Obama and Israel: A Match Made in Heaven???

Why not start out my new blog with a controversial topic...


Pundits have spun controversy over the topic of Obama's relationship with the state of Israel. How close could he possibly be to Israel if he has a (gasp) Palestinian friend - Rashid Khalidi? The campain rumors abounded about his potential leanings - in favor of Palestinians, quite unheard of among the heavy-hitters of either party. To win the presidency, they said, he would have to win over friends of Israel. And that he did, quite handily, speaking at last summer's AIPAC conference, the grandest of all granddaddys of pro-Israel gatherings. He put to rest many doubts about his closeness to Israel with his "friend of Israel" pronouncements and pro-Israel campaign staffers.

Now that he is safely in office, his administration is staffed with reliable friends of Israel, such as the notable Hillary Clinton, former senator from New York. The occasional outliers are roundly criticized for their opinions, but are certainly not extremists by any stretch of the imagination. The conventional wisdom around Washington seems to be that Obama's administration will continue to be a close friend of Israel, since no one can undo that, but that there may be a bit more pressure on Israel to be more flexible in its peace relations.

One interesting example came out of Hillary Clinton's recent trip to the Middle East. She was quoted as saying very delicately that demolition of Arab homes in East Jerusalem "do not help the peace process" and violate the spirit of the road map. This came after US officials lodged four official complaints with Israel over its settlement and home demolition activities, especially in East Jeruslalem, which is considered occupied territory in the international community but was annexed by Israel after its capture in 1967.

It seems that not only is the American administration turning up the heat, but so are the Israelis - on the ground. According to a Peace Now Settlement Watch report, the government of Israel is planning to build 73,000 or more new housing units in the West Bank. Some almost nine thousand have already been built. If true, this would double the size of a number of settlements, such as two largest Ariel and Ma'aleh Adumi. Such a move would jeopardize the possibility of creating a Palestinian state on that land, thereby undermining decades of American and international diplomacy.

Of course, complicating matters is the recent election of what will likely turn out to be a right-wing government in February's general elections. Likud party leader Binyamin Netanyahu will be the likely Prime Minister, who supports continued settlement building in East Jerusalem and West Bank, territories occupied since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. He is currently trying to put together a cabinet and coalition that is likely to include ultra-nationalist Avigdor Lieberman as foreign minister. Lieberman campaigned on the issue of requiring a loyalty oath for Israel's 1.5 million Arab citizens and once suggested Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak could "go to hell" because he will not visit Israel.


So, my crystal ball says to watch for a few hints of a tougher stance towards Israel. However, don't hold your breath waiting for a revolution.