Friday, September 23, 2011

Hunstman on Israel in NRO

Three Prophets, Zion Nat'l Park, Utah
President Obama said that he wants Israel to use the 1967 borders as a starting point for negotiations with the Palestinians. The Israelis say those borders are indefensible. They are.

Presidential candidate and former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman writes about the conflict in today's National Review Online:

We are witnessing an unfortunate and unnecessary spectacle in New York this week as the Palestinian Authority pushes its bid for formal statehood in the United Nations General Assembly. On the surface, this may strike some as mere political theater, yet another diplomatic maneuver in the longstanding dispute between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Others may see a flare-up of the United Nations’ traditional anti-U.S., anti-Israel bias.

The outcome of the statehood bid itself is not in doubt. Whether through eleventh-hour arm-twisting or a veto, the United States will ensure the cynical, counterproductive ploy by the Palestinian Authority will fail. But the more fundamental questions relate to how we got into this mess in the first place, how much damage has been inflicted as a result, and where we go from here.

President Obama's misguided Middle East policies directly contributed to a breakdown of the peace process. The people of Israel have lost confidence in the Obama administration and no longer feel the president understands Israel's security needs.

We're getting a glimpse of a world where America is less trusted by our allies, and less respected by all others. In such a world, rather than count on American leadership to be a guarantor of certain fundamental principles, parties will increasingly take matters into their own hands and the U.S. will become increasingly marginalized.
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