Barack Obama met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem in July, 2008. (Photo: Tara Todras-Whitehill/Getty Images)
Daoud Kuttab, a Palestinian journalist and former professor of journalism at Princeton University, joins our panel of analysts to discuss Israel’s war against Hamas, which entered its 18th day on Monday.
The United States is the most important country that can actually do something about the crisis in the Middle East. America has stood with Israel, defended it even when there was international consensus against it. But Palestinians and Arabs think that Barack Obama will be different. They think he will be an honest broker in the conflict. Former presidential advisers like Dennis Ross and Elliot Abrams were advocates of Israel in the White House rather than defenders of America’s broader interest in the region.
The Israel-Gaza Conflict
Other experts on this panel discussing the war in Gaza.
For many in the Arab and Islamic worlds the litmus test of any sane United States foreign policy will be how it deals with the Palestinian problem. And to his favor Mr. Obama seems committed to his promise that he will not wait four or eight years to get involved in the Arab-Israeli conflict, but will pursue peace in the Middle East from Day 1 of taking office. Indeed, his philosophy of talking to his enemies will certainly be an improvement to President Bush’s military unilateralism and political exclusionism. And although Mr. Obama has not favored talking to Hamas, it is hard to see that he will block some type of indirect talks with the Palestinian Islamic movement for ideological reasons, especially since he favors talking to its Syrian and Iranian patrons.
“Palestinians and Arabs think that Barack Obama will be different.”
But perhaps the ace in Mr. Obama’s pocket will be the official position of the United States government over the years. Washington has repeatedly opposed Israeli occupation in 1967 and has called for its end. It has been consistently against settlement activities, and the current resident of the White House has articulated a policy that calls for a viable, contiguous Palestinian state on the lands occupied in 1967. The United States has also opposed Israel’s unilateral annexation of East Jerusalem and — along with every nation on the planet — has refused to recognize Israel’s application of Israeli law on residents of East Jerusalem.
Furthermore, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has stated that a Palestinian state is in the interest of the United States.
From 1 to 25 of 182 Comments
I hope Barack Obama has a more balanced approach than all previous American governments. It is not enough to state to be in favor of a 2-state solution, against settlements, occupation, and then block all UN initiatives to contain Israelis abuses. I am completely in favor of Israel’s right to leave in peace but peace will never happen as long as the rights of the Palestinian people are not respected also. It is easy to condemn Hamas rockets and its acts fo terrorism; I condemn them too. But it is absurdly dishonest to say that they had no possible motivation to act violently, as Mr. Shimon Perez stated recently, when a 18-month total blocade, with no food, water, medication, electricity would have maddened even the more docile and patient population. Israel has only tears for its own people. I cry for both. After this was in Gaza, to have hope is almost impossible.
— angela costaOne wishes that Mr. Kuttab prediction will actually become real.
Unfortunately, this is highly doubtful, given the level of penetration and influence of pro-sionist lobbies in the US governement and media.
See for instance this J. Post article ( http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1231760642497&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull ) on how the Israeli PM obtained “on the fly” that the US refrain from voting the last UN resolution…it looks like the US are the “other 50 states/provinces” of Israel!
— LouisThat Israelis think that it’s a “just war ” confirms the fear in which its own people live in. It’s also because they have been given a sort of a license to kill since no UN resolution has managed to stop their ” va-en guerre” attitude since the creation of their country. I refer you to the number of UN resolutions that Israel didn’t respect. That Israelis, today, think that the massacre in Gaza is a “just war” reveals also a deep pathology in the Israelis’ mind, a sort of Schizophrenia even Freud wouldn’t have managed to explain which make the Israelis think that all people around the world hate them and that they should trust nobody but themselves. It’s ingrained in the Jewish mind, i believe, this fear mentality. So, the Israelis need some sort of a collective therapy instead of building walls and killing innocent people in a barbaric way. That won’t heal their wounds, anyway. On the contrary, it make their situation worse. Otherwise, how do you explain that they have won many wars but have never been in peace and , i believe, they will never be in peace neither with themsleves nor with their neighbors as far as they continue to think that they are above the laws and that all the world loathe them. Raymond Aron said that Israel has always won the wars but never the peace. They should be helped for want of stopping them by law. America claims to be their good friend. To do them some good they should help them exorcise their fears instead of adding to their folly. Thank you
— Zerkane— Zerkane Abdelouhad
Mr Kuttab misses a point. When the United States speaks of “occupied areas” it is referring to areas which Israel occupied after the Six Day War, ie. the “West Bank” and Gaza Strip. When Palestinians speak of “occupied areas” they are referring to the sovereign State of Israel as well. The Jewish People have inhabited the Middle East for millenia; long before there was such a people known as Arabs and before there was such a religion as Islam. In my opinion,so long as the Arab world does not recognize The State of Israel’s right to exist where it is, there can be no peace and no two state solution that would not be suicidal for Israel
— Harvey MargolinDaoud Kattab thinks that the United States broader interest lies with those who shoot rockets from Kindergardens into kindergardens. He thinks Barak Obama will be an honest broker differing from past presidents.
I guess that means that the change intended to give the Palestinians more of an edge will be to allow palestinians to shoot the next 8,000 rockets from closer in?
Maybe the change will be that Obama will not allow them to shoot rockets at all.
Barack Obama understands what it means to have someone shoot rockets at your kids while they sleep, so dont hold your breath for the next President to help terrorists “push the Israelis into the sea”
— Robert GasnerA deal breaker to a peace agreement is the re-division of the re-unified Jerusalem. As in the case of the Germans and Japanese in WW II, the Palestinians are losers in conflicts that they initiated and as such are in no position to dictate terms to the winners. Can anyone imagine Japan and Germany dictating peace terms to the Allies? The Palestinians had their “catastrophe” because they elected to follow the leadership of “The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem” and attack the new Israeli state declared by the UN in 1947.
This UN resolution was supported by both the US voting block and the Soviet block: One of the few post-war agreements between two blocks.
The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Amin_al-Husayni spent the WW II in Berlin as a friend and guest of Hitler’s and pictured with Hitler. He also organized SS from the Bosnians for the Nazis and was a big fan of “the final solution” hoping that Hitler would extend “the final solution” to the Middle East.
Everybody thought the Jews were going to lose including Secretary of State and former Chief of Staff of the US military during WW II George C. Marshall. The Arab armies told the Palestinians to evacuate until the war was over when the Jews were wiped out. But that didn’t happen. The Jews won and the Palestinians never returned to the homes that they abandoned on orders of the Arab armies.
Today, there can’t possibly be any peace agreement with the Palestinians until Hamas and the Palestinian Authority make peace with each other. The reason why Gazans have been starving the last 18 months is because at that time Hamas created a civil war and threw out the Palestinian Authority. Since Egypt’s agreement to monitor the entry way into Gaza was with the PA and the EU, Egypt had to close it. This civil war had nothing to do with Israel yet Hamas blamed Israel for border closings and sent missiles into Israel when in fact Hamas caused the border closing by sending the PA/Fatah out of Gaza.
— DavidObama should appoint at least one outstanding Arab American to his Mideast team.
— Anthony LoFriscoHalf truths…
The writer states: “Washington has repeatedly opposed Israeli occupation in 1967 and has called for its end. ”
What led to this occupation? How about Syria, Jordan, and Egypt preparing to attack:
At the end of May 1967, Jordanian forces were given to the command of an Egyptian general, Abdul Munim Riad. On the same day, Nasser proclaimed: “The armies of Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon are poised on the borders of Israel … to face the challenge, while standing behind us are the armies of Iraq, Algeria, Kuwait, Sudan and the whole Arab nation. This act will astound the world. Today they will know that the Arabs are arranged for battle, the critical hour has arrived. We have reached the stage of serious action and not of more declarations.”
And so, now that these Arab armies failed in their attempt to take Israel and Israel captures the land to protect themselves, they are expected to just give it back? I say Israel gives it back when one of two things happen: New Amsterdam (i.e. NY) is given back to the queen, OR, Hamas agrees that Israel will live in peace forever.
— TSObama’s dedication to securing peace will be immediately evident by his approach. If he continues on the path of former US President, i.e. unilateral support or apathy for Israeli war crimes, then it will be apparent that he is more interested in his legacy than securing peace. If he takes a hard stance against Israel’s misdeeds and forcibly pushes them to make material concessions (full departure to 1967 borders) then he will appear to be a man of his word.
— NYCKidTo Robert Gasner
I am opposed to the rockets of Hamas or the political platform of Hamas. But I also understand the underlying cause of the anger amongst Palestinians. If a woman being rapped uses her fingernails to scratch her rappist, that is hardly justification to continue the rape. Palestine as a land is being rapped and Palestinians as a people are being mercilessly attacked with the US supporting Israel. Rice said that a Palestinian state is in the national interest of the US. I am calling on America under the Obama administration to mean what it says.
— Daoud KuttabI don’t know why Israeli officials continue to try to sell this catastrophe with the premise of Hamas starting it first. NOBODY believes that anymore! Yes they fired rockets. But why? The example Israeli officials use is what would the US do if rockets are being fired from Canada? The real question is: wouldn’t Canadians, with their country shut down, food, medicines blockaded; air, land and sea controlled by the US; with the addition of sporadic US military attacks on their people, wouldn’t the Canadians be angry and frustrated enough to start firing rockets?? Wouldn’t you?
— Aleister K.Hey Zerkane –
You meant to say Israeli mind, not Jewish mind, didn’t you? Please try to keep in mind that not all Jews are Israelis, or follow the marching orders of the Israeli government. World’s a little more complex than that, don’t cha think?
— Mike D.Israel needs to be forced to give up West Bank settlements. The Palestinians need to be forced to take peace seriously. They cannot do it alone: someone must make them behave and America is the only candidate for the job.
— norman ravitchIsrael needs to look in the mirror.
— MegWarsaw Ghetto,Gaza Ghetto.
When will Israel finally choose the Final Solution?
Obama will not be able to help — only the Israelis
can stop.
To quote a previous comment: “…wouldn’t the Canadians be angry and frustrated enough to start firing rockets?”
I find Aleister and Mr. Kuttab’s facts and conclusions factually inaccurate and disingenous.
The rockets fired by Hamas did not begin with the blockade. The firing of rockets are also NOT acts of resistance; rather they are the embodiment of the expressed purpose of Hamas, which is the destruction of the Jewish nation state. To masquerade this behavior as resistance is dishonest.
The Palestinian people democratically elected a government that is a thinly veiled terrorist apparatus. The launching of rockets was a clear statement that they continue to deny the existence of the Jewish state and would do whatever is within their power.
The reality is that today they are launching marginal rockets. Tomorrow, they may very well have the technology to sew much broader and significant damage.
Israel is correct in NOT waiting for a smoking gun (or rocket as the case may be ). They need to respond forcefully and do their utmost to avoid collateral damage, as they have been doing.
For all of those Hamas apologist, including you Mr. Kuttab, I find the state of affairs of Gaza awfully sad because Israel afforded the Gazans a clear opportunity to pull themselves up by their bootstraps after they unilaterally pulled out of Gaza. There were numerous opportunities for economic development but they eschewed those for the opportunity to create war.
As awful as this situation may be, the Palestinians and the Arab world have themselves to blame for this. Belligerence is the unfortunate calling card that you have grown so accustomed to using.
— Dan S.Ethan Frommer’s latest p.r. piece for Israel’s destruction of Gaza can be seen for what it is. He should read Haaretz, and that on a daily basis. There are plenty of Israelis who think the invasion of Gaza is a slaughter rather than some John Wayne-like defense of their homeland. Nobody, including Israelis, should have to live under the circumstances that the Palestinians do presently. Bush, Cheney, Rice are the enablers of this current holocaust. Watch fora cease-fire around Jan. 19th. If Obama and Clinton continue the backing of Israeli military, then they, too, are mere cohorts in crime and deserve removal from office via legal methods.
— Michael T.Bit of a Freudian slip there, Angela, don’t you think?
— Terry SeligmanTo Mr. Harvey Margolin please read the facts and you need to go back and restudy the history, Jews were mixed ethnic group, which refers to religious group who practice Judaism, Hebrews did exist the same time as the Arabs (Semites), therefore people that live in Palestine way back in history, were Jews not necessarily Hebrews, then they converted to Christianity, then they become Muslims, how in the world a Russian Jew can claim Palestine to be his land, if we follow your analogy then all the Christians should migrate to Israel and occupy it, so should the Muslims.
— Voice of ReasonThere can be 2 state solution, for Israel to live in peace they need to reach out to Palestinians and helped them establish a solid state which they can prosper and live in peace, killing will only bring blood shed from both sides.
Thanks,
Israel has subscribed to the Neo-con idelogy and led them 2 wars with their neighbous.
My hope is that the new administration will continue to support Israel’s right to self-defense and the protection of its citizens from senseless terrorism. I hope as well that the new administration will not tolerate Hamas using its citizens as human shields for their terrorist activities.
— JudithZerkane:
Even paranoids have real enemies. And Israelis in particular and Jews in general, have good reason to be paranoid.
Perhaps, if there were no oil in the region, those without a dog in this hunt wouldn’t stick their noses into something they don’t truly understand.
— ElliottLook at the longer version of the YouTube video of a live interview of Palestinian girl blaming Hamas for the war. At the end she condemns Hamas for the war then is suddenly cut off. Note the look of fear at the end as she realizes that she said the wrong thing. We wonder if she is still alive.
Also see how a militant grabs a child to use as a human sheild to fight against the Israelis. The child is literally whisked away flying in midair.
This is Hamas; a gang of cowards.
— MichaelMr. Kuttah’s point of view is at his heart. And so are the rest of those in pro or con with this war.
I denounce any war that kill children, elderly and defensive good people. How sad it is to realize that wars never end. The Middle East is and has been for thousands of years fighting among themselves. They stop for a while and resume their carnage. Hamas calls for the extermination of the Jewish people as Hitler did so not so long ago. It is terribly sad that Israel has to use everything in its power to defend its people. Who pay the consequences for Hamas and Hezbollah’s actions? The innocent children and old helpless people whose skirts Hamas uses to hide. If Palestinians had loved their own mothers and children more so than their warfare ideologies, they would have never voted Hamas in power. So Mr. Kuttah. What’s wrong with Israel protecting their mothers and children? Go and do the same and throw out those that are really decimating your own people, get rid off Hamas! Enough of academic rhetoric.
— claraDaoud Kuttab’s text is a very interesting one, as it reveals the double standards the US have applied in the past 8 years to this troubled region. It is clear from the discussions that the new President is confronted with a huge amount of expectations - . On the other side, the discussions here show as well the huge amount of problems which have to be tackled after 8 years of non-action at the diplomatic level leaving all the room for militaries and extremists from both sides.
I agree with all what D. Kuttab says, and especially in his post where he compares Gaza and Palestina with a rape victim. (Interestingly, there was recently a case in Saudi Arabia, where a victim of rape, 13 y old, was convicted and stoned to death…) Seeing the horrors of Gaza, reading articles like those from Amira Hass in Haaretz, or of Fares Akram, research consultant for HRW in Gaza, on the death of his father (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/gaza-the-death-and-life-of-my-father-1225793.html) and the many others, Kuttab’s comparison is so horribly real! Defending the outrageous death toll and destructions inflicted by the IDF with the Hamas rockets (which didn’t kill any person in the 12 months before the present hostilities!) is just cynic.
Yes, this violence (from both sides) must stop, and both sides must offer the other side a realistic possibility to live in dignity. I hope very much that the new President sees this as a real task, and puts his energy into it. Seen the recent support of both House and Senate in support of Israel, there will be a lot of resistance in the US .
Double Standards:
The US are promoting democracy: should parties be excluded from elections just on the base of their ethnic definition, as happened yesterday in Jerusalem? Or is that “apartheid”?
Will the US continue to block every single UNSC resolution against Israel? (i could go on in this list …)
I hope the new President will stop these double standards. By doing this he will create the needed confidence from the Palestinian side to broker an agreement. And i wish him to succeed in this truly gigantic task!
— Thomas B. HumanTo Aliester K.
If the Canadian government was run by an organization devoted to wipe out the United States, wouldn’t the United States blockade and shut Canada down?
— Martin D.Abba Eban got it exactly right–the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Say what you will about Dennis Ross not being an honest broker, but in 2000 he got Ehud Barak to offer Yassir Arafat a deal which would have given the Palestinians a state in all the land taken in 1967 except the Jewish sections of Jerusalem–about the best deal the Palestinians could ever hope to get from the Israelis. The Palestinians turned it down because it did not include a right of return for Palestinian refugees into Israel.
The obvious reason for the insistance of a right to return to Israel instead of Palestine is to create a Palestinian majority in Israel which would simply vote Israel out of existence.
Until the Palestinians are willing to accept a negotiated peace instead of attempting to negotiate victory there will be no peace.
Yes, it is really sad to see all the suffering in Gaza, but the place to put the blame is very clear–on Hamas. They are happy to have their civilian populace sacrificed to drum up international support for them. A just regime would surrender and end the suffering.
Instead their leadership hides like rats in tunnels below hospitals and schools and issues defiant statements, knowing that they are personally safe no matter how much their people suffer.
The Palestinians deserve much better than that.
/Ronnie K
— Ronnie K.