Something fishy is going on. I used to think Obama was just naive and out of his depth in the Middle East. Obama definitely is out of his depth there, but I dont think it is just that. I no longer think it is just naivete, weakness or ignorance. It isnt just his clear lack of skill in navigating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that has resulted in the stalled peace talks that seem to have driven the two sides farther and farther apart since Obama has taken office.
I admit, Israel handled the decision of building further housing units in East Jerusalem poorly. Certainly, the timing was terrible. But the decision itself is all a matter of perspective, not warranting the extreme reaction and condemnation by Washington toward Israel, her long time ally and friend, this week.
It kind of feels like those mirrors I used to look into at the Childrens Museum; you know, the ones that make you look funny because of how out of proportion your body is. Your face looks rectangular, flat and tiny, while your body balloons out, and your feet and hands are wired looking appendages, flailing. Well, to me that is how this week looks.
Basically, it seems that if you are a tyrannical dictatorship such as Iran, flagrantly dissing any demands of the UN, working to acquire nuclear weapons because you are determined to destroy parts of the world, suppressing and attacking your own cities, supporting terrorist groups and declaring the US the great satan, Obama will court you and placate you, so that you become a partner in negotiation with him.
If you support terrorist groups, such as Hezbollah, as Syria does, Obama will befriend you.
But if you are an ally and a friend, and announce that you are approving zoning steps for 1,600 homes, added to an already existing neighborhood in your capital, you will receive scathing condemnation, to the point of implying that this is weakening an alliance of decades, and generally bringing on a full blown diplomatic gridlock.
Suddenly, the delicate, flowery, beat-around-the-bush Obama finds his blunt voice.
This whole spectacle has got me thinking. I wonder, how orchestrated is all of this as part of a larger effort and vision of his to restructure Western society? What is Obamas real, big picture? That is what I would like to hear from him more directly.
On the one hand, Obamas reaction to the housing announcement would seem to reflect an egregious lack of skill. And I do grant him that, in this case, he is the responder to an Israeli decision. But still, there is a contrast here that is eyebrow raising. In contradistinction to Obamas usual bending-over-backward mode with declared enemies, with Israel it is precisely the opposite.
His response seems to be an odd combination of ignorance of the Middle East and, at the same time, very skilled, orchestrated and calculated in his criticism of Israel.
It seems there is a lot more here than meets the eye. I would like to know more transparently what Obama’s true motives are, what is really going on. Please, just say it outright, instead of passive-aggressively lashing out in such a caricatured way.
Some might say, precisely because Israel is a democratic friend of the US, precisely because we both speak the same language, so to speak, that Obama feels he can be more critical, perhaps more honest and direct in his verbal expression. But in this case, I dont buy it.
The consequence of his choice in how to react to and criticize Israels housing decision can only escalate the tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, not diffuse them.
Obamas approach this week only served to bolster unreasonable negotiating positions of the Palestinians, not to mention creating an aura of distrust around Israel.
How is this a diplomatic neutering of a tense situation?
How does this truly endeavor to achieve the goal, albeit elusive, of some form of diplomatic peace one day?
