Yesterday I noted that John Bolton feared that the Obama administration would (tacitly) support a Palestinian effort to get support for statehood at the United Nations.
The Palestinians clearly are looking to the UN for support:
The Palestinian leadership, near despair about attaining a negotiated agreement with Israel on a two-state solution, is increasingly focusing on how to get international bodies and courts to declare a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
The idea, being discussed in both formal and informal forums across the West Bank, is to appeal to the United Nations, the International Court of Justice and the signatories of the Geneva Conventions for opposition to Israeli settlements and occupation and ultimately a kind of global assertion of Palestinian statehood that will tie Israel’s hands.
(The irony here is that the Palestinians are the one who walked out of the talks. So the “near despair” is misleading. As the article subsequently points out, this is the Palestinian way of avoiding negotiations and concessions.)
And Laura Rozen (h/t JoshuaPundit) reports that the Obama administration is frustrated with Israel.
Between now and November, the Obama administration will try to avoid open failure, or getting into a fight with Israel, says former peace negotiator Aaron Miller.
After November, the administration might consider putting “out American ideas, either to close the process down until the two sides are ready to accept them, or one side accepts and the other doesn’t, putting pressure on the declining side to come round,” Miller said.
Such U.S. mediation, designed to produce “a horizon†on core issues such as borders, security, Jerusalem and refugees, could either “shut the game down until the locals are ready to play seriously,†Miller said, “or gin it up.â€
If the Palestinians say yes to such a plan and the Israelis say no, this “means pressure on Bibi to give, or to change his coalition,†Miller said.
While this proves nothing about the administration’s intent, it does suggest that Bolton’s fear is well founded as the elements seem to be in place for more support for the Palestinians at the UN.
Apparently the thawing of relations between the administration and the Netanyahu government was window dressing to avoid the harsh judgment of the American public in November.
Daniel Pipes argues that Israel policy is one more reason to support Congressional Republicans this year. Weakening the President’s political support would seem to be important.
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
