Self-Defeating

Submitted by Edward Halper (United States), Mar 15, 2010 at 21:53

If there was ever a chance that peace talks between Israel and the PA would bear fruit, the Obama administration's strident criticism of Israel has killed it. The PA would now look like fools to make any concessions to Israel. Until the Palestinians come to see that there are consequences for their continued intransigence, a negotiated settlement is inconceivable. The US has now joined Europe in effectively discouraging the Palestinians from negotiating. With the European endorsement of the Goldstone report and the American criticism of Israel's housing projects, a Palestinian offer of peace could only look like giving into what the "world" has recognized as gross immorality.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".