By taking a step back, U.S. gives hope to Israel-Palestine

Ami Kaufman By Ami Kaufman April 25, 2014 | Edit

President Obama and Secretary Kerry’s statements on Thursday are the most important – and positive – development to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in decades. Now we’ll have to see if they leave the stage for good.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, and Palestinian Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat address reporters on the Middle East Peace Process Talks at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on July 30, 2013. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, and Palestinian Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat address reporters on the Middle East Peace Process Talks at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on July 30, 2013. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]
After we all dealt with the surprising Hamas-Fatah unity deal for the past few days (is it good, is it bad?), the U.S. on Thursday gave the most important statement in President Barack Obama’s presidency concerning Israel/Palestine. Not only is it the most important, it’s probably the most positive development this region has seen since the Oslo Accords were signed.

It is the beginning of Washington leaving the stage.

For the past few months, Obama has been playing “bad cop,” showing little interest in an issue he saw as hopeless. Yet Secretary of State John Kerry, a.k.a. “good cop” (despite a few clashes with Netanyhu here and there), has been the one who claimed he will never give up.

Read +972′s full coverage of the peace process

But today, finally(!), they’re on the same page. First, Obama from Seoul:

“There may come a point at which there just needs to be a pause and both sides need to look at the alternatives,” Obama said, offering a grim assessment of nine months of direct talks that were overseen by Washington but ultimately led nowhere.

And then the State Department:

“His [Kerry’s – A.K.] view is this is a moment of transition and part of the process. We are in a holding period where parties need to figure out what is next,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters. “We have always thought there could be a point where we needed to pause and both sides needed to look at what was possible. And we’re clearly at that point now.”

As I wrote earlier, this current stream of events was a perfect chance, a perfect storm of sorts, for the U.S. to end its embarrassing, damaging handling of the conflict. The Washington-enabled occupation, with generous assistance from AIPAC, has deepened so much that the presence of apartheid in the West Bank can no longer be doubted. In all possible ways to measure success – the U.S. has failed miserably in bringing a solution to the region, or the sides any closer.

In fact, as the years went by the U.S. made things worse. It’s as simple as that.

It seems like the U.S. might be using this chance to get out. Now we have to see just how far Obama is willing to disengage, how much AIPAC will allow him to free Washington from this massive colonial project they have supported for so long. One can only hope that it will not be only a “pause” of Washington-led negotiations, as Obama said today, but a complete “cessation” of this fiasco.

So, yes – of all that has happened this week, today’s statements are by far the most important – and uplifting.

Because an end to American “mediation” could mean the beginning of an era where Israel will finally have to deal with the consequences of its actions.

Related:
Israel suspends talks, and Washington’s hypocrisy on Hamas
If you believe in peace, the Fatah-Hamas deal is good news
Abbas just shot the Palestinian cause in the foot

Ami Kaufman

Ami Kaufman was chief night editor for Haaretz, for the prominent Israeli financial daily Calcalist, and correspondent on Israeli affairs for 93.6 RAM FM, a joint Palestinian-Israel radio station. His interest in food and cooking led to culinary studies at the "Israeli CIA" (Tadmor, Herzliya) and a brief stint in the restaurant business. Born in Tel Aviv, Ami lives in Bat Yam with his wife and two daughters. In his spare time he blogs at Half & Half.

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