Perry Attacks Obama's Mideast Policy

by John M. Curtis
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Copyright September 20, 2011
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           Firing a shot across the White House bow, Republican presidential candidate Texas Gov. Rick Perry, criticized President Barack Obama’s Mideast policy as “appeasing” Palestinians.  With the U.N. General Assembly opening tomorrow, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas threatened to take statehood for a voter before the General Assembly, where he enjoys some support.  U.S. and European Union officials oppose unilateral action and promise a veto in the U.N. Security Council.  Seeking the desperate measure of forcing the statehood issue on the General Assembly, Abbas hoped to avoid 40-plus years of wrangling with Israel, the U.S. and a host of other nations, resulting in snake eyes.  Occasional successes at 1978 Camp David or 1993 in Oslo, don’t make up for 40 years of failure.

            Mideast diplomacy has been a kind of high-drama for presidents seeking the Holy Grail of U.S. foreign policy:  A Mideast Peace deal.  Attempts at peacemaking have made a Nobel Peace winner out of the late Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat.  Arafat went to his grave Nov. 11, 2004 without a state because of outside pressure and excessive demands.  Prior discussions about land-for-peace swaps, refugees’ rights of return, capital city locations, etc., all put the cart before the horse.  “Simply put, we would not be here today at this very precipice of such a dangerous move if the Obama policy in the Middle East wasn’t a naïve and arrogant, misguided and dangerous,” said Perry, speaking to a group of Jewish leaders in New York.  Obama’s policy of returning to the 1967 borders is a non-starter for Israel.  Israeli Prime Minister Benajamin “Bibi” Netanyahu has nixed the idea.

            Since Sept. 11, gone are the days when the U.S.—for whatever reasons—compromises Israel’s security by supporting terrorists, all in the name of peace.  Former President Ronald Reagan, years before 9/11, said it best calling Arafat a terrorist for supporting extremist groups that used terrorism to exact political concessions from Israel.  For years, Arafat used Sheikh Ahmed Yassin’s Hamas terror group to pressure Israel into making concessions.  When President Obama spoke to the U.N. General Assembly, he told Abbas there “are no shortcuts” to peace, discouraging Abbas from going to the General Assembly for recognition.  Abbas must decide whether he wants to continue making the same demands that resulted in failure or start anew with a doable statehood proposal.  Asking for statehood in the West Bank with its capital Ramallah would a constructive first step.

            Perry’s New York speech accused the president of “appeasement” and putting Israel “in a position of weakness.”  Barack’s May 20 Mideast speech talked of returning to the pre-Six-Day borders, ceding Palestinians all of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.  Israel already returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egpyt in 1978 and Gaza to the Palestinians  in 2005.  All prior U.S. presidents operated under the assumption of a land-for-peace swap. Israel knows that since returning the Sinai and Gaza in 2005, there’s been no relief from terrorist attacks.  Abbas’ Palestinian Authority hasn’t made a peace deal with Israel. He’s in the process of shopping around the idea of gaining approval in the U.N. General Assembly for an independent Palestinian State.  Instead of worrying about prior failed agreements or what happens to Hamas in Gaza, Abbas should focus only on setting up a sovereign state in the West Bank.

            Israel has always had problems with what happens to the fate of Jewish settlers in the West Bank.  If Abbas agrees to an independent state in the West Bank with its capital Ramallah, Israel would pay the new Palestinian state special taxes for maintaining the settlements.  Just like Arabs live in Israel proper, Jews could live harmoniously in the the Palestinian state, if Jews chose to stay.  If not, settlements could be shuttered and turned over to the Palestinian Authority.  Obama needs to heed Netanyahu’s call that Israel cannot return to the pre-Six Day War borders.  Maintaining buffer zones has always been necessary for Israel’s security, especially because Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other extremist groups are still committed to Israel’s destruction.  No U.S. administration since Sept. 11 can support Palestinian “resistance,” suicide bombing Israel to win better political concessions.

            Perry’s New York speech forced Barack to pivot on his Mideast policy.  Since taking office, Barack hasn’t enjoyed the same affinity as former President George W, Bush, giving Israel full autonomy and a blank check for security.  To Bush and the Pentagon, Israel was like a 51st state, offering the U.S. military and intelligence community unconditional access to its ports and bases.  “Our muddled foreign policy has created greater uncertainty in the midst of the ‘Arab Spring.’  And our policy of isolating and undermining Israel has only encouraged our adversaries in their aggression,” said Perry, reminding Obama that the U.S. can no longer mess with its No. 1 ally in the Middle East.  Perry remembers all too well Palestinians dancing in the streets when the World Trade Center Twin Towers went down.  Instead of forcing Israel’s hand, Perry wishes to continue the Bush policy.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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