Netanyahu's slaps in the US face

Comment on Eric Alterman, Daily Beast - Netanyahu's slaps in the US face
11.3.'10


Resolving the Palestine problem is the sine qua non for undermining justified Muslim resentment against the West and the appeal of "jihadism" and suicide bombing. 


Little poodle Israel is at present wagging the huge American hound. Obama, who knows very well what needs to be done, has suffered a knock out blow. Is he (and the US) down for the count or will he get up and prevail? If the EU can find its spine now the Lisbon treaty is in force, it could greatly help, with Russia, in forcing the Netanyahus and religious extremists to accept a Palestine state. It's cart before the horse to blame the Palestinians for not being a valid partner for negotiations - show them there is a way forward and only if they won't take it can you blame them. (We've been saying this since 2002) 


10.3.'10 re Alan Hart
We at this diplomatic consultancy pointed out in Sept 2002 that the necessary corollary to the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 was a resolution of the Palestine/Israeli decades-long running sore on international relations. That's because nothing was causing more resentment and hatred of the West among the world's Muslims (and many non-Muslims) than the miserable fate of the Palestinians. 
It is the same today in 2010 - nothing would do more towards de-fanging the "clash of civilisations" and the motivation of "jihadis" and suicide bombers than establishing a Palestinian state (before Israeli settlements make that impossible). 
Because the Palestinian problem was left to fester after President Clinton's effort in 1999, G W Bush (with his invasion of Iraq, Abu Ghraib etc.) and Osama bin Laden (and his "Al Qaeda and Co.") have together succeeded in vastly exacerbating that worldwide quasi-religious confrontation inaptly called "the War on Terror". 
It is no use fighting in Afghanistan and indeed everywhere else that Al Qaeda and Co. pop up, if the underlying justified Muslim resentments are not addressed - and that means having the determination and courage to get a Palestinian state on track. This is not just a matter for the US. Europe and Russia, if they lived up to their convictions, and together took action, could greatly help President Obama to overcome the immense political difficulties for the US to stand up to Israel's present extremist government - which in fact is acting against Israel's longer term interests - incidentally worrying many Jews in the US and elsewhere.