

Mr. Lauder is raising some important points which I am hopeful the Obama administration will address soon. For many American Jews, the strong ties between Israel and the United States are a point of pride, and for good reason. Israel may not be perfect, but it is a democracy, the only one in the Middle East as far as I know. Ultimately, no one can predict what the future will hold for the United States in the Middle East. It may be that the United States will court Muslim allies at the expense of its relationship with Israel, inadvertently or purposely, which I believe would be a terrible mistake.  Or perhaps with a shift away from oil dependency and toward renewable forms of energy we may see a broader disengagement from the whole region.  Regardless of the outcome, I think Mr. Lauder does a valuable thing in asking the President what the larger implications might be of a new Mid-East policy in the State Department and White House which has effectively put more pressure on Israel.

What worries me the most about these reports of a new push to bring peace to the conflict is the idea that by turning up the heat on or both parties, a solution can be forced upon them. Anyone who has spent any time in the Middle East or who knows the history of the region knows that the issues run much deeper than simply lines on a map or political talking points. The problem that Mr. Obama faces is that of a pot which for the last hundred years has been about to boil over. When faced with such a situation, sometimes the best thing to do is to turn down the stove.  Unfortunately, President Obama seems convinced that he is the one who can solve the problem by putting a lid on top, or worse yet, turning up the heat.  In the end, such a strategy will not be good for anyone, I would submit, be they Israeli, Palestinian or American.

© Daniel E. Levenson 2010