The 'settlement issue' is bogus
Here's an interview with David Hazony (which was supposed to discuss his new book on the Ten Commandments) in which Hazony suddenly finds himself in a discussion about Israeli 'settlements.' David does quite well. Even the Muslim representative agrees.Let's go to the videotape. The fun starts around the 5:50 mark.
Michael Weiss agrees that 'settlements' aren't the issue, but for a different reason. He argues that the revenants are 'marginalized' and that most Israelis will give up the 'settlements' under the proper circumstances. I don't believe we'll ever confront that issue because the proper circumstances will never be reached. But I don't believe the revenants are anywhere near as marginalized as Weiss thinks they are. Many Israelis have become much more wary of conceding territory in light of the Gaza experience. But Weiss' last two paragraphs explain why none of this should make 'settlements' the key issue:
That is not to say that the existing West Bank settlements are destined to fall from Israeli control. Land swaps have long been part of the tool kit of final-status negotiations; in late 2008, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas undertook a hypothetical map-drawing exercise that delineated the border between the two states. The end result allowed for large settlement blocs to be incorporated into the Jewish state, while according land currently inside Israel to the new Palestinian state. Ma'ale Adumim, for instance, which was a sticking point in the international debate preceding the construction moratorium, is home to some 36,500 Israelis who aren't likely to go anywhere, as most Palestinians acknowledge. Building new bathrooms or balconies there is hardly the fatal blow to peace that it has been made to appear.That hasn't alleviated the Obama administration's obsession with settlements - which I will discuss later today - an obsession which is looking more and more absurd as time goes on.
Settlements should not be the top Mideast priority for the Obama administration. More critical issues will have to be resolved first, such as reconciling feuding Palestinian political factions, guaranteeing that security can be maintained in the West Bank without an IDF presence, and ensuring that Palestinian institutions now being built are stable enough to sustain a functioning democratic government, regardless of which party is elected. The settlement fixation is a convenient distraction from these obstacles, which have no easy remedy and continue to block the way to a two-state solution.
Labels: Barack Obama, David Hazony, Michael Weiss, settlement freeze
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:20 PM
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