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Last update - 10:30 11/05/2009
Obama is changing the rules of Mideast pressure
By Akiva Eldar
Tags: Israel News, Barack Obama 

It is not hard to imagine what a tumult it would stir in Jerusalem if the United States decided to temporarily ease the pressure on Iran regarding its nuclear program. Or if President Barack Obama ordered a freeze, for the time being, on the sanctions against Syria. God help the U.S. administration if it even considers lifting the boycott on the Hamas rulers in the Gaza Strip before the Palestinian group agrees to a two-state solution within the 1967 borders. And how nice that Congress is delaying the emergency assistance package to the Palestinian Authority until a new government is formed in Ramallah, in order to ensure that it's one we like.

International pressure on neighbors has always been a welcome and even essential tool. Without pressure from the outside why would Iran give up, voluntarily, its nuclear capability? If the United States does not pressure Syria to disengage from terrorist groups, what reason does Damascus have to clash with Hamas and Hezbollah? Were it not for the pressure applied by the Reagan administration on the Palestine Liberation Organization, the Palestinian National Council would not have declared a cessation of the armed struggle against Israel and would not have adopted UN Resolution 242. Presumably Benjamin Netanyahu will not complain about pressure that the Obama administration might apply against the Palestinians; for example, to push them to recognize Israel as a state of the Jewish people.

However, the legitimacy of international pressure comes to an end when it has to do with Israeli interests, or more precisely, with what the politician at the wheel perceives as Israeli interests. Why should the European Union pressure Netanyahu to resume the negotiations on a permanent settlement? Where did this audacity come from, to condition upgrading ties with Israel on the commitment of its government to abide by a two-state solution? What are they thinking? Are we Arabs? When Israel promises the U.S. president to evacuate outposts and freeze settlement activity, it does not need any pressure to keep its promises. In our case, our word counts for something.
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Like a spoiled child, Israel is in no rush to willingly surrender real estate it holds and has settled for decades. (A survey by Prof. Daniel Bar-Tal and Dr. Eran Halperin found that 53 percent of Israelis consider the West Bank liberated territory and only a minority sees it as occupied territory?.) Even though the threat of Israel becoming a binational or apartheid state increases annually, such pressure is insufficient to make it pull out of the territories. Israeli decision makers have decided to give up the territories only if the price of the status quo, in foreign currency, is much higher than the price they will have to pay in local currency for the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of settlers and the division of Jerusalem.

Obama had already announced during the campaign for the presidency that a "friend of Israel" is not, in his opinion, synonymous with being a Likud member. In his first days at the White House he has made clear that whether a two-state solution is acceptable to a Likud government or not, that is the only formula up for negotiation. Moreover, according to Quartet envoy Tony Blair, the establishment of a Palestinian state is considered a U.S. national interest in Obama's eyes. This means that pressure on Israel to end the conflict with the Arabs will certainly not disrupt efforts to pressure Iran to halt its nuclear program, and may even contribute to it.

President George W. Bush enjoyed the title "friend of Israel" because he made do with paying lip service to pressure on Israel and passed around documents that lacked teeth. He taught the Israelis that it is possible to behave contemptuously and make a laughingstock of the road map, all the while preserving a most important strategic asset - special ties with the United States. Obama has already managed to alter the rules of the game of the U.S. in the Middle East; everyone, with no exception, is welcome to choose between understandings and sanctions, between carrots and sticks.

The question is not whether Obama will pressure Israel; the pressure is already there. There were times when an invitation to an Arab leader to Washington before an invitation to an Israeli prime minister was considered a serious offense. Once a visit by an American president to a neighboring Arab state, without a promise to also come to Israel, was interpreted as serious pressure.

The repertoire of pressure available to the president of the United States is extensive and multifaceted. It looks like we will have to learn about it the hard way.
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  1.   Nice Article! 04:24  |  Le Corbeau 11/05/09
  2.   Pressure towards what? 04:59  |  netsp 11/05/09
  3.   A true friend of Israel 05:01  |  Frank 11/05/09
  4.   Akiva Eldar comparisons are breath taking 05:16  |  shlomo 11/05/09
  5.   I JUST DONT UNDERSTAND!!!! 05:28  |  JAX 11/05/09
  6.   Right on! 05:40  |  Antonius 11/05/09
  7.   What are we, Arabs? 05:53  |  paul mathieu 11/05/09
  8.   A call from the White Minaret ! 06:07  |  Akram Zekaria 11/05/09
  9.   Israelis have to be persuaded, not forced, into Peace 06:11  |  Reid 11/05/09
  10.   to Frank #3 06:45  |  zeev 11/05/09
  11.   No mascara, lipstick or rouge... after a sleepless night... 07:00  |  Esther 11/05/09
  12.   Envision Equality 07:07  |  asiswhen 11/05/09
  13.   words are cheap 07:07  |  rm 11/05/09
  14.   a phoney baloney peace 07:28  |  Mark 11/05/09
  15.   The most important line is... 07:39  |  BBSNews 11/05/09
  16.   peace plan? no, lies! 07:56  |  Moshe 11/05/09
  17.   Earth to Akiva 07:57  |  dave 11/05/09
  18.   CORBEAU do you understand No Peace ever? 08:08  |  PETER SM 11/05/09
  19.   Too right! Sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander! 08:18  |  Hannah 11/05/09
  20.   nonsense 08:27  |  Charles 11/05/09
  21.   frank 3 08:34  |  potobac 11/05/09
  22.   As usual Eldar writes to himself 08:38  |  Zev 11/05/09
  23.   Spoiled child ? 08:55  |  Avraham 11/05/09
  24.   Akiva makes a poor jurist and a poorer pedant 08:59  |  peter 11/05/09
  25.   Another confused author 09:00  |  A.S. 11/05/09
  26.   george bush was a friend of israel 09:41  |  samuel the seer 11/05/09
  27.   "politician at the wheel perceives as israel`s interests" 09:43  |  samuel the seer 11/05/09
  28.   serious diplomacy 09:45  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 11/05/09
  29.   "an invitation to an arab leader" 09:46  |  samuel the seer 11/05/09
  30.   No Akiva we are Jews............ 09:55  |  Connie 11/05/09
  31.   #9.A..Israel used ALLs Water,Land,40yr.Today! 09:57  |  justice 11/05/09
  32.   What are we? 09:57  |  Ralph 11/05/09
  33.   #16.Look in Your Mirror.Again.Your Are! 09:58  |  justice 11/05/09
  34.   #15.SHARED VALUES,MORALITY? PLS.READ IDF ADMISSIONS. WARS 10:06  |  justice 11/05/09
  35.   DUH?? 10:11  |  George 11/05/09
  36.   Well, I`m glad SOMEBODY in Israel noticed! 10:13  |  Johnboy 11/05/09
  37.   There are many unfair prejudices about the Israeli people, BUT... 10:15  |  Swiss (Dino) 11/05/09
  38.   eldar study the word CZECHOSLOVAKIA for corrective sense 10:28  |  vhardman 11/05/09
  39.   Obama needs to be more robust 10:54  |  Abu Firas Al Qudsi 11/05/09
  40.   "our word counts for something" Hahaha! 11:02  |  Gray 11/05/09
  41.   pressure to deport jews from their homes again ?? 11:08  |  v hardman 11/05/09
  42.   #24-justice fails, yep shared values 11:09  |  peter 11/05/09
  43.   To Charles 11:12  |  Anne 11/05/09
  44.   FIRAS Serbs were not threatened with obliteration by Islam 11:20  |  PETER SM 11/05/09
  45.   Peter the not so sober Aussie 11:37  |  Abu Firas Al Qudsi 11/05/09
  46.   to Frank #3 11:51  |  zeev 11/05/09
  47.   @Swiss (Dino) 11:54  |  Ralph 11/05/09
  48.   61 big boy now. 11:56  |  Avraham 11/05/09
  49.   to Swiss (Dino) #32 12:21  |  zeev 11/05/09
  50.   to Ann #37 12:25  |  Charles 11/05/09
  51.   Peter SM #38 12:30  |  Hector Bonifacius 11/05/09
  52.   to #1 AND # 7 12:36  |  GIL 11/05/09
  53.   to v hardman #35 12:39  |  zeev 11/05/09
  54.   to 32 12:40  |  gil 11/05/09
  55.   obama a true friend 13:00  |  mark 11/05/09
  56.   to Avraham #45 13:01  |  zeev 11/05/09
  57.   I loved this bit. So good it`s worth saying twice. 13:22  |  Roo 11/05/09
  58.   TO#37 13:22  |  GIL 11/05/09
  59.   FIRAS US went to fight for your brothers in Serbia 13:26  |  PETER SM 11/05/09
  60.   to Ralph #31 13:31  |  zeev 11/05/09
  61.   NEVER PEACE 13:33  |  T 11/05/09
  62.   peter sm 43 13:33  |  potobac 11/05/09
  63.   To Moshe 13:35  |  Sam Soul 11/05/09
  64.   to Swiss (Dino) #37 - 2nd try 13:41  |  zeev 11/05/09
  65.   Zev 14:20  |  sh 11/05/09
  66.   conclusion 14:39  |  ehud 11/05/09
  67.   do you trust him? 14:55  |  danish 11/05/09
  68.   response to paul 15:10  |  tiquila1 11/05/09
  69.   roo we will evacuate nothing all is jewish land 15:27  |  samuel the seer 11/05/09
  70.   potoboc "why not you" 15:29  |  samuel the seer 11/05/09
  71.   #15 - BBS, your prejudice is showing 15:33  |  JES 11/05/09
  72.   Let`s discuss the issues and not the usual personal animosities 16:29  |  True Zionist 11/05/09
  73.   samuel the seer 70 17:50  |  potobac 11/05/09
  74.   samuel the seer/harzion #69 18:53  |  Roo 11/05/09
  75.   To danish@67 Even Reading it makes one dizzy. 19:35  |  Whiskey/Bravo 11/05/09
  76.   Pressure Dicatorships NOT Democracies 19:36  |  dsharon 11/05/09
  77.   fair play 19:50  |  danish 11/05/09
  78.   Cipora # 38 as usual you are wrong The US does not 19:50  |  American in NY 11/05/09
  79.   can anyone tell me the difference 19:59  |  oz 11/05/09
  80.   Swiss (Dino) - Th eonly spoiled child 20:01  |  David Israel 11/05/09
  81.   JES #71 re BBSNews showing prejudice 20:10  |  American in NY 11/05/09
  82.   Antonius - they want repeat of 1948 20:17  |  Don 11/05/09
  83.   # 49 Sorry zeev, it was rather a matter of a wrong used...... 20:19  |  Swiss (Dino) 11/05/09
  84.   to CJ Kohn #28 - 3rd try 20:22  |  zeev 11/05/09
  85.   Pressure where pressure is due 20:23  |  x-ray 11/05/09
  86.   # 47 Ralphie, if we should have learned something..... 20:24  |  Swiss (Dino) 11/05/09
  87.   Obama makes up games and wants us to play 20:28  |  x-ray 11/05/09
  88.   Esther if the world perceives us incorrectly 20:29  |  x-ray 11/05/09
  89.   Connie 20:33  |  Joan 11/05/09
  90.   Tough to hear but self-evident 21:02  |  Montrealer 11/05/09
  91.   roo sinai and gaza are not the cradle of jewish civilisation 21:57  |  samuel the seer 11/05/09
  92.   potoboc the romans did not fight a jewish army 21:59  |  samuel the seer 11/05/09
  93.   Very astute article 23:01  |  MB 11/05/09
  94.   Israel word? 23:03  |  PabloLuis 11/05/09
  95.   samuel seer/harzion bet el 23:17  |  Roo 11/05/09
  96.   #36 Johnboy - Don`t flatter yourself 23:32  |  *BEN JABO 11/05/09
  97.   #79 PaloLuis 23:36  |  *BEN JABO 11/05/09
  98.   Take BS news with a Kilo of salt 23:37  |  *BEN JABO 11/05/09
  99.   PABLO LOUIS Israel withdrew from UK & Jordan for peace 00:15  |  PETER SM 12/05/09
  100.   swiss dino i find your pretense at sympathy with us 00:38  |  gad 12/05/09
  101.   samuel seer/harzion #76 cradle of what? 00:44  |  Roo 12/05/09
  102.   LEARN THE HARD WAY 00:59  |  Ed 12/05/09
  103.   #73 Potobac - some of don`t have to think back 01:11  |  *BEN JABO 12/05/09
  104.   samuel the seer 77 01:31  |  potobac 12/05/09
  105.   bbsn 02:30  |  ehud 12/05/09
  106.   The White Mosque rules 05:38  |  Jared 12/05/09
  107.   jordan is a huge palestinian kingdom 05:50  |  z, the monarchist 12/05/09
  108.   The Status Quo will remain 06:06  |  Palestinian Prince 12/05/09
  109.   samuel the seer 77 06:28  |  potobac 12/05/09
  110.   #85, potobac 07:37  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 12/05/09
  111.   A fraternity of hate. 08:32  |  Avi 12/05/09
  112.   cjk 87 09:00  |  potobac 12/05/09
  113.   # 49 Sorry zeev, it was rather a matter of bad wording..... 09:03  |  Swiss (Dino) 12/05/09
  114.   What matters is what Palistanians think about the WB... 09:45  |  Tupac 12/05/09
  115.   USA-Israel-Serbs 09:54  |  JBT 12/05/09
  116.   Good idea which Obama talk about 11:40  |  Zaina Kayed Shehab 12/05/09
  117.   JES #71 re BBSNews showing prejudice, Any real american would 13:51  |  American in NY 12/05/09
  118.   JES #71 re BBSNews showing prejudice, Any real american would 15:16  |  American in NY 12/05/09
  119.   to CJ Kohn #28 17:12  |  zeev 12/05/09
  120.   American in NY - Remember what Biden said 19:23  |  *BEN JABO 12/05/09
  121.   Israel defiantatly needs pressure or nothing will get done. 19:50  |  Obama 12/05/09
  122.   #119 Obummer - Learn how to spell 00:02  |  *BEN JABO 13/05/09
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